The Founding Fathers were clear when they made state rights and a leash on central government the lynch pin of our constitution.
Of course, we no longer live in the America envisioned by our Founding Fathers.
At the end of July, President Obama wielded the bloated power of Washington to rub out Vermont state law and in doing so, violated the 10th Amendment. It’s the one that reads:
“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.”
In other words, states have the right to govern their own people.
The “Father of the Constitution,” James Madison, expanded this notion in the Federalist Papers when he wrote:
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.” (Emphasis mine.)
Their intention was clear: the governments that are closest to the people – state legislatures – are best placed to make decisions. Does Washington, DC know better than the Wyoming people how best to mine Wyoming’s coal reserves?
It’s easy to forget that the federal government has no constitutional mandate to govern healthcare, education, taxation, or public safety. These domestic affairs were intended to be managed by state governments. The Fed is limited to external affairs such as military, international diplomacy, and foreign commerce.
Unfortunately, this constitutional commitment to small government is gone, long gone.
George Washington, Ben Franklin and Thomas Paine could not have imagined the invasive overreach of our federal government in 2016; which Obama again extended further recently.
The “Deny Americans the Right to Know” Act
On the 29th July, Obama signed the Stabenow-Roberts GMO-Labeling bill, dubbed the DARK, or, “Deny Americans the Right to Know’” Act into law. In doing so, he scribbled out the laws of Vermont, Connecticut and Maine, defied the opinions of 9 out of 10 Americans, and set another terrifying precedent for untethered federal power over states.
The issue here is GMO (or genetically modified food) labeling. It’s not exactly headline-making stuff, which is why it has flown under the radar during a busy news cycle, but it has allowed Obama to extend the boot of Washington.
Vermont was the first state to introduce GMO labelling legislation. It required that all products containing genetically modified foods be clearly labelled by text. The decision was the result of a thriving local democracy in which citizens and experts lobbied the local government and the bill was signed into law.
Connecticut and Maine introduced similar laws. Virginia passed a bill requiring the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) seeds so farmers could choose which seed to sow, and Alaska signed legislation that required the labelling of GE fish products to help protect its natural fisheries.
However, with one swipe of the executive pen, Obama wiped out these carefully-considered local laws.
The new federal law usurped all existing state labeling laws, and requires only a “voluntary” labeling system. Many have called it a non-labeling bill, since the rule can be circumnavigated by placing a QR code on the packaging, revealing the GMO information only when scanned with a smartphone.
Consider a single mom of three seeking to avoid GE foods based on a religious belief. Is she expected to scan every food item in the supermarket while keeping control of three young children? What if she’s one of the millions of Americans who can barely afford her shopping, let alone a smartphone to scan the information?
The bill is broken, but there is also a more insidious motive here. It’s the arrogant, power of centralized government dismantling local laws.
Not only is it an intrusive bill, it’s wildly undemocratic. Remember, 9 out of 10 Americans want clear GMO labeling (that’s more than Americans who like apple pie, by the way). The FDA, numerous civil rights groups, and 100,000 signatories all asked Obama to veto the bill. Of course, it was signed anyway.
This bill itself was written in dark backrooms between a handful of senators and huge food and biotech companies. Democracy in action, ladies and gentlemen.
Did the Founding Fathers really grant the federal government a mandate over the labels on our food? Did we vote for big-biotech to be in charge of our food?
This isn’t the first time Obama has stabbed states in the back.
In 2010, he signed Obamacare into law, perhaps the most divisive and controversial issue of his presidency. The bill forced all states – and indeed all people – to adopt universal healthcare insurance.
Let’s remember, Obama has no federal constitutional mandate to impose healthcare policies, but again he tore up every state law to impose one blanket rule. Prior to Obamacare, all states had their own local health insurance laws that were appropriate to those who resided in the state.
Now, those states have lost all power to oppose or amend health insurance laws for their people.
Quite simply, Obama is trying to regulate things that the Constitution grants him no right to govern. Obamacare was a dangerous precedent, and the GMO DARK Act is the logical consequence. It will be the first of many laws to aggressively overwhelm state rules and impose the heavy hand of Washington.
The future is clear: central government will absorb more and more power, to the detriment of state and personal liberty.
What can you do?
Well, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison once compelled citizens and state legislatures to rise up and nullify unconstitutional federal laws.
Unfortunately, that sort of individual behavior will land you on the wrong side of a brutal federal law enforcement.
You could join the Ron Paul movement that demands the repeal of the 17th Amendment (which many argue would bring more powers back to state legislatures).
Or, you could do what many of our clients do and create your own freedom. While the federal government continues its attack on personal liberty and free choice, you could set down stakes elsewhere. Take back control of your own freedom by escaping the US altogether.
Start with a bank account and a second home in a country where the government doesn’t interfere with your daily life, like Australia, or Denmark or several Caribbean Island paradise nations. Secure a second passport to expand your freedom. And, perhaps even renounce your citizenship entirely.
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The Nestmann Intelligence Unit
Nestmann.com
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