Oklahoma Legislature’s Heroic Defense of the Constitution

Here at Liberty Works we often point out that the Constitution does not authorize any of President Obama’s initiatives, nor most of the current “programs” the government runs.  It does not authorize any bailouts of any banks or companies.  Virtually the entire Obama economic agenda is Unconstitutional.

Unfortunately, we’ve come to a sad moment in American history when anyone who refers to, or advocates obeying the Constitution is shouted down as an “extremist” or even a nut case.  The entire political-media establishment is united in defiantly disregarding the Constitution.

However, we may be at the very beginning of an historical moment when the nation begins to hold Congress and The President accountable for Constitutional compliance. This week the Oklahoma Legislature took up the matter with a joint resolution that will be sent to the President and Congress, to instruct them on their continuous violations of the Constitution.

Let us hope the Oklahoma Legislature becomes only the first of dozens of Legislatures to stand up and demand that the federal government conform to the Constitution.  The first step should be to repeal the stimulus, the huge, extra borrowing-spending program hyped by President Obama, and passed by the Congress on February 13, before the thousand page bill was even printed, and thus, before any Senator or House Member could read it.

The 75 second TV news segment starts with a 15 second commercial.

The full text of the Oklahoma Legislature’s resolution appears below the video
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Text of Oklahoma Legislature’s Resolution:

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows:
“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.”; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and

WHEREAS, the scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and

WHEREAS, today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government; and

WHEREAS, many federal laws are directly in violation of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment assures that we, the people of the United States of America and each sovereign state in the Union of States, now have, and have always had, rights the federal government may not usurp; and

WHEREAS, Article IV, Section 4 says, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government”, and the Ninth Amendment states that ”The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has ruled in New York v. United States, 112 S. Ct. 2408 (1992), that Congress may not simply commandeer the legislative and regulatory processes of the states; and

WHEREAS, a number of proposals from previous administrations and some now pending from the present administration and from Congress may further violate the Constitution of the United States.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 52ND OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:

THAT the State of Oklahoma hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States.

THAT this serve as Notice and Demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.

THAT all compulsory federal legislation which directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties or sanctions or requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed.

THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate of each state’s legislature of the United States of America, and each member of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation.

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