Free Republic

If the Republican presidential contenders wish to remain truthful to their rhetoric of decentralization of power in Washington, they should take a break from wooing social conservatives and stand for states' rights in regard to gay marriage. Because many likely Iowa caucus-goers describe themselves as very conservative on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, many candidates feel they need to reach out to the far-right if they plan to get the presidential nod. However, a staunch, conservative position on social issues will likely hurt them in the long run, because it undermines their more-appealing small-government policies.... The three...

CARSON CITY – A conservative Nevada think tank today filed a complaint in district court against Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, saying the separation of powers clause in the state constitution prohibits government employees from serving in the Legislature. Denis works for the state Public Utilities Commission as a computer technician. Attorney Joseph Becker with the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s Center for Justice and Constitutional Litigation said his client William Pojunis is qualified to perform, and would like to apply for, Denis’ job.

Perry is nearly perfect with regards to his gun record.

Thanksgiving is a time for reuniting with friends and family, but the government wants to be part of your celebration too. Whether you stay home or travel for the holiday, government is a significant contributor to the costs of the celebration. Of an identified $10 billion in spending that occurs during Thanksgiving weekend on the wine and beer, the gas and plane tickets, and the meal itself, government taxation composes 35.86 percent of those expenses—approximately $3.6 billion in revenues. Many of these Thanksgiving items are subject to the increased costs of income taxes, payroll taxes, corporate income taxes, and other...

A key Iowa social conservatives group announced Tuesday it will not endorse former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney or businessman Herman Cain, but is still evaluating if it would back one of the other candidates. The Family Leader, which hosted a forum that six Republican candidates attended last Saturday, said in a statement that its board had narrowed its choices of an endorsement to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ex-senator Rick Santorum (Penn). The statement said the group would not consider endorsing Romney, who the group criticized for skipping its event. The...

During the Thanksgiving Family Forum (TFF) this past Saturday, moderator Frank Luntz asked the Republican candidates a very interesting Tenth Amendment question: “Do states have a right to do wrong?” In case you missed it, the TFF was another unusual event in what is proving to be a very unusual campaign season. Held in a church in Des Moines, Iowa, and with all the GOP contenders in attendance except for Mitt Romney and John Huntsman, it was not a debate as much as a discussion – and a rather intellectual one. The candidates were asked about their faith, trials and...

“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson Scandals captivate our attention as sensational headlines punctuate the mundane din of modern life. Whether the manufactured: Herman Cain’s seemingly spurious charges; the incompetent: Fast and Furious’ deathly fallout; or the typical: Solyndra’s cronyism – each highlights power abused. Such corruption has become so pervasive, that movements from the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street sprang to protest a perverted system. Jeremiah warned that man’s heart is deceitful, something the Founders...

Evidently, the House is likely to pass a bill that would require states to respect concealed-carry permits issued in other states — even if the traveler’s home state has very different criteria for awarding a permit.Concealed carry is a good idea, and so is reciprocity when states enact it voluntarily — but this is a bad idea, as it goes beyond the proper functions of the federal government. The stated constitutional justifications(PDF) for the law are to protect the Second Amendment (as applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment), to protect the right of interstate travel, and to protect interstate commerce, but none...

Today, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) introduced the Marketplace Fairness Act (PDF), a third bill unveiled in Congress this year to allow states to tax Internet and out-of-state sales. The bill aims to level the playing field between online and brick-and-mortar retailers. Currently, under the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Quill v. North Dakota, online retailers not based in a state do not collect and remit the state’s sales tax. While the legislation contains improvements over the previously introduced Main Street Fairness Act, the Marketplace Fairness Act would result in an automatic tax increase...

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department on Friday told Alabama's attorney general that it has the "express authority" to investigate potential federal civil rights violations in Alabama's public schools authorized by the state's controversial new immigration law. Assistant US Attorney General Thomas Perez informed Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange of the federal government's powers two days after Strange requested that the Justice Department cite what legal authority it had to collect enrollment data on Hispanic students in his state's public schools. "The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is tasked with investigating potential violations of civil rights laws that protect...

With few statewide elections and nothing nationally in 2011, several initiatives in Ohio provide bellwethers with broad implications for 2012. Issue 2, if passed, will uphold Senate Bill 5, a Republican attempt to alleviate looming budget problems by decelerating the expansion of employee compensation packages via collective bargaining reform. Thanks to a gargantuan grassroots effort, Issue 3, the Healthcare Freedom Amendment, will test Obamacare’s mettle. It would prevent pretentious governments from forcing citizens to finance their care in fashions fancied by bureaucrats. The attention afforded these contests across the ideological spectrum from Rush Limbaugh to the Huffington Post underscores their...

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - The State Department of Education is advising school superintendents to hold off on providing enrollment data to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ had requested Alabama school superintendents provide a list of all students who had withdrawn from schools since the beginning of the school year. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez sent a letter to Alabama school systems wanting to know how many Hispanic students are enrolled in schools and how many have withdrawn since the beginning of the school year. Educators reported the new law caused many Hispanic students to stay home in the...

He may be able to boast about his successes in Texas political life, but there’s one group of Texans that hasn’t exactly rushed to embrace Rick Perry: the Lone Star State’s congressional delegation. In the 10 weeks since Perry joined the race, endorsements from Texas Republicans on Capitol Hill have been slow coming, a muted expression of support that reveals the lingering tensions between the state’s executive and its representation in Washington. Whether it’s disagreements over earmarks or a clash over the bank bailout, there’s a sense on Capitol Hill that Perry hasn’t worked to build close relationships with the...

Last week, Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Steve Womack (R-AR) introduced the Marketplace Equity Act of 2011 (H.R. 3179), which permits states to require out-of-state Internet retailers to collect the state’s sales tax with certain conditions. The legislation is the second state Internet-sales tax bill introduced in Congress this year, following the Main Street Fairness Act. The Marketplace Equity Act is unacceptable to taxpayers as currently written. The measure lacks any taxpayer protections or other provisions to ensure state taxes are lowered as they are expanded to online and remote sales. The bill would also mark a blow to the...

By Jacquerie Wake Up AmericaWhile the lamestream media holds public attention on GOP candidate rivalries, a "progressive" strategy is underway to eliminate the role of the states in electing a U.S. President. By transferring electoral votes to a "national popular vote" this "Compact"  would  usurp the role of the states as safeguarded by our Constitution. In doing so, it could also neutralize Obama's critics -- totally. This may be the most vital - and time sensitive - expose WAM has ever uncovered and shared! And it's happening now, under the radar, with the general public in the dark. This "ultimate vote fraud" is...

How's this for a doctrine of applying the General Welfare clause in justifying any control or money being spent by the Federal government ? If the effort in question can be done at the local or State level, then it must be done at the local or State level - and must NOT be done at all by the Federal government. Basically, if localities or States are doing it then the Federal government need not - and must not - do it. Quite simply because the fact that localities or States are doing something proves that they can. For roads,...

Assorted pundits chronicling Europe’s debt crisis bemoan that insufficient federal authority undermines systemic solutions to the fiscal pressures arising from the continent’s Mediterranean underbelly. Those enamored with state cures for any conceivable ill believe an overriding central authority should force dissimilar nations to act in unison. The proffered salve for festering sovereign debt sores is increasingly concentrated power. This sounds strikingly similar to the incessant prattle emitted across America’s airwaves: partisanship and political paralysis thwart Washington’s ability to act. Washington needs more control. Always more. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner waxes, “You have this terribly damaging political dysfunction here and in...

There’s a rumor floating around Washington that one of the ideas the “Supercommittee” might consider is a Medicaid cut and expanded state powers to tax. The idea is that Washington wins by cutting Medicaid spending. States break even because they lose Medicaid funding from Washington, but can raise taxes in areas they now cannot. What is the interest of taxpayers in an idea like this? This is a bad idea. At the end of the day, spending (but not taxes) would be cut in Washington, only for taxpayers to see their tax bills go up locally as their state governments...

One big decision looms ominously on Obama’s horizon and he will not be able to blame anyone but himself for the consequences. Obama must render the momentous verdict by November 1 to give or not to give approval for the historical Keystone XL Pipeline Project. This pipeline will carry one of the world’s dirtiest fuels… tar sand oil… vastly different from regular oil, being ten times heavier than water and very corrosive. Presidential permission is required because the 2,147-mile pipeline crosses the border between Canada and eight states of the United States. The present route is scheduled to cross prime...

Mining has, without question, seen the most growth out of any industry as of late. Pennsylvania is fortunate for being located in the wake of the oil-and-gas rich Marcellus Shale formation. In the next few years (by 2015), that wake will provide more than 12 billion cubic feet of gas per day. This boom in natural gas drilling is giving manufactures reason to hire new workers. Youngstown, Ohio, is a great example of what seemed to, for years, be a depressed town until natural gas drilling became a new means for work and economic prosperity. Employment has more than doubled...