Citizens, state governments fight back against overreaching federal government

(NaturalNews) Fed up with the far-reaching expansion of federal powers under the current administration, more states are fighting back with legislation designed to limit Washington's influence at the state level.

According to TheHill.com, more than 200 bills have been introduced in state legislatures throughout the country seeking to nullify various regulatory and legal obligations to the federal government.

The federal laws and regulations being challenged include those dealing with medical treatments, gun rights, hemp cultivation and a wide range of other issues. States can effectively sidestep federal mandates by refusing to enforce them and by passing such nullification bills.

When Washington's rules are ignored and unenforced by states, federal agencies are left to rely on their own resources for imposing their authority at the state level, a tactic they can rarely afford to apply effectively.

States are granted powers under the Bill of Right's Tenth Amendment allowing them to act in a sovereign manner regarding issues not specifically addressed in the Constitution. States have exercised these rights throughout our nation's history, but now it seems there is a new spirit of independence emerging at the state level, largely as a reaction to perceived overstepping of authority on the part of the feds in recent years.

Organizations such as the Tenth Amendment Center in Los Angeles encourage states to exercise their rights by introducing bills nullifying federal dictates. TheHill.com quoted the spokesman of the center, Mike Maharrey:

People are becoming more and more concerned about the overreach of the federal government. They feel the federal government is trying to do too much, it's too big and it's getting more and more in debt.

Americans are also realizing that the one-size-fits-all centralist approach does not always work in their best interests. Many states have citizens who are more or less united on certain issues that clash with federal policies. States' rights have always been an important component of the balance of power which our nation was carefully designed to embody.

It's not surprising at all that, in the wake of Obama's two terms in office, a period in which federal power has been expanded enormously, nullification bills have appeared in state legislatures to check the increasing influence emanating from the nation's capital.

There is even an initiative being pushed by a number of conservatives calling for a "convention of states" under Article 5 of of the Constitution, in which new restrictions of the federal government could be agreed upon and instituted.

It will take 34 states to call a convention -- already, three have signed on (Alaska, Georgia and Florida) by passing resolutions in their respective legislatures in favor of a convention, and 26 more states are reportedly considering passing such legislation this year.

Citizens for Self-Government is the organization working hardest toward promoting the call to convention among the states. The president of the group, Mark Meckler, is calling for the states to work together to "pass amendments that impose fiscal restraints, regulatory restrictions and term limits on federal officials, including members of the Supreme Court," according to the TheHill.com article.

Meckler was quoted as saying:

We'll have [Article 5] applications pending in 41 states within the next few weeks. The goal is to hold a convention in 2016.

It remains to be seen whether a convention of states can be mustered, but the increasing trend towards passing nullification bills is an encouraging indication that more American citizens and lawmakers than ever at the state level are ready to challenge the central authority in Washington.

And, as far as this writer is concerned, that's a good thing...

Source:

http://thehill.com