Beating Back The Feds

Constitution, Federalism, Political Philosophy, States' Rights

“States across the country are rediscovering and reasserting the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution:

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.

“Quaint, I know, but to the federal government were delegated only limited and enumerated powers (Article I, Section 8): 17 to be precise. Most everything it does these days is extra-constitutional.”

The latest States’ Rights push-back (via the New York Times):

“In more than a dozen statehouses across the country, a small but growing group of lawmakers is pressing for state constitutional amendments that would outlaw a crucial element of the health care plans under discussion in Washington: the requirement that everyone buy insurance or pay a penalty.”

“Approval of the measures, the lawmakers suggest, would set off a legal battle over the rights of states versus the reach of federal power — an issue that is, for some, central to the current health care debate but also one that has tentacles stretching into a broad range of other matters, including education and drug policy.”

Update II: Bachmann & Paul Against Bernanke

Federal Reserve Bank, Foreign Policy, Iran, Liberty, Military, Politics, Ron Paul, War

I like the idea of a Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann ticket. Paul needs no introduction, but Bachmann is bright in the way Palin isn’t; she is intellectually curious in the way Palin is not (this accounts for why she has beefed up her knowledge of the Fed and is familiar with Tom Woods’ Meltdown); she is attractive, and she drives liberals stark raving mad. (Or madder)

Here Bachmann introduces Paul:

And here is Paul:

Update (Sept. 28): With respect to “Hot Air,” advanced hereunder by Haym as an ostensible source of credible opinion; it isn’t. Credible news, quite possibly, but not opinion. At least not on foreign policy. And not on this site. (Yeah, the adventure in Iraq was fun wasn’t it!) This is a libertarian site; Hot Air is neoconservative. We’ve adjudicated the last 8 years of foreign policy here on BAB in blog posts and in article on IlanaMercer.com. My perspective, which comports with that of Paul, albeit with some differences, has been vindicated. I’m surprised war mongers are unrepentant, and are still be plumping for preemptive war against countries that have not aggressed against the US given the lessons of Iraq. I guess when it’s not your kid who’s hobbling around on prostheses or dead, it doesn’t much move the mind, much less the heart. The “isolationism” pejorative is lobbed by neoconservatives when they wish to discredit those of us who believe in fighting just wars only. It’s like pacifist.

Update II (Sept. 29): I am sure Myron has preordered his copy of “Going Rogue: An American Life.”

'Frau Merkel' Returns

Democrats, Europe, Federal Reserve Bank, Taxation

Richard Spencer of Taki’s: “It’s my view that Takimag readers should muster somewhere between 1.7 and 2.2 cheers for the Christian Democrats of Germany, who proved victorious this weekend in national elections. Their triumph not only secures a second chancellorship for Angela Merkel, but it will allow her to form a ruling coalition with the Free Democrats, who are much like the Club For Growth wing of the Republican Party.” …

“Though a decent and smart woman, Merkel is hardly a dynamic, risk-taking European politician in the line of Pim Fortuyn or Geert Wilders. … Though to her credit, over the past six months, she has issued forth some guarded grumblings about the Fed’s zero-interest-rate policies as well as Washington’s demand that countries with savings and trade surpluses finance Obama’s ‘stimulus’ orgy.”…

“It is certainly a good thing that after last fall’s economic downturn, Germans didn’t go running into the arms of the socialists and instead actually increased the vote totals of the ‘pro-business’ party (the FDP.) But let’s keep this in context. The Social Democrats—which is a kind of unionized, Joe Biden-like party, having dropped ‘gradualist’ Marxism—earned 23 percent of the vote; The Left Party—a breakaway from the SPD, which has picked up gradualist Marxism and looks back with fondness on the German Democratic Republic—received 12 percent; and the Greens—which combines the Baby Boomer New Left with pomo and crunchy insanities of many varieties—got 10. Put simply, half of the country either wanted some kind of retro-socialism (SPD, Left) or else a form of leftism that might actually be worse than what Obama is pursuing over here.”

The complete post is here.

‘Frau Merkel’ Returns

Democrats, Economy, Europe, Federal Reserve Bank, Taxation

Richard Spencer of Taki’s: “It’s my view that Takimag readers should muster somewhere between 1.7 and 2.2 cheers for the Christian Democrats of Germany, who proved victorious this weekend in national elections. Their triumph not only secures a second chancellorship for Angela Merkel, but it will allow her to form a ruling coalition with the Free Democrats, who are much like the Club For Growth wing of the Republican Party.” …

“Though a decent and smart woman, Merkel is hardly a dynamic, risk-taking European politician in the line of Pim Fortuyn or Geert Wilders. … Though to her credit, over the past six months, she has issued forth some guarded grumblings about the Fed’s zero-interest-rate policies as well as Washington’s demand that countries with savings and trade surpluses finance Obama’s ‘stimulus’ orgy.”…

“It is certainly a good thing that after last fall’s economic downturn, Germans didn’t go running into the arms of the socialists and instead actually increased the vote totals of the ‘pro-business’ party (the FDP.) But let’s keep this in context. The Social Democrats—which is a kind of unionized, Joe Biden-like party, having dropped ‘gradualist’ Marxism—earned 23 percent of the vote; The Left Party—a breakaway from the SPD, which has picked up gradualist Marxism and looks back with fondness on the German Democratic Republic—received 12 percent; and the Greens—which combines the Baby Boomer New Left with pomo and crunchy insanities of many varieties—got 10. Put simply, half of the country either wanted some kind of retro-socialism (SPD, Left) or else a form of leftism that might actually be worse than what Obama is pursuing over here.”

The complete post is here.