"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."—Amendment 10, U.S. Constitution, ratified on December 15, 1791
"Kansas Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook of Shawnee, along with colleagues in the Kansas House from Wichita and Emporia, is planning an attempt to amend the Kansas Constitution, should Congress pass health reforms that mandate everyone carry health insurance. The amendment would allow the state to basically opt-out of such legislation. Cook tells KMBZ it would need the support of two-thirds of lawmakers, and then a thumbs up from the Kansas people on the 2010 ballot."—kmbz.com, website of KMBZ News Radio 980
And so, perhaps, the "revolution" against the madness emerging from Washington, D.C. begins. Ironically, Democrats in Congress have already offered Americans an "opt out" clause as part of their government takeover of health care. But, much like many Democrats themselves, the option is a complete fraud: specifically, a state can opt out of accepting government healthcare insurance, but can't opt out of paying for it. How something this transparently dishonest can be portrayed by Democrats as a "compromise" is yet another example of the contempt they have for the average American's intelligence.
I make no claim to expertise regarding the Constitution of the United States. Scholarly debate about its various clauses has been non-stop since the document became the law of the land. But one aspect of the Constitution is beyond debate: it is a document entirely constructed to limit the power of the government, not the people. And re-reading it, I found nothing which gives Congress the right to require Americans to buy health insurance.
Nowadays, it is virtually impossible to imagine that, for most of our history, when Americans referred to government it was understood to mean state government. This is no mystery. In general, people were far more concerned with what was going on where they live, than what was happening in Washington, D.C. That most Americans' thinking has been altered by one hundred and eighty degrees is directly attributable to explosion of federalism.
Question: can the federal government force the states into bankruptcy? It is no secret that the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats are determined to continue spending trillions of dollars we don't have. Is there a point where an individual state can "opt out" of committing fiscal suicide? If Senator Pilcher-Cook's gambit is successful, what other federal madness could get the opt out treatment from stressed out states?
A substantial majority Americans are fed up with out-of-control government. According to polls at Real Clear Politics, Congressional approval ratings are below 25%, and—despite all the hopey-changey hoopla—55% of Americans believe the country is headed down the wrong track.
This is one American who hopes the spark of discontent being ignited in Kansas turns into a raging wildfire, and that the time-worn cliche', "all politics is local" begins to re-resonate within the electorate. Indeed, if there is to be a bloodless revolution in this country, it may be an all-out war between states rights and federalism.
"Progressive" Democrats have made no secret of that fact that they believe America is an fundamentally damaged country in need of a complete make-over.
Be careful what you wish for, my liberal friends. You might just get it.
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