The Importance of the 10th Amendment

As we look at what America has become over the last 20 years or so, I often wonder if what we have now is what the founders intended. Both Republicans and Democrats have done a really nice job of consolidating power in Washington. They have successfully funneled pretty much all money, and the resulting power, from lobbyists, big money donors, special interest groups, etc. to Washington. There is some state activity, but it pales in comparison.

I cannot imagine that the founders wanted this. There must have been a reason for the 10th Amendment, which 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 one sentence, in its simplicity, is a profound statement of rebuke to a centralized power structure. The founders knew that in order for the young US to succeed, both in its infancy and its prime, there must be a balance of power. They put these balances throughout the Constitution. To balance the federal government, the founders separated the federal government into three equal branches: Legislative Branch; Executive Branch; and Judicial Branch. To balance the people, the founders set forth a document that provides the foundation of a quid pro quo rights structure; that is, all else being equal, for me to have a right, I must accept that you have the same right.

That leaves the balance between the federal government and state governments. This is just as important as the rest of the balances in the Constitution. The founders were part of a group of settlers that fought against tyrannical rule. Their foresight on realizing the dangers of having a single government structure with unchecked power was amazing. Our recent history is replete with examples of what happens when a central government goes unchecked. Between the world worlds and other wars, Americans have died fighting the result of a centralized power structure.

Yet, we quietly or ignorantly have allowed the very same thing to happen in our own country. We have a federal government that is almost complete in its consolidation of power. we have a white house that sends letters to governors of states having congress people that oppose "reform". We have a legislature that, instead of acknowledging opposing views, calls protestors racist nazi warmongers (not caring that several have been veterans). We have congress people saying flat out that they would vote against the interests of their own constituents. We have states being forced to give up control of their own government, lest they be chastized for not taking "free money" in a bailout.

This is just the surface, and it is not the end. Until we have a party that believes in the value and need of the 10th Amendment, this consolidation of power will not end.