Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, you know the guy who wants Texas to secede from the Union, again is a Tenther, according to one of his television ads. Perry is running for re-election.
What is a Tenther, if you don't already know are people (?) and/or organizations which believe in the strict interpretation of the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Basically the Tenthers do not want to be told by the Federal government what to do in any form unless it is specifically outlined in the Constitution. The fact that the US Supreme Court has upheld any attacks from the states seems to have been missed by these folks. The problem for the states is a simple one, but wrought with all kinds of problems, like political suicide. The Federal government cannot make any state do anything, not covered by the Constitution, except in cases where the states accept Federal money for anything. Basically speaking if a state university accepts Federal funding for anything, that funding will be conditional on the university following all Federal rules. Many Federal funding or grants have strings attached, like you have to actually do what you are supposed to with the money, under Federal rules. An example might be a state accepts Federal matching funds to build a new runway at DFW. The Federal rules may say that the work must be done by the lowest bidder and have a certain percentage of union jobs directly attached. Now since the Feds are paying 90% of the cost, it makes sense they can make the rules, right?
What Tenthers want is the Feds to hand them basically a blank check to do whatever they want, how they want without Federal rules.
Can you imagine what would have happened to the Economic Stimulus money if the Feds just wrote a blank check to each state?
Look, if you are a state that has been devastated by some disaster and you go to your Uncle Sam for a bailout, does that Uncle not have a right to tell you how the money is going to be spent? You go to your dad and ask for money to buy a car and you blow it on a ski boat, I am certain that will be the last time he gives you money.
Tenthers are states rights advocates. They bitch and complain about the Federal money coming into their states with strings attached. They want the Feds to just cut a check. Remember we are talking about politicians with a blank check, a really really big one. Yet, who shows up at the ribbon cutting ceremony? The same folks who 'claim' they don't want it in the first place.
Gov. Perry, I have one word of advice. If you are a real Tenther, firmly believe as your ads say, then it's simple. Refuse ALL Federal money for EVERYTHING. That is the only way you could be happy because without accepting the money, the Feds have no leverage. Just Say No to them. Accept no money, then the strings are cut. Honestly, I don't think you have the courage to stand by your own rhetoric.
No comments:
Post a Comment