By A. Dru Kristenev ——Bio and Archives--April 30, 2024
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States are waking up to the fact that they have the constitutional right to serve their citizens first, even and especially when the federal government is attempting to impose its authority.
The national seat of government, Washington, D.C., was never ceded power to interfere with or override that of individual states whose purpose is to protect their constituents from outside autocratic influence. Yet, states are incorrectly suffering under the insufferable hand of edicts emanating from the White House.
The erosion of states’ rights has come about after decades of extending executive powers through an unconstitutional fourth branch of government--administrative agencies. This has not come about by accident, but by indulging the base needs of the populace, baiting it into inertia by handing the reins of government over to unelected officials to manage the nation’s infrastructure.
The concept of delegation of duties from the sovereign to underlings was meant to free-up owners and managers to continue wealth creation, which subordinates used for the benefit of the company, in this case, the nation. It went awry when sovereigns, the owners, began acting like trust fund babies, taking their eyes off the business to fritter away their inheritance on personal gratification.
Administrative agencies have usurped power that citizens ignored, preferring to concentrate on living in the moment instead of looking out for the future. In the present, there is no change other than to throw tantrums on college campuses, or complain that their inheritance can’t purchase what it did five, 10, 25 or 50 years ago, and blame others rather than shouldering the responsibility themselves.
As much as citizens focus on D.C., that’s not where the problem started, nor is it the ultimate answer to eliminate it. Yes, having the right person in the presidency is invaluable, because that is the one who must deliver national protection from invasion (of all kinds) and destruction of commerce.
It’s the local representation that gets overlooked by focusing on the macro issue of federal overreach, but that’s where federal interference is limited constitutionally.
Answer honestly… how well does the voter know the individuals running for local and state office? Are candidates’ true beliefs and intentions made clear as they vie for the office of mayor, city council, county commissioner, sheriff, school board, state representative, state senator, secretary of state, attorney general, and governor? Or are platitudes delivered that placate voters into checking off their name down-ballot because there’s a “D” or “R” attached?
These are the people that get little attention despite the fact they are the ones who will come up through the ranks to run for national office. They will reach Washington with the financial support of donors with an agenda that doesn’t align with constituents’ needs.
The country is now in a jam because the virtually unvetted local and state reps climbed the ladder to promote themselves rather than the voters. The significance of the local and state level of elected servant is that they have the ultimate power to turn back unconstitutional federal authority that was promulgated by that unvetted officeholder now seated in Congress.
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Fact: States hold the ultimate authority, granted by the people to serve the people, not the federal government, not the executive handing out constitutionally unenforceable edicts, and certainly not unelected administrators creating unlawful regulations. Taking a portion of the United States Code, properly (or even improperly) passed by Congress, and inserting rules or regulations loosely based on unclear language in the statute, does not law make. This was the purpose of engendering a judicial branch to weigh the constitutionality of laws passed and, particularly, of interpreting such laws emplaced via administrative regulations.
Regulations and rules published in the Federal Register are not law. Why? Because they were not specifically passed by legislation but are an appended interpretation that may or may not agree with the original legislation.
Consider the latest regulations from the EPA to require $4 Billion of impractical, unworkable carbon capture technology on all coal-fired and gas power plants, making them unfeasible to build or operate. Despite the feds steadily diminishing the existence of power generating plants that supply a constant, reliable base load, Biden demands an all-electric society--cars, A.C., household appliances--when the technology industry’s appetite for energy grows exponentially. That means, tech giants running government will gobble up all available power, relegating little to nothing for individual businesses and homes. Welcome to the new dark ages ruled by feudal tech nobility.
The foregoing information is put forth to demonstrate how imperative it is to know every one of the local and state candidates before they get into office, because these are the representatives who have the power to shut down federal trespass on states’ rights.
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments give all power to the people that is not specifically allotted to federal governance, and that is limited to protecting the United States’ security and commerce, both of which this and previous administrations have consistently failed to do. One intermediary four-year administration was not enough-- the last one before Biden--though it did well in attempting to turn back the tide of federal regulation. The true work to retain a constitutional republic begins in the neighborhood, city, county, and state.
This is the current state of affairs: we are closing in on a century of expanding the imperial power of Washington, D.C.’s administrative regulations that have steadily winnowed away individual rights to build a happy, healthy family and home. Aspects of life are being unconstitutionally directed by federal employees as to how citizens can earn a living, own and manage personal property, or pass down religious and ethical standards to their children.
The recourse left to the people, who authorize government, is that of restricting and blocking federal regulations from encroaching on the rights of individuals and their states through the actions of local and state representatives.
States such as Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, and others are exercising their constitutional right to refuse federal attempts to override states’ rights to protect and serve their citizens. They are doing it by passing legislation that makes illegal immigration from a foreign nation a felony, not complying with Title IX redefinitions that allow biological men playing women’s sports, and setting their own standards for abortion.
The federal government has no authority to deny access to, production or distribution of energy that is essential to the wellbeing of citizens. Under the guise of fabricating “national emergencies,” calling it a pandemic or climate change, there is still no federal authority to shut off or restrict energy, self-protection, travel, business, free expression of religion or speech. None of these individual freedoms can be subverted as a danger to “national security” no matter how much the language is twisted to accommodate Washington’s agenda to control Americans from before birth to beyond the grave.
As a voter, make certain to know the local candidate’s true history and reason for running for office before putting a check next to their name. These are the elected officials who must take seriously their duty to protect their constituents from federal incursion and aggression, and be willing to re-establish county and state ownership of “public” lands and resources.
These lands and resources do not belong to the federal government, they belong to the people who abide in the states.1
1. Article I Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States of America explains the Powers of Congress; Section 9 – The Limits of Congress. Article III explains the limited power of the President.
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Former newspaper publisher, A. Dru Kristenev, grew up in the publishing industry working every angle of a paper, from ad composition and sales, to personnel management, copy writing, and overseeing all editorial content. During her tenure as a news professional, Kristenev traveled internationally as a representative of the paper and, on separate occasions, non-profit organizations. Since 2007, Kristenev has authored five fact-filled political suspense novels, the Baron Series, and two non-fiction books, all available on Amazon. Carrying an M.S. degree and having taught at premier northwest universities, she is the trustee of Scribes’ College of Journalism, which mission is to train a new generation of journalists in biblical standards of reporting. More information about the college and how to support it can be obtained by contacting Kristenev at cw.o@earthlink.net.
ChangingWind (changingwind.org) is a solutions-centered Christian ministry.