More States Asserting Sovereignty
Worried the federal government is increasing its dominance over their affairs, several states are pursuing legislative action to assert their sovereignty under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution in hopes of warding off demands from Washington on how to spend money or enact policy. The growing concerns even have a handful of governors questioning whether to accept federal stimulus money that comes with strings attached.
The sentiments to declare themselves legally independent from Washington have swept across as many as a dozen states, renewing a debate over so-called unfunded mandates that last raged in the 1990s. The states question whether the U.S. government can force states to take actions without paying for them or impose conditions on states if they accept certain federal funding.
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Oklahoma state Sen. Randy Brogdon introduced a resolution that he said would enable his state to “reclaim its 10th Amendment right to reject any and all acts of Congress that go beyond its enumerated powers in violation of the 10th Amendment.”
Other states pursuing sovereignty resolutions are Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire and Washington. Similar measures are likely to be introduced in more than a dozen other states, analysts said.
“The states are sending a message,” said Robert Alt, a legal scholar at the Heritage Foundation.
Read the full story here.
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Posted by loboinok on February 20, 2009 1:42 am
» Filed Under Earmarks, Economy, News, Representative Government, States Rights, U.S. Constitution, bailouts, stimulus bill
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One Response to “More States Asserting Sovereignty”
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I would say that the U.S. Constitution only grants the federal superior jurisdiction inside a state in those places that the state has given to them by legislative action. That is what section 8 of Article 1 states. There are some exceptions such as to ensure due process of law and equal protection under the law and the like.