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Establishing a proper foothold in federalism

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10 months ago

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Establishing a proper foothold in federalism

While I was away, I had plenty of time to think about federalism. One interesting note is that I did this without having the lens of current events in the way. I was completely away from pretty much all forms of news; if it wasn’t big enough to be talked about by family, I probably missed it.

One of the interesting side-effects of living like this is that my sometimes-random, sometimes-focused thoughts pertaining to federalism were geared towards historical and theoretical federalism. I wasn’t contemplating how a federalist should view Obamacare or gun control. Instead, I was able to apply proper federalist principles to a general perspective. Think of it as a 30,000-foot view.

There were some interesting conclusions and even more interesting questions I’ll go into in the future, but the biggest takeaway is that federalism can only work in modern America if we’re able to get a proper foothold. We’re on a slippery slope with a left-right, liberal-conservative dichotomy that currently holds the nation’s ideologies hostage. Most conservatives believe that federalism applies only to their ideas while most liberals believe federalism is a convenient tool to invoke only when they’re not in power.

The reality is that federalism has very little to do with right versus left, at least as it pertains to decision-making. Let’s look at a basic way to apply federalism generally. Hopefully then we can understand the challenges that can prevent us from finding our foothold. This is not meant to be a scholarly or philosophical look at federalism. It’s just a quick view to set the stage for finding solutions.

The federalist lens

I’ve written in the past that the roots of federalism were based on sharing powers, not making the national government more powerful. In the 18th century, states held the lion’s share of government power so it was necessary for early federalists to push for a stronger central government. Today, the power has shifted unnaturally to favor DC, so a true federalist will embrace taking power away from the central government and distributing it to states, counties, cities, communities, and most importantly to individuals and their families.

With that understood, let’s look at why federalism does not fall within the left-right paradigm that exists in America today. There’s no need to show examples of conservatism championed by federalism because conservatives have generally embraced most tenets of federalism whether they know it or not. However, there are many examples of how leftist ideas also invoke federalism and rightfully so.

One easy example is New York politicians’ desire to give “free education to all.” While conservatives will naturally ask the question of how expensive this “free” idea will become, many are calling on DC to figure out ways to block the attempt altogether. This is 100% against federalist tenets and should not be acceptable. If New York wants to go down that road, it is not DC’s job to stop them. One of the beauties of federalism applied to 50 states is that they should be free to attempt whatever programs their residents desire. If it fails, it is a lesson for other states. If it succeeds, it’s a model upon which others can embrace or improve.

Experimentation allows the states to be like governmental labs. This is a good thing. It applies all the way down (or up, depending on your point of view). Cities should be free to adopt just about anything that does not hinder others. This is a key point because the fear of a free-for-all in governance makes liberals and conservatives alike cringe. Are sanctuary cities acceptable in a federalist model? No. Unless a sanctuary city is able to contain the suspects and criminals they set free, their actions against federal cooperation are not true federalism. Cities cannot be allowed to harm their neighbors based on their actions (or lack of actions). Sanctuary cities are perversions of federalism.

Steps toward federalism

While I get back into the swing of things, there are still many questions I need to answer. One is where the Federalist Party stands, or more specifically where I stand within the Federalist Party itself. Just as with my friends here at NOQ Report who carried on in my absence, I know there were many who continued to build the groundswell for the Federalist Party. Where the party and I stand will be an important piece of information I’ll need before knowing how to proceed.

One thing that does not require any additional information is the realization I came to while on hiatus. For federalism to succeed in America and truly gain a foothold, it MUST be understood. I’m a firm believer that 70% or more of the American population would embrace the tenets of federalism if they understood it properly. Just as a right-leaning gun advocate can be shown how true reciprocity can only be accomplished between states instead of by decree in DC, so too can left-leaning environmentalist can be shown the benefits of localizing environmental protection rather than sinking money into the EPA or (gulp) the Paris accords.

In my downtime, I concluded that a population that does not understand federalism cannot properly embrace it. Conversely, bringing true federalism to light can and will help it gain more supporters because it simply makes sense. Going forward, that will be one of the most important roles I play in the outside world. Championing federalism is the best thing I can do in American politics. It won’t be easy, but if we’re to continue to prosper as a nation, we must wrest power away from DC and back into the hands of the people.

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Entertainment and Sports

Kristy Swanson, Dean Cain receive death threats over Strzok-Page ‘FBI Lovebirds’ production

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3 hours ago

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May 23, 2019

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Kristy Swanson Dean Cain receive death threats over Strzok-Page FBI Lovebirds production

Conservative actors Kristy Swanson and Dean Cain are receiving death threats over a planned stage performance based on the extra-marital texts sent between FBI cohorts Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. The two members of federal law enforcement have been accused of conspiring with others during the 2016 election in an effort to prevent then-candidate Trump from winning as well as possibly taking him down if he were to win, which he did.

“FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers,” will be directed by Phelim McAleer and is seeking an audience from the President himself. But shortly after buzz started building around the production, threats came in on Twitter.

Watching replies in their Twitter feeds, it’s clear the abuse continues even after offenders have been reported.

What makes it worse is that this is being framed by many in the media as a “pro-Trump” production. They are literally going on stage to read publicly available text messages verbatim. If the words of FBI agents texting each other is somehow considered to be “pro-Trump” by the media, then anything that isn’t blatantly pro-Democrats can be construed as pro-Trump.

The hardest thing in show business isn’t winning awards or getting good roles. The hardest thing in show business is being conservative and handling the relentless attacks from the unhinged. Stay the course, Kristy Swanson and Dean Cain.

Image source: Parade

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Immigration

New Mexico county commissioners, sheriffs demand immediate action on border emergency

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4 hours ago

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May 23, 2019

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New Mexico county commissioners sheriffs demand immediate action on border emergency

In a letter signed by County Commission Chairs and County Sheriffs across New Mexico, Republican House Leader Jim Townsend called for all of their lawmakers on Capitol Hill to render immediate relief and to work with President Trump to end the crisis at the southern border. They declared the situation had reached the stage of full emergency in the border state and American citizens were being harmed as a result of DC’s inaction.

We elected officials in our respective New Mexico counties hereby declare that we believe the southern border immigration crisis has reached the level of an emergency situation.

This emergency must e addressed and it must be addressed immediately. Our communities do not have the resources nor the budgets to handle the massive influx of immigrants we are experiencing and are expected to experience in the very near future. Our scarce resources are in danger of being rapidly depleted to the point that we will be unable to effectively care for our own citizens and our existing homeless population, many of whom are American veterans.

We, whom you represent, request that you put politics aside and support the President of the United States in his request for the supplemental funding necessary to effectively address this crisis and provide the New Mexicans you serve with the relief we so desperately need. We implore you to protect the border and proved processes that protect immigrants and/or asylum seekers crossing into the United States properly and legally.

It is with our constituent’s [sic] support and with their well-being in mind that we request you exercise your elected duty to the people whom you serve and act now in this emergency situation to overcome the politics in addressing this humanitarian crisis with no further delay. Please work with the President to give relief and security to both New Mexicans and the immigrants entering through our southern border.

The letter was retweeted by the official White House account.

Opinion

The letter is much kinder than I would have worded it considering the untenable attempts to subvert the truth by Democrats and mainstream media. They pretend like there’s not a real problem to appease their base on the coasts. Meanwhile, American citizens and migrants alike are suffering horribly as a result of Capitol Hill’s unwillingness to act.

Until the American people acknowledge this emergency and demand the Democrats cease their indefensible stance on the crisis, they’ll continue to delay and distract as long as possible. One might argue this is their attempt to normalize illegal immigration just long enough until they can regain the White House and set us down a path of full-blown open borders.

This isn’t an immigration crisis. It’s an illegal immigration crisis.

This isn’t about bigotry. It’s about the reality of the situation.

We, as conservatives, must regain our footing on this issue. The left wants to portray this as somehow racist when in reality it’s all about our sovereignty and making sure we’re defending our borders from literal invaders. No other country is as generous to those whose first interaction with our country is to break the law by crossing the border away from designated ports of entry. Yet the Democrats continue to paint this as an issue regarding race.

We either have a country or we don’t. We need immigrants. We need those who come into the country legally, not the masses who intend to file for asylum so they can be released to the interior for a time. The truth of this situation is such that if we had an honest media, the vast majority of Americans would be allowed to recognize the truth based solely on the facts alone. But we don’t have an honest media. We have a media that has a progressive agenda and they’re willing to defend that agenda to the detriment of the nation.

Quote

“We must protect our borders now!” – Jim Townsend

Final Thoughts

New Mexico is ground zero of the migrant crisis. While citizens and migrants suffer, both the whole of the Democratic Party and most of mainstream media continues to stick their heads in the sand. This has reached the point of lunacy.

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Guns and Crime

President gives AG Barr unilateral authority to declassify 2016 campaign spying documents

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5 hours ago

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May 23, 2019

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President gives AG Barr unilateral authority to declassify 2016 campaign spying documents

The investigation into the investigators is now in full swing as President Trump signed an order for U.S. intelligence organizations to quickly and fully cooperate with Attorney General William Barr’s multiple investigations into spying that took place against the Trump campaign during the 2016 elections.

In a statement by the White House, the President also noted that Barr would have unilateral authority to declassify documents related to his investigations.

“Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election. The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information. Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions.”

Final Thoughts

If this is handled properly, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t be, the President will have ammunition to use against Democrats while they continue to try to collect their own. It bodes ill for the nation that Democrats continue to press investigation after investigation, but this can act to counterbalance their narrative.

Meanwhile, Congress is unable to get anything done while the left continues to do focus solely on taking down the President and winning the White House.

The positive in all this is we may finally get to see the depths of the conspiracy against the Trump campaign and how our elected officials as well as law enforcement and intelligence agencies tried to defy the will of the people.

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