Restoring the Balance of Power

Restoring the balance of power between the States and the Federal government is much more difficult than some citizens may realize. We are living in a time when the public outrage to President Obamas reelection has caused many to think of ways to limit the federal government’s abusive overreach which is certain to grow over the next four years.  This has led to debate on how exactly to accomplish this. Many ideas including; constitutional amendments, congressional led initiatives, even secessionist movements have been the hot topics. All of these possible solutions have valid arguments to support them but none, which I know of, actually address a very important and core challenge to overcome, money.

There are many steps to attain real state sovereignty but, if the issue of financial dependency of the states is not addressed it will all be for naught. Depending on the data you use 30 of the 50 states receive more federal benefits than the tax revenue rose from those states. If we are going to be serious about state sovereignty priority one is, reaching financial independence for our state as well as promoting this fiscally responsible solution amongst the citizens as well as the politicians. Once we have focused our attention to the main problem then we can logically and methodically make the changes necessary to attain state sovereignty. So where do we start?

Step one is to stop any further dependency on the federal government. We cannot ever become independent as long as we continually have our handout for federal assistance. This will take a tremendous amount of political will in order to make this happen. Politicians are under an enormous amount of pressure to “do things” with the “free” money offered by the federal government. We must continually stay in contact with them and let them know we support them in their stand against financial dependency.

Step two is to pass a State Sovereignty Resolution. Solve state sovereignty issue at the federal level is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. Each individual state already has all the authority it needs to stop federal overreach, they simply must exercise it. Even having a state resolution can be perceived as redundant, but I believe it is necessary in order to start the narrative as well as identify those who support such a measure. A State Sovereignty Resolution also removes from the debate the excuse that a state must do something in order to be in compliance with the federal government.

Step three is the creation of a State Bank similar to the one in North Dakota in order to protect the state from the destructive policies of the Federal Reserve Bank. This will also allow the states to leverage their own tax revenue as well as act as a repository for federal tax revenue used to pay for the spending needed to perform the proper role of government.

In closing, while there is so much to do these three important steps can go a long way to return sovereignty to the states while allowing the federal government to perform its necessary functions. These steps won’t happen overnight and certainly won’t happen without politicians with the political will and the citizens willing to support them in this effort. Like it or not, Americas future once again depends on the citizens willing to do whatever it takes to preserve a more perfect union. My hope is that we focus on solutions that will make a difference instead of those designed to only make a statement.