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Reconciliation is the political tactic that has been in the news often since the beginning of the healthcare reform debate this year. The Democratic party currently has possession of the White House and a majority in both houses of Congress. There is a concern that the majority party can pass any legislation it wants and the minority party is powerless to stop them.

Reconciliation is an option that was created in the 1974 Congressional Budget Act to allow Congress a way out of intractable budget battles.

Wesleyan University government professor Elvin Lim said it was invented as a way to achieve a balanced budget–not to force through highly controversial legislation.

“It wasn’t passed to allow Congress to go ahead and do anything it wants, but as it turns out, that’s the way it’s been used, quite frankly, by both sides of the aisle,” Lim told CNSNews.com.

In fact, he said, President George W. Bush was the last to utilize the tactic–getting Congress to pass tax cuts three times in ‘01, ‘03 and ’05–because he wanted to bypass a Senate filibuster by Democrats.

Gary Bauer, a former politician, Presidential candidate and founder of a political group called American Values is another voice warning that liberals in Congress will employ reconciliation to force their healthcare agenda through Congress.

If liberal Democrats do force through the legislation over the significant objections of conservatives, the former Republican presidential candidate says the minority party should be prepared to shut down the Senate.

While Bauer suggests using parliamentary procedures to achieve a Senate shutdown no specifics were given. If the minority party can effectively shutdown the Senate in the event that the majority party invokes reconciliation on the healthcare issue it may be the only method to stop a government takeover of the way we manage our health decisions.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

A common situation has occurred at numerous town hall meetings this summer as politicians face their constituents on the topic of healthcare reform. Voters are mad and most object to more government control or a takeover of their healthcare choices.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley, a key Republican negotiator in the quest for bipartisan health-care reform, said Wednesday that the outpouring of anger at town hall meetings this month has fundamentally altered the nature of the debate and convinced him that lawmakers should consider drastically scaling back the scope of the effort.

After being besieged by protesters at meetings across his home state of Iowa, Grassley said he has concluded that the public has rejected the far-reaching proposals Democrats have put on the table, viewing them as overly expensive precursors to “a government takeover of health care.”

It is refreshing that the public has finally engaged their political representatives on not only a government takeover of healthcare but the fact that spending is out of control, debt is crushing the economy and destroying the future for generations of Americans.

What is not refreshing is that Senator Grassley and others still don’t get it, exactly. No scale back, no little healthcare takeover, no little spending programs, we do not need any of it. Drop the idea. Continue the discussion on solving issues but drop the ‘reform’ idea as it stands now. Government needs to be scaled back and not increased by any legislative measure now before Congress. Government is out of control and spends too much. Not every problem can or should be solved with more government. The solution is less government. We cannot afford more of it.

PIEDMONT, S.C. — U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis is a Republican who says he doesn’t support the president’s approach to health care. But Mr. Inglis’s efforts to suggest other ways the government could change the system have stirred up his upstate South Carolina district.

Congressman Inglis could have stopped with opposing Obamacare. Instead, like Grassley, he somehow feels compelled to distance himself from the liberal complaint that the GOP is the party of ‘no’. He could have simply explained dropping the healthcare reform idea would satisfy most of his constituents. But instead, he suggests other ideas.

Mr. Inglis favors requiring everyone to carry health insurance, which he said the government “is uniquely suited” to enforce. He also supports making insurers guarantee coverage to anyone willing to pay for it, subsidizing premiums for people on low incomes and a series of policy changes intended to reduce premiums for everyone.

He is finding it risky as he searches for a middle ground acceptable to those who support providing more people with coverage, and those who don’t want any expansion of the government’s role.

There is little public support for healthcare reform and even most POLS are not happy with it. Yet some POLS keep trying to find reform rather than drop the idea. And there are other healthcare ideas that should not see the light of day.

Vice President Joe Biden plans to announce Thursday nearly $1.2 billion in grants to help hospitals transition to electronic medical records.

Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were set to detail in Chicago how that piece of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan would help Americans when they go to the hospital or their doctors. It also is a what’s-in-it-for-me way for the White House to illustrate how it is spending parts of the massive amount of taxpayer dollars.

There’s another government idea ripe with problems. Like most government ideas they make it sound like a good thing. But the problem is in the details. With your medical records available to anyone who can gain access to the ‘electronic’ system the chance for abusing the system and exposing your personal data increases.

Those who support the liberal agenda will continue to push it. And those POLS opposed to it will continue to find an alternative even if no one wants it. The White House and Congress would find life much simpler as well as getting things done that people favor if they would just stop spending and increasing the size of government. Correcting the problems they have already caused would be a good place to start.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Plan for Guard Troops on Border Stalls Over Money
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 10:40 PM

WASHINGTON — A government plan to use National Guard troops to help stem Mexican drug violence along the southern border is stymied by disagreements over who will pay for the soldiers and how they would be used.

Ordered by President Barack Obama in June to help secure the border with Mexico, the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department drafted a $225 million plan to deploy temporarily 1,500 Guard troops to supplement Border Patrol agents.

The two agencies are wrangling over how to structure the deployment, but the primary sticking point is the money, according to senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

In days where economics and government spending feature the term ‘trillions’ to quantify dollars in the equation the Obamanation has the audacity to propose immigration reform as a major agenda item. If $225 million is a sticking point for a National Guard presence on the southern US border to protect against a criminal element in the drug trade how can one believe the liberal agenda on national defense and border security is anything more than a call for OPEN BORDERS on a permanent basis. Or at least until our nation collapses under the pressure of providing economic support for foreign nationals that their home country refuses to address?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

(President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during their bilateral meeting at Winfield House in London, Wednesday, April 1, 2009. White House Photo/Pete Souza)

At two recent congressional hearings, U.S. diplomats, defense and military officials outlined how the Obama administration intends to go about “resetting” the U.S. relationship with Russia. Lawmakers on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs, and Armed Services committees asked some tough questions about key aspects of the U.S-Russian relationship.

If you are not concerned about President Obama and discussions with President Medvedev of Russia you should be. White the ‘beer summit’ of Obama and Biden is surely not the ‘test’ VPOTUS forecasted in months past, negotiations between the Eagle and the Bear may be.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The community organizer who is friends with the domestic terrorist William Ayers, hate monger Jeremiah Wright and hires friends from the most corrupt political machine (Illinois) has the audacity of something other than hope to reference the founding fathers and call on the public to support his agenda that is anything but American.

Like mutually exclusive terms President Obama insults the meaning of this nation’s Independence Day when he tries to connect the principles of the founding with his socialist agenda. Those who have dismissed the idea that his agenda is socialist overlook nationalizing private industry, spending and government expansion with the intent of complete government control that will render this great country into nothing more than a banana republic.

Addressing our dependence on foreign energy by taxing all we use rather than a transition approach that draws on our own fossil fuel resources until alternatives become viable in a free market is counter to American ideals which rely on the innovation of a free people. Expecting the public to buy into a universal or socialized, government-run healthcare system rather than encouraging free market solutions also runs counter to American ideals. With these two examples only God may know what the Obama agenda has planned for education, immigration and the remainder of his ideas for transforming the United States into another socialist country like some in the EU and others in this hemisphere.

And then we have the impotent GOP. Based on the report below the Senator who lost an election to the community organizer was chosen to give the opposition party response to ObamaGov. While we can all debate whether or not it would have been wise to have a united response from the US regarding turmoil in Iran the larger issues of our own nation under the leadership of Barack Obama seems more to the point or at least an issue of primary importance. We can do little to help others if we cannot help ourselves and the GOP response appears to be a continuance of Republicans being lost in the wilderness.

Will someone please find a way to encourage this nation’s leaders to remove their collective heads from their collective hind quarters and return sensible government to a young nation which just observed its 233rd birthday.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Pres. Barack Obama

On U.S. Independence Day, President Barack Obama is calling on Americans to remember the spirit of the nation’s founders, and to embrace his domestic initiatives. Republican Senator John McCain, meanwhile, wants stronger U.S. language against Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters.

President Obama, in his weekly address, asks Americans to remember the sacrifices and achievements of the men who voted for independence 233 years ago.

“We are called to remember how unlikely it was that our American experiment would succeed at all; that a small band of patriots would declare independence from a powerful empire; and that they would form, in the new world, what the old world had never known - a government of, by and for the people,” he said.

In July, 1776, the representatives of 13 British colonies in America, gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, voted to declare independence from Britain and formed a new nation. At the same time, colonists in hastily-organized and poorly-financed militias battled the British Army for several years, until London officially recognized U.S. independence.

Mr. Obama called on Americans to recall those patriots’ spirit and support his plans to reform the U.S. education, health care and energy policies.

“We are not a people who fear the future,” he said. “We are a people who make it. And on this July 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more. We need to summon the same spirit that inhabited Independence Hall 233 years ago today.”

The president is celebrating Independence Day with a traditional barbecue and fireworks on the White House lawn, with 1,200 military families invited to attend. He is also celebrating his daughter Malia’s eleventh birthday. Mr. Obama leaves late Sunday for a week-long trip to Russia, Italy and Ghana.

Sen. John McCain (file photo)

In the weekly Republican Party message, Senator John McCain of Arizona is also paying tribute to the nation’s founding fathers, who he says “stood up to a powerful oppressor and claimed their natural right to liberty.”

McCain is also invoking the patriots’ spirit as he calls on the Obama administration to speak out more forcefully in support of the anti-government protesters in Iran.

“They did not ask us to arm them or come to their assistance with anything other than public declarations of solidarity and public denunciations of the tyrants who oppress them. We have a moral obligation to do so,” he said.

Senator McCain is rejecting earlier White House claims that a more vocal response by Washington would have supported the Iranian government’s claims of U.S. interference.

“Do they really believe Iranians do not know why they are protesting, and who is oppressing them? Do they think Iranians whose votes were discarded, whose voices have been ignored, whose lives have been threatened by the regime they wish to be rid of, will think America has put them in that position?” he said.

U.S. Independence Day is traditionally celebrated with picnics, parades, concerts, fireworks displays, and readings of the Declaration of Independence.

There is no real need to publish a post encouraging Americans to celebrate the birth of our nation.  As is the case with this and other official holidays in this country the public interest in exploiting ‘free’ time for leisure activities is self-sustaining.  What does need to be addressed and encouraged is the underlying importance of the Fourth of July in the United States.

The passing of time and the fading memories of current events and issues in the public mindset serves to demonstrate that much older historical facts and events regardless of their importance are lost in our daily lives.  This condition poses a danger that we may find ourselves at risk of losing what is represented by this very day. Freedom, independence and all the other benefits of living in this great country were of course provided by the discipline, commitment and sacrifice of those who came before us as well as many who currently carry on that tradition on our behalf.

This is still a very young nation.  That most of us have enjoyed the liberty we celebrate does not guarantee its survival.  The words used above, discipline, commitment and sacrifice describe what is required to protect this nation.  Just as we all share in the benefit of being Americans we all have a responsibility to honor those who gave us this legacy by sharing the burden and adhering to the principles that have guided this nation for more than two centuries.

We are by no means perfect.  We have differences which cause disagreement and have been responsible for some of the darker moments in our history.  It is the founding of this nation, the wisdom of the founding fathers, the documents that provide our road map and the ability to return to these principles when we stray that have allowed our survival as a free people.  No matter the circumstance let us all do our part for this great country.

God bless America.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

On this Fourth of July you may wish to read related docs which are under the ‘Pages’ heading at the top of the right sidebar.  You may also enjoy the articles linked below.

Philadelphia Home of American Independence

Britain Finds Original Copy of US Declaration of Independence

Americans Get Early Start to July 4 Holiday

Is it time to discuss illegal immigration?  It is always time to discuss illegal immigration.  As the calendar approaches the anniversary of American independence there is no better time to concern one’s self with this problem.  If you are an American and want to abandon your country or surrender your liberty do nothing about illegal immigration.  If you think that is an overstatement on the problem continue reading and check your ignorance at the door.

Your Shamnesty leader will further weaken our nation and place more burden and risk on American citizens if allowed to continue unchecked. President Obama’s plans for opening borders beyond the current broken status and continuing to provide an immense array of benefits at your expense to those here illegally.

(from the middle of June 2009)

President Obama keeps saying he is serious about fixing immigration. You can expect him to say it again at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Friday morning. He will likely say it again next week, if his twice-postponed meeting with Congressional leaders to discuss immigration reform finally takes place.

He owes it to the Hispanic voters whose overwhelming support helped push him into the White House, and to the undocumented immigrants whose lives have been made miserable under a cruel, ill-conceived enforcement crusade that was concocted in the last administration and survives into this one.

Just like the Islamization of the European Union the reconquista planned by many illegals from south of the border as well as those of power and influence in Mexico poses a stunning risk to the future of these United States. No crap opinion pieces from the likes of the NY Times alter that fact.  But they try.

As they wait for a legalization bill, they are suffering under unjust laws, corrupt policing and a detention and deportation system that routinely suppresses their rights. American citizens who are Hispanic, and are all too frequently victims of racially-driven sweeps, are also suffering. Mr. Obama and his Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, must do much more to curb those excesses.

No where in the MSM will you find a call for the defense of America or Americans from the tide of illegal immigration.  But as above you will find the liberal call to protect rights of those who are here illegally.  Try to present an argument where that makes any sense.

(06-29) 15:15 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco judge ordered a 22-year-old alleged gang member Monday to stand trial in the slaying of a father and his two sons, citing the testimony of a surviving family member who said he got a good look at the defendant’s face as he opened fire on an Excelsior district street.

Although the Salvadoran immigrant was not in this country legally, juvenile justice officials did not report him to federal authorities, under their interpretation of a city law granting sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

An illegal immigrant and MS=13 gang member who is accused of killing three based on mistaken identity after targeting someone for retribution is just one example of what is wrong with failing to adequately protect the public from illegal immigration.  There are thousand of stories like this one.  LIberals choose to ignore them.

As socialists on the latest new left attempt to bond illegal aliens and the working class as allies, as something called New America Media did last week, it would be nice if they would take a moment and explain how making citizens of international gang members and killers is good of America.

Here are just a few examples of felonies allegedly involving some of the aliens who would be protected under laws Democrats and cowardly illegal advocates are promoting. (read more)

This bloggers own blue home state has lost its collective mind if the following proposal is successful along with other liberal insanity planned on these issues.

Residents who could not prove they are legal U.S. citizens would receive the cards from the Department of Transportation if they passed driving and eyesight tests. The cards would state in bold letters they could not be used purposes other than driving and would not establish U.S. residency.

A 2006 law making illegal immigrants ineligible for driver’s licenses “has made the roads where I drive unsafe,” said dairy farmer John Rosenow of Cochrane, in western Wisconsin. And the Senate’s rejection of the cards was another blow to dairy farmers and the large number of immigrants who work on their farms, he said.

Rather than stem the tide of the illegal onslaught invading this land many are willing to surrender the nation others are sworn to protect.

Here’s a bit of promotion for one simple action anyone can take.

March 10, 2003
How To Report Illegal Aliens - Updated DHS Version!

WikiAnswers - How do you turn in illegal immigrants in US

Turn in employers who hire illegal aliens

Turn in illegal aliens

As a final note to this post, how come so many proponents of illegal immigration and shamnesty belong to groups who promote the vested interest of illegals rather than that of legal immigration.  It’s the reconquista stupid!!  (based on the now famous slogan from liberal extraordinaire, James Carville, ‘it’s the economy, stupid’)

Either you believe in the founding documents of this nation or you do not.  If you do not you support shamnesty and giving away the United State to illegals.  Otherwise you believe in controlled immigration and the rule of law.  Be here legally or don’t be here at all.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Are we supposed to find some wisdom in this? Are we supposed to feel reassured that a poll suggests among us there are fellow citizens who have become optimistic about the economy? Is this a survey which was designed to entice consumer demand to rise as a snake oil liniment for what ails us? Along with mixed messages in financial reporting and misguided politics in the nation’s capital and at the state level the symptoms of economic recession may be prolonged by generating more of what put us here in the first place.

Consumers in the world’s biggest economy are feeling more confident and slowly starting to spend more money.

An index of consumer confidence in the United States - The Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers - jumped to its highest level in more than 15 months.

What a dichotomy the following is.

But the report also shows U.S. consumers are still wary and saving money at the highest rate in more than 15 years.

Officials say both spending and savings appear to have been boosted by the government’s economic stimulus package, which helped push incomes higher last month.

Historically American savings rates have lagged miserably behind other nations in the developed world. Is that because we live in a ‘driver’ economy which has experienced some of the greatest economic growth the world has ever seen? Or have we become complacent with our freedom, standard of living and list of personal options which provide not only extreme opportunity but a false sense that no matter what we can succeed? Spending levels and debt accumulation have exceeded our ability to select choices which protect us and provide ‘rainy day’ resources for the inevitable corrections that not only occur in the financial markets.

That the public can express optimism in this bleak economic period is great. Certainly pessimism or the extreme of hopelessness does not support recovery personally or within the economic sphere. But just as dangerous is unqualified expectations of happy days are here again. That only serves to exacerbate and extend the truth-be-damned recklessness at the core of the financial bitch slapping we have all experienced.

Politics and government along with a groping private sector appear aligned in an effort to simply rename the policies responsible for the current meltdown. For as much criticism that was aimed at the recent ‘tea party’ phenomena the irony is playing out to exonerate those supporting a return to the common sense of conservative principles especially reduced government spending and taxes. That would translate to less government interference and a needed boost to the economy from consumer spending that may actually support realistic consumer confidence. When has the government ever been responsible for that with more intervention and tax hikes?

Another government example of appalling stupidity…..

A separate report Thursday from the U.S. Commerce Department showed the economy is shrinking at a slower pace than first thought.

No, the economy is not shrinking at a slower pace. Your forecast numbers were simply incorrect. And some wonder how mistakes are being made.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Here is a link to the written report

The debate on whether the Obama Administration is reliving FDR’s New Deal has come up from time to time. In that debate those who support Obama suggest the New Deal was a success and predictably those who oppose the new President suggest it was a failure and even prolonged The Depression.

With the debate over Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor making news another example from FDR’s years draws more historical similarities. Not only are there historic references to Obama and FDR’s economics but judicial ones as well. It even raises the level of awareness on matters of separation of powers. Although this blog is not as confident in the conclusion drawn on that topic in the excerpt below.

It is safe to say that a respect for the principle of separation of powers is deeply ingrained in every American. The nation subscribes to the original premise of the framers of the Constitution that the way to safeguard against tyranny is to separate the powers of government among three branches so that each branch checks the other two. Even when this system thwarts the public will and paralyzes the processes of government, Americans have rallied to its defense.

Perhaps more correctly, ’some’ Americans rally to its defense. Will there be any conflict between the White House and SCOTUS with the current redux of the New Deal? There was during the first New Deal.

In 1935-36, the Court struck down eight of FDR’s New Deal programs, including the National Recovery Act (NRA) and the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). Public antijudicial sentiment intensified; many critics questioned the constitutionality of the concept of judicial review itself. As a result of this reaction, several constitutional amendments were introduced into Congress in 1936, including one that would require a two-thirds vote of the Court whenever an act of Congress was declared unconstitutional; another that would permit Congress to revalidate federal laws previously declared unconstitutional by repassing them with a two-thirds vote of both houses, and even one that would abolish altogether the Court’s power to declare federal laws unconstitutional.

FDR remained silent, hoping that the antijudicial public sentiment would continue to grow without his having to enter the fray. He avoided any direct references to the Court in the 1936 election campaign. After his election victory, however, he submitted to Congress early in February 1937 a plan for “judicial reform,” which forever came to be known as his attempt to “pack” the Supreme Court. Given Roosevelt’s record for legislative success, it is interesting to discover why this plan to reconstitute the Court with Justices more favorable to the New Deal backfired.

Ironically, the following is from the White House website and its offering of resources of and about past Presidents. Much of what is written below seems to be reflected in the Obama Administration beyond the New Deal and the Supreme Court.

By 1935 the Nation had achieved some measure of recovery, but businessmen and bankers were turning more and more against Roosevelt’s New Deal program. They feared his experiments, were appalled because he had taken the Nation off the gold standard and allowed deficits in the budget, and disliked the concessions to labor. Roosevelt responded with a new program of reform: Social Security, heavier taxes on the wealthy, new controls over banks and public utilities, and an enormous work relief program for the unemployed.

In 1936 he was re-elected by a top-heavy margin. Feeling he was armed with a popular mandate, he sought legislation to enlarge the Supreme Court, which had been invalidating key New Deal measures. Roosevelt lost the Supreme Court battle, but a revolution in constitutional law took place. Thereafter the Government could legally regulate the economy.

Roosevelt had pledged the United States to the “good neighbor” policy, transforming the Monroe Doctrine from a unilateral American manifesto into arrangements for mutual action against aggressors. He also sought through neutrality legislation to keep the United States out of the war in Europe, yet at the same time to strengthen nations threatened or attacked. When France fell and England came under siege in 1940, he began to send Great Britain all possible aid short of actual military involvement.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt directed organization of the Nation’s manpower and resources for global war.

Feeling that the future peace of the world would depend upon relations between the United States and Russia, he devoted much thought to the planning of a United Nations, in which, he hoped, international difficulties could be settled.

‘Thereafter the Government could legally regulate the economy.’ That’s a statement requiring more study. As for the other items, allowing deficits is nothing new. Heavier taxes on the wealthy, new controls over banks, etc. Then to foreign policy FDR expressed the good neighbor idea not unlike BHO cowering to the Saudis and appeasing Muslims. No unilateral defense for Obama like FDR only ‘mutual action’ against aggressors. We helped Britain, got into the war and afterwards we can blame the United Nations on FDR. You might also consider that while FDR had a good neighbor policy Neville Chamberlain in Britain was attempting to appease aggressors as well.

Obviously that is just the take on this blog. Your’s may be different. But the point remains that there are clear historical references to actions taking place today. And that old reminder is still valid. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Sometimes called the United States’ ‘first constitution’ the Articles of Confederation and the story behind them demonstrate the difficulty in forming a new nation. These days there is again much concern about ‘big government’ and too much power being wielded by the curent federal government. Yet another current example of difficulties in a country like Iraq trying to form a new government shares some similarities as well as differences with the history of the forming of our nation.

There is and was a need for the several states in America maintaining their independence and liberty from the tyranny of a central government yet having such central authority to provide strength in protecting the nation from foreign interference. Foreign trade and foreign affairs being conducted by the several states independently was not without problems. One example was Maryland’s reluctance to ratify the Articles and when under attack by the British sought help from the French who encouraged them to ratify.

The struggle among the several states to maintain their independence and liberty yet bind with a central authority for national strength and protection continues today. The Articles of Confederation represent one of our earliest attempts at resolving these issues.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The Articles of Confederation

Nov. 15, 1777

To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.

Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

I.

The Stile of this Confederacy shall be “The United States of America”.

II.

Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.

III.

The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.

IV.

The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different States in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several States; and the people of each State shall free ingress and regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any State, to any other State, of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any State, on the property of the United States, or either of them.

If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any State, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the United States, he shall, upon demand of the Governor or executive power of the State from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the State having jurisdiction of his offense.

Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these States to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other State.

V.

For the most convenient management of the general interests of the United States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a powerreserved to each State to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year.

No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the United States, for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.

Each State shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the States, and while they act as members of the committee of the States.

In determining questions in the United States in Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote.

Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendence on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.

VI.

No State, without the consent of the United States in Congress assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty with any King, Prince or State; nor shall any person holding any office of profit or trust under the United States, or any of them, accept any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever from any King, Prince or foreign State; nor shall the United States in Congress assembled, or any of them, grant any title of nobility.

No two or more States shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the United States in Congress assembled, specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how long it shall continue.

No State shall lay any imposts or duties, which may interfere with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the United States in Congress assembled, with any King, Prince or State, in pursuance of any treaties already proposed by Congress, to the courts of France and Spain.

No vessel of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any State, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the United States in Congress assembled, for the defense of such State, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be kept up by any State in time of peace, except such number only, as in the judgement of the United States in Congress assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defense of such State; but every State shall always keep up a well-regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of filed pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition and camp equipage.

No State shall engage in any war without the consent of the United States in Congress assembled, unless such State be actually invaded by enemies, or shall have received certain advice of a resolution being formed by some nation of Indians to invade such State, and the danger is so imminent as not to admit of a delay till the United States in Congress assembled can be consulted; nor shall any State grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the United States in Congress assembled, and then only against the Kingdom or State and the subjects thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as shall be established by the United States in Congress assembled, unless such State be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept so long as the danger shall continue, or until the United States in Congress assembled shall determine otherwise.

VII.

When land forces are raised by any State for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each State respectively, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such State shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the State which first made the appointment.

VIII.

All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint.

The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several States within the time agreed upon by the United States in Congress assembled.

IX.

The United States in Congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war, except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article

* of sending and receiving ambassadors
* entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective States shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners, as their own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever
* of establishing rules for deciding in all cases, what captures on land or water shall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the service of the United States shall be divided or appropriated
* of granting letters of marque and reprisal in times of peace
* appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies commited on the high seas and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally appeals in all cases of captures, provided that no member of Congress shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts.

The United States in Congress assembled shall also be the last resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that hereafter may arise between two or more States concerning boundary, jurisdiction or any other causes whatever; which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following. Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any State in controversy with another shall present a petition to Congress stating the matter in question and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of Congress to the legislative or executive authority of the other State in controversy, and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who shall then be directed to appoint by joint consent, commissioners or judges to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question: but if they cannot agree, Congress shall name three persons out of each of the United States, and from the list of such persons each party shall alternately strike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number shall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not less than seven, nor more than nine names as Congress shall direct, shall in the presence of Congress be drawn out by lot, and the persons whose names shall be so drawn or any five of them, shall be commissioners or judges, to hear and finally determine the controversy, so always as a major part of the judges who shall hear the cause shall agree in the determination: and if either party shall neglect to attend at the day appointed, without showing reasons, which Congress shall judge sufficient, or being present shall refuse to strike, the Congress shall proceed to nominate three persons out of each State, and the secretary of Congress shall strike in behalf of such party absent or refusing; and the judgement and sentence of the court to be appointed, in the manner before prescribed, shall be final and conclusive; and if any of the parties shall refuse to submit to the authority of such court, or to appear or defend their claim or cause, the court shall nevertheless proceed to pronounce sentence, or judgement, which shall in like manner be final and decisive, the judgement or sentence and other proceedings being in either case transmitted to Congress, and lodged among the acts of Congress for the security of the parties concerned: provided that every commissioner, before he sits in judgement, shall take an oath to be administered by one of the judges of the supreme or superior court of the State, where the cause shall be tried, ‘well and truly to hear and determine the matter in question, according to the best of his judgement, without favor, affection or hope of reward’: provided also, that no State shall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the United States.

All controversies concerning the private right of soil claimed under different grants of two or more States, whose jurisdictions as they may respect such lands, and the States which passed such grants are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the same time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurisdiction, shall on the petition of either party to the Congress of the United States, be finally determined as near as may be in the same manner as is before presecribed for deciding disputes respecting territorial jurisdiction between different States.

The United States in Congress assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective States

* fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the United States
* regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the States, provided that the legislative right of any State within its own limits be not infringed or violated
* establishing or regulating post offices from one State to another, throughout all the United States, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office
* appointing all officers of the land forces, in the service of the United States, excepting regimental officers
* appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the United States
* making rules for the government and regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing their operations.

The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of Congress, to be denominated ‘A Committee of the States’, and to consist of one delegate from each State; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the United States under their direction

* to appoint one of their members to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years; to ascertain the necessary sums of money to be raised for the service of the United States, and to appropriate and apply the same for defraying the public expenses
* to borrow money, or emit bills on the credit of the United States, transmitting every half-year to the respective States an account of the sums of money so borrowed or emitted
* to build and equip a navy
* to agree upon the number of land forces, and to make requisitions from each State for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in such State; which requisition shall be binding, and thereupon the legislature of each State shall appoint the regimental officers, raise the men and cloath, arm and equip them in a solid-like manner, at the expense of the United States; and the officers and men so cloathed, armed and equipped shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the United States in Congress assembled. But if the United States in Congress assembled shall, on consideration of circumstances judge proper that any State should not raise men, or should raise a smaller number of men than the quota thereof, such extra number shall be raised, officered, cloathed, armed and equipped in the same manner as the quota of each State, unless the legislature of such State shall judge that such extra number cannot be safely spread out in the same, in which case they shall raise, officer, cloath, arm and equip as many of such extra number as they judeg can be safely spared. And the officers and men so cloathed, armed, and equipped, shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the United States in Congress assembled.

The United States in Congress assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the United States, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine States assent to the same: nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day be determined, unless by the votes of the majority of the United States in Congress assembled.

The Congress of the United States shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the United States, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six months, and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations, as in their judgement require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each State on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is desired by any delegates of a State, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several States.

X.

The Committee of the States, or any nine of them, shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of Congress, such of the powers of Congress as the United States in Congress assembled, by the consent of the nine States, shall from time to time think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be delegated to the said Committee, for the exercise of which, by the Articles of Confederation, the voice of nine States in the Congress of the United States assembled be requisite.

XI.

Canada acceding to this confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this Union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States.

XII.

All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of Congress, before the assembling of the United States, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the United States, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said United States, and the public faith are hereby solemnly pleged.

XIII.

Every State shall abide by the determination of the United States in Congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State.

And Whereas it hath pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in Congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union. Know Ye that we the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do by these presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, and all and singular the matters and things therein contained: And we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the United States in Congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them. And that the Articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the States we respectively represent, and that the Union shall be perpetual.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania the ninth day of July in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-Eight, and in the Third Year of the independence of America.

Agreed to by Congress 15 November 1777

In force after ratification by Maryland, 1 March 1781

(Click on the image to download it or other document images in higher rez)

As another long overdue installment in a series of posts published on this blog inspired by the American Civics Literacy Quiz from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute as well as other bloggers e.g., Perri Nelson , the following is presented on the Bill of Rights. Given the current political climate and issues in public affairs these matters are of no less significance than they were at the time the Bill of Rights were proposed and ultimately ratified by the several states. It is fair to state here the intention was to limit the power of government and protect the rights of individuals. Two principles that may be tested more in the days ahead than they have been in a very long time. It is incumbent upon every citizen, while there is no bill of responsibilities, to contribute the time and resources necessary to ensure their own liberty by attending to matters of civics in a manner adequate to safeguard ours and future generations from the tyranny present when vigilance is ignored.

The content and links below as well as the image and link above are borrowed of course from elsewhere and provided to assist in raising the level of attention to civics and related topics. It is hoped you will find this and other posts in this series useful. There are related documents in the ‘Pages’ section which can be found in the sidebar.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a “bill of rights” that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights: A Transcription

The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the “Bill of Rights.”

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

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.

Ordinary people who accomplished an extraordinary feat to save the world from tyranny.  The lessons taught by the actions of these remarkable individuals stand as testimony to what becomes necessary when the world ignores the threats to peace and liberty.  To honor their service and sacrifice let us not allow this to happen again. You can watch a short video by clicking on the picture above as well as explore other features which commemorate this day in history.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Welcome to Blog @ MoreWhat.com’s Open Trackback

Secure the Borders Linkfest

This is an open trackback linkfest. For now it opens on Saturday and closes by Monday. The Secure the Borders theme is intended as a reminder to all for obvious reasons. If you have any suggestions, criticisms, questions or just feel the need to communicate, trackback or post it in the comments. If you want to be added to the Blogroll, register and/or inquire to make arrangements. The Honor Roll is reserved for blogs viewed as special by this blog’s owner.

JIHAD stands for Jesus I Have A Deathwish.

This linkfest is dedicated to the guest worker who never left.There are plenty of illegal immigration posts on this blog.

If you’re here legally and behavin’ yo self, welcome aboard.
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We suggest using the Linkfest Haven Deluxe Trackback pinger for ease of use and time savings to catch all the festive linking activities today. Or, if you have done this less than we have, the permalink for this Open Trackback is the title link and the trackback is located near the bottom of the permalink page for this post. Just poke around, you’ll find it.

links in the sidebar

NOTE: It may be worthwhile to comply with the unofficial standard of submitting your blog’s best work for open trackbacks whether here or at multiple sites. The practice may have been inspired by a desire for increased quality versus quantity as well as providing greater impact from the power of the blogosphere.

Welcome to Blog @ MoreWhat.com’s Open Trackback

Secure the Borders Linkfest

This is an open trackback linkfest. For now it opens on Saturday and closes by Monday. The Secure the Borders theme is intended as a reminder to all for obvious reasons. If you have any suggestions, criticisms, questions or just feel the need to communicate, trackback or post it in the comments. If you want to be added to the Blogroll, register and/or inquire to make arrangements. The Honor Roll is reserved for blogs viewed as special by this blog’s owner.

JIHAD stands for Jesus I Have A Deathwish.

This linkfest is dedicated to the guest worker who never left.There are plenty of illegal immigration posts on this blog.

If you’re here legally and behavin’ yo self, welcome aboard.
.
.

We suggest using the Linkfest Haven Deluxe Trackback pinger for ease of use and time savings to catch all the festive linking activities today. Or, if you have done this less than we have, the permalink for this Open Trackback is the title link and the trackback is located near the bottom of the permalink page for this post. Just poke around, you’ll find it.

links in the sidebar

NOTE: It may be worthwhile to comply with the unofficial standard of submitting your blog’s best work for open trackbacks whether here or at multiple sites. The practice may have been inspired by a desire for increased quality versus quantity as well as providing greater impact from the power of the blogosphere.