Volume 7, Issue 2
States’ rights are a constitutional right of every American that should not be taken for granted.
The 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “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.”
Education, health care, public safety, voting procedures, and vocational-technical training are largely government services implemented by the states. As onerous and oppressive as the federal government can, at times, seem, this great country, organized constitutionally as a republic, allows for local authority in administration. It is with confidence that governors deliver inaugural addresses, knowing that state legislatures and the citizens of the states, have within their power, the ability to reform, reconstruct, design, and deliver government services as the people deem fit and desire.
Yesterday, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas was sworn in for his second term. He cited Texas’ leadership in agriculture, energy and exports. He added, “Despite the exceptional heights to which Texas has climbed, I believe we have only risen to the foothills of what we can become. I know we can do even more for our fellow Texans.” He went on to outline his goals for his next term to include education, tax reform, and economic development. Not once in his speech did he call upon the federal government for permission, help, or services in attaining an environment “…where anyone can achieve their dreams if they are willing to put in the work.”
Conversely, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York was recently sworn in for his third term. He, too, cast his vision for the citizens of his state. The New York Times labeled Governor Cuomo’s vision as “a possible express lane to a liberal paradise.” Federal funds coordinated with the City of New York are a critical component of the state’s budget.
This is exactly what the Founding Fathers intended by the Tenth Amendment. The states were to have authority over their own definition of quality of life and cultural values. All states were not to be the same as some sort of federal prescribed standard. Pursuit of happiness is defined in the eyes of the pursuer.
This legal concept of local authority in the passing of laws and rules that govern life is unique to the United States of America. Most mature democracies allow for the implementation of local laws, but the mandating guidelines emanate from federal restrictive direction. In Jordan, the last remaining constitutional monarchy recognized as a sovereign state, all public expenditures are certified by a federal legislature. Even the funding of a playground for a local school must be appropriated by a federal authority. Yes, Jordan is a small country. Yet, lack of local authority impedes the progress of services.
True leadership requires an empathy by association with those who are led. Napoleon, in his march toward Stalingrad, shared the same circumstances of his troops. He pitched his tent in the same fields. He wore the same coat. He ate the same food. He therefore shared the same hunger and the same wet cold. He experienced the same misery. He would not ask his men to carry a greater burden in the expedition than he carried leading them. He once wrote in his journal that he knew the physical limits of my men by relating to them in and through his own limits.
If Congress and the President want to shut down government, they should not pay themselves or their staffs. They should experience the same financial pain and anxiety of every worker fearful of missing a house payment. Subjecting a fellow American to such stress, while living in the comfort of one’s own authority, is unfair to federal workers.
The consistency between the speeches of the Governors of New York, Texas and Oklahoma was the principle ideal that we, the people of New York/Texas/Oklahoma, can achieve greater heights, prosperity, and a future together as fellow citizens who care about each other and our great states. People instinctively recognize and relate to genuine leadership. Leadership that is relational, connected, and lives with the citizens on the same field of battle seeking solutions to society’s problems.
Be encouraged. Take hope in the republic of states, independent in authority from the federal government. Can anyone imagine waiting on the federal government to solve all problems dealing with education, health care, and job training when they have such difficulty in keeping the government operational? Thank God for states’ rights.
J. Kevin Stitt is a young governor without previous government experience. In his can-do attitude that the citizens of Oklahoma, in their unique personalities and skill sets, can together turn Oklahoma around, his vision is captivating.
His confidence is inspiring citizen self-confidence. His dream of a better Oklahoma is believed by Oklahomans. With Governor Stitt, the hope of citizen confidence rises.
To achieve true success, we must believe, accept, support, receive, manage, and protect our authority to rule as citizens of a state.
In other words, believe in yourself and your principles. Live them where you work, play, and worship.
And never forget the closing words of the Tenth Amendment, “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.”
My name is Marc Nuttle and this is what I believe.
What do you believe?