GOP Goes Tenther

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is: 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.  It is a concept that I support, but most Republicans tend to go off the deep end in advocating states rights, taking us back to the ‘50s… 1850s that is.  These Republicans are called Tenthers.

State legislatures, bolstered by the huge Republican freshman classes that were swept into power from New Hampshire to Montana last year, have intensified their attacks on federal authority in the name of states’ rights.

The efforts actually began before the election, in fights over the health care bill and gun regulation, but have spread to issues including the regulation of greenhouse gases, commerce and food safety.

“There is a lot more activity on a broader front,” said Karl Kurtz, a staff analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “Fueled by the election results, more Republicans are pursuing their agenda.”

In Kentucky, the State Senate is expected to take up a bill this week declaring the state a “sanctuary” from meddling by the Environmental Protection Agency.

In Arizona, the State Senate approved a measure this month that would exempt all products made and consumed within its boundaries from federal interstate commerce laws.

The Montana Legislature is considering a bill that would allow the state to nullify federal laws that protect endangered species. And in Georgia, a bill that would override federal monetary regulations by requiring banks to accept payment in gold or silver has survived two readings in the State House of Representatives.

“There’s been a kind of ramping up,” said Michael Boldin, the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center [Tenthers delinked], a research and advocacy group in Los Angeles. Last year, Mr. Boldin said, many of the bills were simply statements of dissatisfaction or intent. This year, he said, the bills are armed with teeth and recommended penalties. The Arizona bill, for instance, would make it a felony for anyone who tried to enforce federal commerce laws.

Critics say the measures are mostly still just talk — rhetorical flourishes shaped to criticize the Obama administration. Federal law, by dint of multiple legal precedents, almost always trumps state law. Even worse, the critics say, the effort to wrest power from Washington is distracting legislators from making tough economic and budget decisions.

“This is the theater of the absurd, and it is dangerous rhetoric,” said Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

Mr. Schweitzer is a Democrat in a state where the Republican-controlled Legislature is considering, among a raft of antifederal proposals, a declaration that would require the F.B.I. to get the local sheriff’s permission before making any arrests. The governor, who is from a family of ranchers, said he had just registered a cattle brand that spelled out the word “veto.”

“I’m going to have it red hot and ready to go,” he said.

The movement’s supporters say that they are acting in the name of democracy and freedom, and that no fight could be more important. And they hope that if enough legislatures take action, their collective voice will be heard in Washington… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Tenthers take the amendment out of the context of the rest of the Constitution.  Providing for the general welfare and regulating interstate commerce are powers granted to the federal government.  The only item listed above that might not fall under those powers is Arizona’s, provided that all components of the products in questions are indeed local in origin and that that none of the final products are exported.

Kentucky’s proposal is the most egregious of these, because the effects of Kentucky pollution would spread well beyond their borders.

Of course, this is just one more Republican tactic to distract their poor brainwashed sheeple from the things that matter most: jobs.  There Republicans have nothing to offer.