Federal Power Grab
by Darrell Wallace
Issue 133 - June 10, 2009

I agree with many things Bob Barr advocates in his “Federalism Revival.” But it falls short. His mention of the battle going on here in South Carolina will likely not come to pass even though I personally back the Governor in every aspect. There is a mentality in South Carolina as well as some other States that we cannot exist without Federal funds (as least as far as the State Legislature goes). I reject that concept, although I realize that taxes may increase.

The Federal Government began its control back in the late 1940's and early 1950's when the citizens were allowed to vote on Federal funding for schools. My father, although he only had a seventh grade education, was normally a positive thinker, yet he voted NO on this measure. When I (only a teenager) asked him why, he said, "Son, if you take government funds then the government can tell you what to do. Would anybody in his right mind deny that statement as false?

South Carolina's Governor is right when he ascertains that there are strings attached to government funds, else why would the government refuse the funds unless it was spent the way they wanted? I worked in the Greenville County School district for 19 years before retiring and I can honestly say that the system ran more on Federal Guidelines than what the District itself imposed.

State Sovereignty is my obsession, however, it must have teeth to demand and carry out the 10th Amendment, not a sham effort for political expediency. One hurdle to overcome is the 14th Amendment. This Amendment changes the status of the citizen of a Sovereign State to a citizen of the United States - something I believe the framers of the Constitution did not envision.

In reality although the 14th is said to be ratified, it was not done so by the legal Representatives of ten Southern States. Under the unconstitutional Reconstruction Acts, the Governments of 10 Southern States were abolished and reinstituted with Carpet Baggers. It was through this illegality that enough support was garnered to pass the 14th Amendment, which although illegal is applied by the national Courts to supercede the 10th and have the halls of “justice” determine against State Sovereignty.