A republic, if you can keep it

The New Hampshire legislature is in the process of debating this resolution.  It is fairly short, and I recommend reading the entire document.  It is a resolution that serves to remind the federal government that they are limited in ther duties, and it spells out what will happen should the federal government continue to overstep it’s bound.  2 parts that really stood out were these:

That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever; and it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that “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,” therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force; and that the power to create, define, and punish such other crimes is reserved, and, of right, appertains solely and exclusively to the respective States, each within its own territory.

The Constitution is clear on what the government can & can’t do.  Especially Article 1, section 8, and Amendments 9 & 10.  

That the construction applied by the General Government (as is evidenced by sundry of their proceedings) to those parts of the Constitution of the United States which delegate to Congress a power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States,” and “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers vested by the Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof,” goes to the destruction of all limits prescribed to their power by the Constitution: that words meant by the instrument to be subsidiary only to the execution of limited powers, ought not to be so construed as themselves to give unlimited powers, nor a part to be so taken as to destroy the whole residue of that instrument: that the proceedings of the General Government under color of these articles, will be a fit and necessary subject of revisal and correction.

This is in line with what Jefferson and Madison thought.  In fact, this resolution is based on the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves.  The penultimate paragraph contains this sentence that puts the government on notice:

That should any [unconstitutional] act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually.

New Hampshire is on the verge of officially stating that if the federal government oversteps its bounds, it will cease to exist, because all powers delegated to it BY the states will be removed and returned TO the states.

Now, what of the other 49 states?  This morning I sent emails to both my state assemblyman and senator, as well as one other assemblyman who has shown a deep love for the state of Nevada and this country, as well as the Assembly Minority Leader.  They are all busy right now, so I don’t know if they will respond, but I would encourage you to do the same.  Write your state representatives.

Quick update: This morning I heard that Oklahoma (HRJ 1003) and Idaho have similar legislation.  There may be as many as 25 states with similar legislation, but I can’t conform that, and I don’t know if Nevada has anything in the works (my guess is no).