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The original concept of federalism as envisioned by our founders was a national government with limited areas of authority and responsibility and state and local governments with much broader areas of responsibility and authority. Asserting "state sovereignty" is nothing but figurative gestures trying to remind people of that. In reality the people who make those decisions are Congress and the federal courts, who seem to recognize few limits on Federal responsibility and authority since FDR tried to take over the entire US government in the 30's. Much of this posturing rings hollow as states are still lined up at the trough to get federal money...which has been used by Congress as a means of enforcing their priorities on state governments. If states were serious about sovereignty they'd reject federal money and start doing things like setting their own drinking age. EDIT –– it should be noted that until Rehnquist became chief justice the 10th amendment was regarded as a vestigial anachronism by the legal community because the courts turned into a rubber stamp for socialism after FDR threatened their existence. FDR–– the original American dictator. |
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Whatever the Constitution does provide to the Federal Government, the rest is and should be reserved to the states as stated in the 10th Amendment. Extreme cases? Complete Independence. |