Power to the states

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." That is the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution. When the first Congress convened they adopted twelve amendments, which the anti-federalists required before adoption of the Constitution, and sent them to the states for ratification. Of those twelve, ten were ratified by the states and became what is known as the Bill of Rights. Most of these are known by most people and they include freedom of speech, press, no self-incrimination and privacy protections. Just to make sure, the 9th Amendment was included to clarify that the list of rights was not inclusive of all the protected rights. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution could be among the most important of the Bill of Rights, as the quote at the beginning of the article clearly states, “powers NOT DELEGATED to the United States…” (Emphasis added). Because of this amendment we know that the intent of the Constitution was to limit the federal government to the powers listed in Article I Section 8. To look at the federal government now, you would not know that it was limited in scope. Because of the massive increase in the size of the federal leviathan, many states have found renewed interest in the 10th Amendment. States are passing laws reaffirming the amendment; states are passing laws nullifying federal laws that are in violation of the Constitution. The laws that are being nullified include Obamacare, NDAA and even federal drug laws. In Nevada, we have legalized prostitution, medical marijuana and legalized gambling, if that doesn’t scream state sovereignty, I’m not sure what does. A bill was introduced in the last legislative session to assert state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment. This bill was not acted upon within specified time limits and so it was dead in committee. This was not the first time this bill has been introduced and not the first time it died in committee. This is not the first time the state has refused to honor its sovereignty. A few years back, the democratic majority passed a bill that would invalidate Nevada’s vote in Presidential elections. It made it out of the Assembly, but not the Senate. Last session it was re-introduced and again didn’t make it out of the Senate, luckily. In these times of economic instability, 12% statewide unemployment, budget deficits and the federal government demanding more, now is the time to assert state sovereignty. Nevada has to balance its budget; it does not have the luxury of the federal government’s ability to run deficits. The federal government is limited to its enumerated powers; it has no power over the nation’s healthcare, marriage, welfare or retirement. The government has no authority to subsidize industries like farming or energy. The government has no authority to create the massive bureaucracy to oversee education, energy, agriculture or the environment. The taxes that Nevada sends to the federal government are spent in other states and on programs that have no benefit to Nevada or its residents. The money Nevada receives from the federal government is less than the money we send to the federal government. The states created the federal government and must reassert its authority over it if we have any hope of rescuing the greatest nation this world has ever seen. Tell your state legislators to support state sovereignty, support the 10th Amendment and restore the republic. As normal, please click here for links.