I do not think so.

It appears to me that the states exist in name only and presently function as territories under the jurisdiction of the federal government. As such they are no longer (since post civil war reconstruction and the adoption of the 14th Amendment) free and independent states. Since there is no lawful money in circulation they also are bankrupt.

Remember, at the close of the War of Independence the sovereignty devolved upon the “people” not the governments of the individual colonies. Where are the sovereign people today?

After the Civil War the former Union was “reconstructed.”

In order for any thing to be “re-constructed it must have first been deconstructed or dismantled in some way.

The Union clearly was not reconstructed in the same republican form of government as it was first constructed. If this be a correct observation then those who are today claiming state’s rights are riding a dead horse.

In the above list of 20 things that Congress is permitted to do, you might add one thing they are also required to do and that is they must guarantee to every state a republican form of government.

Do we have such a republican form of government in Pennsylvania today or is it a majority rule democracy?

A study in 2005 by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute estimated that the average public-sector worker earned 46% more in salary and benefits than comparable private-sector workers. The gap has only continued to grow. For example, state and local worker pay and benefits rose 3.1% in the last year, compared to 1.9% in the private sector, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

But the real power of the public sector is showing through in this economic crisis. Some five million private-sector workers have lost their jobs in the last year alone, and their unemployment rate is above 9% according to the BLS. By contrast, public-sector employment has grown in virtually every month of the recession, and the jobless rate for government workers is a mere 2.8%. For anyone who thinks such low unemployment numbers are good news, remember that the bulging public sector must be paid for with revenues that most governments don’t currently have.

Public employees earned benefits worth an average of $13.38 an hour in December 2008, the latest available data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says. Private-sector workers got $7.98 an hour.

Overall, total compensation for state and local workers was $39.25 an hour — $11.90 more than in private business. In 2007, the gap in wages and benefits was $11.31.

The gap has been expanding because of the increasing value of public employee benefits. Last year, government benefits rose three times more than those in the private sector: up 69 cents an hour for civil servants, 23 cents for private workers.

[T]here are only 20 things the Congress is permitted to do under the Constitution. Here’s the list:
1. Borrow money.
2. Regulate commerce among states.
3. Regulate naturalization.
4. Regulate bankruptcies.
5. Coin money.
6. Fix weights and measures.
7. Punish counterfeiters.
8. Establish post offices.
9. Establish post roads.
10. Record patents.
11. Protect copyrights.
12. Create federal courts.
13. Punish pirates.
14. Declare war.
15. Raise an army.
16. Provide a navy.
17. Call up the militia.
18. Organize the militia.
19. Make laws for Washington, DC.
20. Make rules for the Army and Navy.

If the issue before Congress is not on the list, they shouldn’t be legislating on it. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments reserve all other powers to the various states and to individuals.

Ok, ok, just kidding

Just remember these issues the next time, and every time that your politicians side with Chuck Schumer or Lautenberg or any of the rest of the gang!

The PA Constitution (Article 6 Section 3) requires our legislators to take the following oath prior to taking office:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.

In public-sector America things just get better and better. The common presumption is that public servants forgo high wages in exchange for safe jobs and benefits. The reality is they get all three.