Mainsail
Regular Member
imported post
[align=left]Lawmakers in 20 states move to reclaim sovereignty
[size=+1]Obama's $1 trillion deficit-spending 'stimulus plan' seen as last straw[/size]
[/align]
[align=left]
[align=left]Lawmakers in 20 states move to reclaim sovereignty
[size=+1]Obama's $1 trillion deficit-spending 'stimulus plan' seen as last straw[/size]
[/align]
[align=left]
H-1028.1 _____________________________________________[/align]
[align=left]HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4009[/align]
[align=left]_____________________________________________[/align]
[align=left]State of Washington 61st Legislature 2009 Regular Session[/align]
[align=left]By Representatives Shea, Klippert, Condotta, Kretz, Anderson, McCune,[/align]
[align=left]and Kristiansen[/align]
[align=left]Read first time 01/30/09. Referred to Committee on State Government &[/align]
[align=left]Tribal Affairs.[/align]
[align=left]1 TO THE HONORABLE BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND[/align]
[align=left]2 TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF[/align]
[align=left]3 REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE[/align]
[align=left]4 UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE[/align]
[align=left]5 SENATE AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH STATE'S[/align]
[align=left]6 LEGISLATURE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:[/align]
[align=left]7 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of[/align]
[align=left]8 the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully[/align]
[align=left]9 represent and petition as follows:[/align]
[align=left]10 WHEREAS, The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United[/align]
[align=left]11 States specifically provides that, "The powers not delegated to the[/align]
[align=left]12 United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,[/align]
[align=left]13 are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."; and[/align]
[align=left]14 WHEREAS, The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal[/align]
[align=left]15 power as being those powers specifically granted to it by the[/align]
[align=left]16 Constitution of the United States and no more; and[/align]
[align=left]17 WHEREAS, Federalism is the constitutional division of powers[/align]
[align=left]18 between the national and state governments and is widely regarded as[/align]
[align=left]19 one of America's most valuable contributions to political science; and[/align]
[align=left]p. 1 HJM 4009[/align]
[align=left]1 WHEREAS, James Madison, "the father of the Constitution," said,[/align]
[align=left]2 "The powers delegated to the federal government are few and defined.[/align]
[align=left]3 Those which are to remain in the state governments are numerous and[/align]
[align=left]4 indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external[/align]
[align=left]5 objects, [such] as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. The[/align]
[align=left]6 powers reserved to the several states will extend to all the objects[/align]
[align=left]7 which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties,[/align]
[align=left]8 and properties of the people."; and[/align]
[align=left]9 WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson emphasized that the states are not[/align]
[align=left]10 "subordinate" to the national government, but rather the two are[/align]
[align=left]11 "coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole. The one is[/align]
[align=left]12 the domestic, the other the foreign branch of the same government.";[/align]
[align=left]13 and[/align]
[align=left]14 WHEREAS, Alexander Hamilton expressed his hope that "the people[/align]
[align=left]15 will always take care to preserve the constitutional equilibrium[/align]
[align=left]16 between the general and the state governments." He believed that "this[/align]
[align=left]17 balance between the national and state governments forms a double[/align]
[align=left]18 security to the people. If one [government] encroaches on their[/align]
[align=left]19 rights, they will find a powerful protection in the other. Indeed,[/align]
[align=left]20 they will both be prevented from overpassing their constitutional[/align]
[align=left]21 limits by [the] certain rivalship which will ever subsist between[/align]
[align=left]22 them."; and[/align]
[align=left]23 WHEREAS, The scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means[/align]
[align=left]24 that the federal government was created by the states specifically to[/align]
[align=left]25 be limited in its powers relative to those of the various states; and[/align]
[align=left]26 WHEREAS, Today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as[/align]
[align=left]27 agents of the federal government; and[/align]
[align=left]28 WHEREAS, Many federal mandates are directly in violation of the[/align]
[align=left]29 Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and[/align]
[align=left]30 WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has ruled in New York v.[/align]
[align=left]31 United States, 112 S. Ct. 2408 (1992), that Congress may not simply[/align]
[align=left]32 commandeer the legislative and regulatory processes of the states; and[/align]
[align=left]33 WHEREAS, A number of proposals from previous administrations and[/align]
[align=left]34 some now being considered by the present administration and from[/align]
[align=left]35 Congress may further violate the Constitution of the United States;[/align]
[align=left]36 NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully resolve:[/align]
[align=left]37 (1) That the State of Washington hereby claims sovereignty under[/align]
[align=left]HJM 4009 p. 2[/align]
[align=left]1 the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all[/align]
[align=left]2 powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government[/align]
[align=left]3 by the Constitution of the United States; and[/align]
[align=left]4 (2) That this serve as a Notice and Demand to the federal[/align]
[align=left]5 government to maintain the balance of powers where the Constitution of[/align]
[align=left]6 the United States established it and to cease and desist, effective[/align]
[align=left]7 immediately, any and all mandates that are beyond the scope of its[/align]
[align=left]8 constitutionally delegated powers.[/align]
[align=left]9 BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately[/align]
[align=left]10 transmitted to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United[/align]
[align=left]11 States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the[/align]
[align=left]12 House of Representatives, the President of the Senate and the Speaker[/align]
[align=left]13 of the House of Representatives of each state's legislature of the[/align]
[align=left]14 United States of America, and each member of Congress from the State of[/align]
[align=left]15 Washington.[/align]
[align=left]--- END ---[/align]
p. 3 HJM 4009