Tenth Amendment Center

Bailouts of the failing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are not only unwarranted and unwise - but the existence of both these quasi-government/private organizations is unconstitutional from the very beginning.

When looking at the constitutionality of government programs, it’s not necessary to be a law student, or an “expert” of any kind.  The founding fathers wrote the Constitution in plain English - so that ordinary people would be able to understand the law…that governs the government. Read more »

by Rep Ron Paul

What will it take to get our troops out of Iraq?   The roughly 70 percent of Americans who are firmly against the war often ask this question.  Those in power are reluctant to give conditions, but when they do and those conditions are met, the goal post is quietly moved.

Voters were promised, passionately and vehemently, that the new Congress would bring our troops home.  Many were explicitly elected in 2006 under that banner.  But our troops are still overseas, funding has been increased even beyond the administration’s wish list, and troop withdrawal has been negotiated away. Read more »

The framers of the Constitution attempted to balance the power of the President as commander-in-chief with that of Congress, the representatives of the People.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives to the Executive Branch the command of the nation’s armed forces, while Article I, Section 8 gives to the Legislative Branch the power to decide when the United States goes to war. Read more »

A week ago today, Independence Day (not “the 4th”) was celebrated - but it seems that many people are missing the point of this holiday.  We all enjoy taking time with family and friends - celebrating and appreciating the warm summer - but do we ever really take time to reflect on just what we’re supposed to be cheering for?

A quick perusal of the Declaration of Independence makes it quite clear: Read more »

by Clay Barham

If there were ever a time where the founding principle of America, as a nation, is justified again, it is the issue of state sovereignty.  The notion of multiple governing entities, contractually united for a few common and limited purposes, where all else are functions of each state, is apparent in the campaign of 2008. Read more »

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

Those few words, from the Declaration of Independence, are as close as one might find to be the sum total of the principle of liberty.  Read more »

The 10th Amendment to the US Constitution embodies much of what the founders envisioned for this country - a federal government strictly limited to only specific activities, with the rest being handled on state or local levels.

Some may call this states’ rights, others refer to it as decentralization or federalism.  Whatever you call it, it’s a system of government where politicians in Washington D.C. wouldn’t have the power to dictate to you how to live your life.

Period. Read more »

by Rep Ron Paul

One reason people are unhappy with the way politics and governments operate is that people who run for office are known to “say one thing and do another.”  Thus, we have the call for “change.”

Candidates for high office make frequent use of that word.  Even our House Republican Conference’s recently released slogan highlights that word.

Yet, bringing about change is easier said than done.  The American people are aware that government is broken and must be fixed.  They will demand more than lip service as our problems become more severe. Read more »

by Steve Kubby

“States’ Rights” is an Anti-Libertarian Concept

The concept of federalism is properly used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between the federal government and the states.

In contrast, the term “states’ rights” is a fraudulent and profoundly ANTI-Libertarian concept that has no other purpose but to deceive and rob us of our natural, inalienable, inseparable, non-transferable rights as human beings. Read more »

by Paul Craig Roberts

What use is the political left? This is a serious question, not a rant. The same question can be asked about the political right. The question does not imply derogatory implications about individuals on the political left or the political right. Rather, the question concerns the basket of emotions, issues, and knee-jerk responses associated with the political left and the political right.

Traditionally, the political left has had a Benthamite view of government, seeing government power as the tool for improving society whether through revolution or reform. Paradoxically, the political left has believed in Big Government despite the political left’s emphasis on civil liberty. The political left sees government power not as a threat to civil liberty but as a tool for enforcing civil liberty; for example, through Brown vs. Board of Education and coerced integration in the southern states. Read more »