The federal government was conceived as an institution with limited, enumerated powers. As James Madison put it in Federalist #45, "The powers delegated by the proposed constitution to the federal government are few and defined." Today we have a system that bears no resemblance to the founders' vision. This supposedly limited government claims the authority..
Read moreRefusal to Cooperate: The Moderate Middle Road Between Revolution and Unlimited Submission
Ammon Bundy and the other ranchers arrested after taking over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside Burns, Oregon,tried to go toe-to-toe with the federal government using raw force and power. They failed. The feds killed one man, and the rest of the ranchers now sit in jail, facing charges under a law passed during the..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #33: Things I learned in Burns, Oregon
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I share some of the things I learned during my recent trip to Burns, Oregon, along with some personal thoughts and insights. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to speak in Burns, Oregon. I talked about unconstitutional federal actions and how..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #31: Embracing Tyranny
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I explain how America has embraced the very tyranny the founding generation fought to reject. America's founding generation fought a long, bloody war to free itself from British tyranny. Virtually every American knows this, but very few actually understand what it was..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #30: Gridlock Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the importance of conflict in government. Gridlock isn't always a bad thing! People often complain about "gridlock" in government. But gridlock isn't necessarily a bad thing. In the minds of America's founders, government was meant to be adversarial and..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #29: The Supreme Court Isn’t…
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the absurd, fallacious concept of absolute judicial supremacy. Most Americans believe the Supreme Court enjoys absolute supremacy in the American political system. After all, the word "supreme" is right in the name. They believe when the Supreme Court offers..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #28: The Constitutional Limits of Presidential Power
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head I talk about presidential executive orders and the constitutional limits of executive power. Earlier this week, President Obama issued his promised executive orders relating to firearms. Many Democrats and gun control advocates praised the president for "taking action when Congress won't." Meanwhile,..
Read moreAmerica Embraces Tyranny it Fought to Reject
Americans fought a long, bloody war to free themselves from a tyrannical government, only to eventually embrace the very system they struggled to throw off. That may seem like a stinging indictment, but careful examination of U.S. governance today reveals that it rests on essentially the same philosophical foundation as the 18th century British system..
Read moreDoes Government Have Limits?
Does government have limits? (more…)
Read moreTurning the Constitution into a Campaign Slogan
If you hang around in Republican circles, it won’t take long before you hear the term “constitutional conservative.” Republicans like to hold themselves up as the torchbearers for America’s founding principles. They fancy themselves true patriots, in contrast with those rascally Democrats who “hate America.” But as much as they talk about the Constitution, a..
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