"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." -The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution Dear Editor, One of the many things that makes American democracy great is our system of checks and balances. In a dictatorship, one person is in absolute power. In an oligarchy, power lies with only a few people. And in the form of government our founding fathers intended, power lies with the state legislators. That's right. According to the United States Constitution, those powers not specifically delegated to the United States, like immigration and war, are reserved to the states. This amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants tremendous power to the state legislature-more power than most people realize. This makes sense, because in order for government to be truly of the people, by the people and for the people, government officials should be as close as possible to the people. Since the time of our founding fathers, our federal government has begun usurping the power of our states. In one small increment at a time, the federal government has overreached its authority. This causes me great concern because, as I mentioned before, a tremendous amount of power is vested in the states. So, the question arises, how can we communicate this concern to our elected officials in Washington? Besides contacting them, which is always powerful, we can pass laws at the state level which nullify attempts by the federal government to regulate us. Here are just a few examples:
Another possible solution is outlined in a resolution I have co-authored along with my colleague, Rep. Bob Behning. House Joint Resolution 10, which has been introduced in the Indiana House but has not yet been granted a vote by House Speaker Pat Bauer, directs the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose an amendment to the Constitution of the United States-an amendment changing the way U.S. Senators are elected. I believe this will be the best way to bring even more power back to Indiana and the other states. As it is now, if you call my office about a national proposal (such as the health care bill), there is not much my Legislative Assistant can do. I could personally call Senator Bayh and Senator Lugar all day long, but nothing forces them to listen to me as I try to pass on your wishes. By forcing U.S. Senators to stay in touch with your state legislators, we are shrinking that communication gap between the elected and the electorate. In recent days, one of Indiana's U.S. Senators announced his retirement, citing "political rancor" in Washington as one of his main reasons for leaving. Certainly, with over 400 Congressional representatives and 100 U.S. Senators from all over the country, a consensus is going to be hard to find, especially on controversial issues like healthcare and education. However, allowing smaller groups of elected officials to make decisions for smaller groups of people would allow citizens a much louder voice in their government. Hoosiers would not be subject to laws and funding formulas better suited for the residents of New York or Alaska, and vice versa. This was the original design for our country: independently governed states, overseen by a federal government meant to deal only with issues that applied to all of the states, such as international affairs. I realize this will be a difficult struggle, but it is a fight I'm prepared for and I look forward to passage of this bill. Your federal elected officials have overstepped the Constitution for long enough. It's time for them to stop. Your Representative, Dave Frizzell -30-
Rep. Frizzell can be reached by phone at 1-800-382-9841. |
