In last week's Constitution 101 article, we looked at war powers and determined that it was the role of Congress, not the president, to initiate war. Article I Sec. 8 delegates Congress the power to “declare war.” Article II Sec. 2 designates the president “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United..
Read moreDon’t Be an A-Hole
In order to have a functioning free society, its members must live responsibly and treat each other with basic civility. Critics of conservatives and libertarians often charge that they don’t really care about anybody else and that they exhibit an “I’ll do whatever I want, damn the consequences,” mentality. Sadly, some seem bound and determined..
Read moreConstitution 101: War Powers
Over the last several weeks, we’ve looked at the “general welfare,” “necessary and proper,” and “commerce” clauses, three constitutional provisions often used by progressives to expand federal power, and we established what those clauses actually mean. While liberal constitutional interpreters abuse those clauses, scholars and politicians have utterly disregarded the proper understanding of war powers...
Read moreIndependence: A Revolutionary Idea
Today, Americans celebrate America. We wave flags. We thank the troops. We shoot off fireworks. We march in parades. And we talk about the greatness of America and her fight for independence. But the Fourth of July has come to mean something far deeper than a celebration of the birth of a "nation" to me...
Read moreAmericans Playing Monopoly: Court Takes On Another Case It Shouldn’t
In the United States, we have a monopoly government by judiciary. Not only have we monopolized almost all power at the federal level, we have placed nearly unlimited authority in the hands of nine federal employees staffing the Supreme Court. On top of exercising virtually unlimited veto power over every state and local law, these..
Read moreSmash the Frame!
In the wake of the Supreme Court Hobby Lobby decision, I wrote a blog post for the Tenth Amendment Center arguing that the opinion doesn't warrant celebration. To you conservatives in celebration mode as you dissect the overlords’ opinion on religious beliefs and health insurance mandates, you might want to pause for just a moment..
Read moreConstitution 101: The Commerce Clause
This week, we continue looking at constitutional clauses often misconstrued to give the government more power than intended. Two weeks ago, we started with the general welfare clause, and last week we followed up with the necessary and proper clause. This week, we will take up probably the clause most often used to justify federal..
Read moreThey All Suck
Sometimes I feel like just throwing in the towel. I have to be honest: I didn't get into political activism because I thought it was a pathway to fame and riches. Anybody involved in this kind of work knows the rewards don't come in the form of a padded bank account, or even respect and..
Read moreConstitution 101: Necessary and Proper, Not Anything and Everything
Last week, we considered the first of several constitutional clauses often misinterpreted to expand federal power. We started with the “general welfare clause,” and established that it does not give the federal government the authority to do anything and everything that might promote the general welfare of the United States. This week we take up..
Read moreConstitution101: The General Welfare Clause
When challenged on the federal government’s constitutional authority to create welfare programs, meddle in education or run a national healthcare system, progressives will almost always appeal to the “general welfare clause.” Huffington Post columnist Paul Abrams demonstrated this line of thinking in a March 9, 2011, piece. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1 grants the..
Read more