DC Tells Tombstone, AZ They Can Repair Water System, As Long As They Use Horses and Hand Tools
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
This is an incredible story showing how far the federal government is from rational thought. Here’s what happened in Tombstone: Between May and July 2011, the Monument Fire engulfed a large part of the eastern portion of the Huachuca Mountains. Record-breaking monsoon rains followed. With no vegetation to absorb the runoff, huge mudslides forced boulders to tumble down the mountain sides, crushing Tombstone’s mountain spring waterlines, destroying reservoirs and shutting off Tombstone’s main source of water. In some areas, Tombstone’s pipeline is under 12 feet of mud, rocks and other debris; while in other places, it is hanging in mid-air...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
Federal Judge Enforces Sharia-Compliance in Ohio Prisons
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
In 2011, death row inmate Abdul Awkal sued an Ohio prison because he was receiving non-halal food while in prison. As a consequence, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction banned all pork products in prison. This year, prisoner James Rivers filed a lawsuit arguing that pork should not be outright banned. He reasoned that, should Muslims not want to eat pork, they had the right to, but that it was discriminatory to ban pork for everyone. Additionally, the prison did offer meals without pork products in them before the ban. To reinforce Rivers's lawsuit, prison authorities argued that the...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
Utah's Liljenquist Pledges to Work to Repeal NDAA and 17th Amendment
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
Candidate for Senate Dan Liljenquist (left) pledged to The New American that should he be elected to the U.S. Senate he will offer legislation explicitly repealing the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In a press conference held on April 24 at 2:00 p.m. (MDT), the former Utah State Senator and current GOP challenger to six-term Senator Orrin Hatch described the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA as “an overreach and a violation of the Bill of Rights.” He said that had he been in office when Congress voted to pass the NDAA he would have...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
92% Favor Strict Limits on Government To Protect the Individual
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
Voters believe too much government power is a dangerous thing and put a very high value on protecting the rights of the individual. Sixty-five percent (65%) of Likely U.S. Voters agree with the statement that a government powerful enough to do everything you want is also powerful enough to take away everything you have. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 23% disagree with that statement. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure about it. (To see survey question wording, click here.) The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on April 16-17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports....
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
Obama weighs in against Minnesota's marriage ballot
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
President Obama's Minnesota campaign waded into the state's marriage amendment fight on Monday with a statement saying the president opposes the proposal that would define marriage only as the union of a man and woman. Obama for America's Minnesota communications director, Kristin Sosanie, said in a news release that "while the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples. That's what the Minnesota ballot initiative would do -- it would single out and...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
Utah on verge of passing bill demanding Feds relinquish public land
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
Lawmakers who want to seize control of federal lands are pushing a legal battle they insist is winnable despite multiple warnings their effort is highly unconstitutional and almost sure to fail in court. Utah is poised to become the first state to pass a package of bills that demand the federal government relinquish claims to huge sections of public land. A proposal that advanced Wednesday demands that by 2014 the federal government cede control of nearly 30 million acres -- nearly 50 percent of the entire state. A bill setting an identical deadline is also moving in the Arizona Legislature....
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
DEA inquiries into medical marijuana industry include legislators ( Montana )
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
Diane Sands is used to having her name taken in vain. That's just part of being a liberal from Missoula in the Montana Legislature. But her name surfaced recently in a way that offended and troubled her at a profound level. A possible witness in a federal drug investigation was asked whether Sands might be part of a conspiracy to sell medical marijuana. The questions came from Drug Enforcement Administration agents from Billings who were investigating medical marijuana businesses, and Sands learned about the inquiry from the witness' attorney. "So now, if you're a state legislator who has been working...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
Libertarians, Guns, and Federalism
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
A reply to Richard Epstein's take on the right to keep and bear arms In McDonald v. Chicago, its landmark 2010 decision striking down that city’s handgun ban, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies against state and local governments via the 14th Amendment, which declares: “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” If you ask most libertarians, they will...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
3d Model of the US Constitutional Republic
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
I've developed a 3D model of the US Constitution. The linked video is the first attempt to use the model in the defense of Ordered Liberty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMy0Z-RAu6g&feature=share I'm looking for feedback. Thank you, Representative Davenport NH General Court
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
Federalism Death Watch: State Dependency on Federal Dollars
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
Libertarians and free-market advocates have a particular attachment to the concept of federalism. If states can differentiate themselves on the basis of taxes, spending, and regulation, or even social policies, that gives Americans more leeway in deciding the rules under which we live. If we’re dissatisfied with the policies of the state we live in, we can register our discontent by voting with our feet and moving to another jurisdiction. In theory, this competition for residents helps keep lawmakers in check, giving them an incentive to keep taxes and other intrusions modest. While this is great as a concept, that’s...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
In Flap over S. Carolina Law, Old Tensions and a Campaign Issue
Posted by admin / Under Federalism
Columbia, South Carolina (REUTERS) - The state that fired the first shot in the Civil War is once again battling the government in a racially charged conflict that is drawing heated rhetoric from Republican presidential candidates. South Carolina is in a standoff with Democratic President Barack Obama's administration over a new state law that would require residents to produce a photo ID before they could vote. Federal officials say it could disproportionately keep black voters away from the polls. Republican candidates are waving the banner of states' rights as they tout their small-government credentials.
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 07:19:15 PM
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