Tenth Amendment Remembered

...from Tenth Amendment Center Today in 1913, The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by Woodrow Wilson. One of the most deplorable laws in the history of the United States, the act allowed for a cartel of banks to establish a legalized monopoly on the printing of currency, assured the continual artificial manipulation of interest rates, and perpetuated the most inequitable and callous of all taxes – inflation. Many of the founders were adamantly opposed to central banks for these precise reasons. Thomas Jefferson wrote that he considered such banks to be more dangerous than standing armies, and wrote that paper was the “ghost of money, and not money itself.” James Madison was equally disturbed by the emissions of paper money under the Articles of Confederation, remarking that “restraints against paper emissions and violations of contracts are not sufficient.” Under that system, the disastrous paper money experiment of the Continentals, along with inflationary state bills of cre...

...from Tenth Amendment Center Today in 1913, The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by Woodrow Wilson. One of the most deplorable laws in the history of the United States, the act allowed for a cartel of banks to establish a legalized monopoly on the printing of currency, assured the continual artificial manipulation of interest rates, and perpetuated the most inequitable and callous of all taxes – inflation. Many of the founders were adamantly opposed to central banks for these precise reasons. Thomas Jefferson wrote that he considered such banks to be more dangerous than standing armies, and wrote that paper was the “ghost of money, and not money itself.” James Madison was equally disturbed by the emissions of paper money under the Articles of Confederation, remarking that “restraints against paper emissions and violations of contracts are not sufficient.” Under that system, the disastrous paper money experiment of the Continentals, along with inflationary state bills of cre...

...from Tenth Amendment Center James Madison gave us a Christmas present. On Dec. 21, 1798, the Virginia House passed the Virginia Resolutions of 1798. We're with James Madison: A "refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union" is the path to bring down unconstitutional federal programs. @mmaharrey10th #10thAmendment #liberty #constitution #nullify #resist #libertarian pic.twitter.com/RiLcmtl4gm — TenthAmendmentCenter (@TenthAmendment) December 21, 2020 The Virginia Senate passed the resolutions a few days later on Christmas Eve. Penned by Madison, the resolutions tell us exactly how to take on all of the unconstitutional garbage coming out of Washington D.C. It’s time to resurrect the principles of ’98. For Further Reading The Virginia Resolutions of 1798 This Week in History: Virginia Passes James Madison’s Resolutions of 1798 Madison’s Blueprint The post Stopping Unconstitutional Federal Garbage first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center Blog...

...from Tenth Amendment Center COLUMBIA , S.C. (Dec. 22, 2020) – A bill prefiled in the South Carolina Senate would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws and prohibit the state from taking a person’s property without a criminal conviction. The proposed law would also opt South Carolina out of a federal program that allows police to bypass more strict state asset forfeiture laws. Sen. Gerald Malloy (D-Darlington) filed Senate Bill 70 ( S70 ) on Dec. 9. Under the proposed law, prosecutors could not proceed with asset forfeiture proceedings without a criminal conviction. The legislation would explicitly end civil asset forfeiture in the state. S70 also address the policing for profit motive inherent in the current forfeiture process. Forfeiture proceeds would be deposited to the county’s general fund after paying various expenses. As it stands, 95 percent of forfeiture proceeds go to law enforcement, with 75 percent going to police agencies and 20 percent to prosecutors. Under...

...from Tenth Amendment Center Today in history, the Embargo Act of 1807 was signed into law by President Thomas Jefferson. Passed at the height of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, Jefferson and the Republicans hoped to use the embargo to preserve American neutrality and avoid foreign entanglements. Early in the 19th century, the neutrality of the United States was tested repeatedly. In France, Napoleon had enacted the Continental System, which prohibited the importation of British goods into Europe. The British responded by imposing their own trade restrictions against the French. During this time, the British antagonized American ships, continuing the practice of impressment and treating the neutral United States as if it were an enemy power. This situation culminated in the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, where a British warship attacked and boarded an American frigate and captured its crew. Since the incident caused a huge public uproar, Jefferson faced a tough decision. The president...

...from Tenth Amendment Center ALBANY , N.Y. (Dec. 22, 2020) – Today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill placing a temporary moratorium on facial recognition technology in the state’s schools. The new law will not only help protect privacy in New York, but it will also hinder one aspect of the federal surveillance state. Assm. Monica Wallace (D-Lancaster)  introduced Assembly Bill 6787 ( A6787 ) in March. Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D-NYC) sponsored the Senate companion bill ( S5140 ). The legislation bans the purchase and use of biometric identifying technology, including facial recognition technology, by New York public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools until July 1, 2022, or upon the completion of a full review on biometric surveillance in schools. The bill establishes a commission to study whether biometric technology is appropriate for use in New York schools, and if so, what kind of restrictions should be placed on their use. This creates an opportunity t...

...from Tenth Amendment Center TRENTON , N.J. (Dec. 22, 2020) – Last week, the New Jersey House and Senate passed a bill that would implement a program for the cultivation and sale of recreational marijuana in the state despite federal prohibition. New Jersey voters legalized marijuana by a 67 percent to 33 percent margin on Nov. 3. On Nov. 9, Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) and Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-Salem) introduced Senate Bill 21 ( S21 ). A coalition of six Democrats introduced the companion bill ( A21 ) on the same day. The legislation would create regulatory and tax structures for the state’s marijuana cultivation and retail businesses. Under the law, adults 21 and older would be allowed to purchase and possess up to an ounce of marijuana. As the licensing system is established, existing medical cannabis dispensaries would be able to sell marijuana products to adult consumers. Eventually, retail sales outlets would operate under a state regulatory scheme. The proposed laws...