Dissolving the Republic

When the residents of the British Colonies in North America fought to throw off the rule of King George III, they formed a new type of government structure. They took thirteen independent colonies, and knitted them together as a union of Thirteen Independent States. A Republic formed of individual sovereign states. Each State had its own constitution, its government. In order that the new Federal Government would be unable to smother these states, the Constitution was created to enshrine certain principles. Each state had a representative to the Federal government, to support their interests. This was the principle of the United States Senate. The House of Representatives was reflective of the popular will; directly elected by the people.  The Senate was to be the voice of the several States. Each State was to appoint two Senators. This was an effective brake on federal power. Legislation could not move forward which would increase the power of the Federal Government at the expense of the States unless the States saw it was in their interest.

During the rush to populism in the early 2oth century, the Progressives pushed for, and obtained approval of the Seventeenth Amendment. This altered the method in which Senators came to office.  The amendment allowed for the governors of each state to appoint a senator should a vacancy arise during a sitting senator’s term, but that is the last vestige of State sovereignty.

After the presidential election of 2008, two vacancies to the Senate were created. In both cases, the process of the governor selecting a replacement was messy, and almost undoubtedly corrupt. That spurred a new movement, to repeal the section of the amendment which still permitted governors to have any role in selection of a senator at ANY time.

President Obama has gotten his ‘Stimulus Package’ and within it one more nail in the coffin of the Republic as it was created.  Contained within the stimulus bill is a stunning provision. As Ronald D. Rotunda explains in the Chicago Tribune, section 1607. This provision simply empowers any state legislature to accept and use the money regardless of the objections of the Governor of that state.  This stunning overriding of the powers of a sitting governor has gotten just about no attention anywhere. The handful of governors who are objecting to the strings attached to such federal largess will simply be bypassed. If that is not enough, the petty empire builder from South Carolina, James Clyburn has resorted to his preferred mode of disagreement. As is his usual rant, since Governor Sanford objects, well, according to the execrable U.S. Congressman from the ridiculously gerrymandered 6th  district in SC  sees the boogie man of race behind the Governor’s financial rectitude.( Mr. Clyburn has made a career of screaming race whenever someone objects to some bridge, or golf course he funds and names for himself with Federal tax money)

So, we see that one more step in the dissolution of our Republic has taken place. No one seems willing to object. No one even seems to notice.  Just how far must things progress before Americans will stop and say ‘enough’? Or are we now a nation content to become serfs to the new Leviathan in DC? I see a handful of true Governors, stretched in a band along the Gulf Coast who are standing and saying that a State still matters.  As DC continues to chip away at the constitution, we can hope that enough governors will be willing to pick up the slack.  Those of us who are still revere the Constitution can and must speak out. Only if we begin to say enough is enough can there be hope for the Republic handed to us by the founders in 1787.  

Keep the Faith

The Rev.