As most of you know by now, the economy’s in pretty rough shape. Unfortunately, this is just a symptom of a greater problem. While the ‘main stream’ media seems to delight in fanning the anti-capitalist flames by running story after story blaming ‘Big Business’, most people appear to be unaware that the actions of the Federal government of the United States have been the greatest contributor to the current problems. As the virus that is the Progressive agenda continues to spread through the extremities of our nation, all three branches of the Federal government continue to find new ways to expand their power and reach beyond the limits established by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. But more and more citizens in the ‘flyover states’ are waking up to the egregious abuse of power being perpetrated by their elected representatives.
Right now, all across the Union, American citizens are doing their own research to fill in gaps in their education. Starting with the writings of the Founding Fathers, such as The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and the personal papers of Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, to essays by outside observers such as Democracy in America by French historian Alexis de Toqueville, to more modern works of research such as The 5,000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen, The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes, and American Progressivism by Ronald J. Pestritto, Americans are learning just how far away from the Constitution we have been pulled…and the more they learn, the more frustrated they become. The Progressives have perverted a phrase used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter he sent to a Baptist Assembly as justification for Federal interference in civic celebrations and local religious practices. The current nominee to be lead council for the Federal Department of State espouses the use of international law instead of the Constitution as the basis for rendering decisions in U.S. court cases. The U.S. Congress uses the “…regulate commerce…” clause in Article I Section 8 of the Constitution as a bludgeon to control everything from how much grain a farmer can grow for his family’s personal use to how much a local ‘mom and pop’ store has to pay their employees. And even though 60% to 70% of the citizenry oppose these actions, the politicians holding public office just say, “Well, you poor people just don’t have the capacity to understand what’s going on and we know better, so we’re just going to go ahead and do what we feel is best.” Is it any wonder most Americans are frustrated?
The problem is that unresolved frustration can quickly turn to anger. In bastions of individuality and liberty such as Montana, Texas, and Utah, State Legislators are introducing legislation in their respective State governments to force the Federal government to acknowledge and live by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. In Texas, however, there is a growing movement to go even further. For most of the history of the State of Texas, there has been a small minority that believes Texas should have remained a separate Republic, and that they should secede from the United States and reestablish the Republic of Texas. This movement first came to prominence when Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Office of the President of the United States on an anti-slavery platform right after the U.S. Congress passed regulations that violated Article I Section 8 of the Constitution by favoring northern manufacturers and mills over southern ones in government contracts and by imposing trade duties on southern states that were not imposed upon northern states. Unfortunately, 76% of Texans chose to join the Confederate States once they had seceded, instead of reestablishing the Republic.
Once past this dark period in America’s history, the secession movement in Texas became once again a small minority, but it never went away. Over the last 150 years, secessionists in Texas have made several attempts to gain popular support…including several legal challenges to the way Texas was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. Over this same time period, several historical myths regarding Texas’ statehood have gained the status of ‘common knowledge’. The most popular of these myths is that the treaty that admitted the Republic of Texas into the United States contained a provision that Texas reserves the right to secede upon a two-thirds vote of the citizens of the state. I had been taught this myth as fact in one of the top ten public school districts in the nation when I took Texas History. It is so prevalent, that current Texas Governor, Rick Perry, actually made reference to it during a speech he made at one of the Texas Tax Day Tea Parties on 15 April 2009. Regrettably, my own research has revealed that this is nothing more than a modern historical myth.
The truth is that, between 1837 and 1844, the Republic of Texas presented several treaties to the United States in an attempt to gain statehood. However, fears that Mexico would retaliate and opposition to another ‘slave state’ from abolitionists resulted in the treaties being declined. When James K. Polk was elected as President of the United States in 1844, he convinced Congress that it was in America’s best interest to admit Texas to the Union. Finally, on 29 December 1845, both houses of Congress issued a joint- resolution annexing Texas as a constituent state of the Union. The annexation was approved by a majority of Texas voters. While the original treaties proposed by the Republic of Texas did include the clause allowing Texas to secede and reestablish the Republic, the annexation resolution did not, thus giving birth to the belief among Texans that the state has a right to secede.
It’s just as well that secession is put to rest. While I am a Texan, I am also an American, and I believe that running away is not the way to deal with our current problems. I firmly believe that it’s time for Texas to take the lead and bring the Federal government back into line. Texas has the spirit and the wherewithal to set the pace for the rest of America. In the words of one popular pundit, “Texas gets it. Texans still understand what it means to be a Republic and what it takes to maintain one.” Instead of investing time and resources into seceding and setting up a new nation, Texans need to lead a grassroots effort to restore the Constitution to its rightful eminence and remind our elected leaders that they answer to us and not the other way around.
The best way to do this is to let your elected representatives know how you feel. I understand that most of us have busy lives and find it hard to wedge in something else, but we’re talking about not only the current challenges our nation is facing, but the future of our children and grandchildren. Just take 5 – 10 minutes out of each week to either e-mail or call the office of those elected to represent you. You don’t have to be an eloquent public speaker or write a massive political treatise…just send them a few lines or leave them a message to let them know what you expect of them on specific issues. And I’m speaking to all Americans, not just Texans. Be professional and polite. Keep to the topic and don’t make it personal. Above all, make certain they understand that you do understand the Constitution, you do understand how to resolve issues, and that they were placed in their current position to represent the principles you and your neighbors hold…not to represent special interests that pay Millions of dollars every year for lobbyists. Here is the best resource for finding the contact information for your various elected officials:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
Now, get out there and make a difference. Don’t let them chase you off. Instead, stand up for the greatest system of government that has ever been developed by Mankind. I believe in the UNITED States of America. Do you?
Until next time, best regards!
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