Constitutional Awakening

12/08/2025

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-arguments-trump-firing-ftc-commissioner/

The Supreme Court is today (December 8th) hearing a major legal battle involving President Trump's move to oust a member of the Federal Trade Commission, a case that could expand presidential power over independent agencies that Congress has sought to insulate from political pressure.

Most people will only see this through tribal (Democrat-Republican) eyes, but here is why the president can fire ANY government official of the United States:
Article II, Section I
"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America."

ALL the executive power of the U.S. is within and under the president. It follows there is NO government official the president cannot fire.

That is correct understanding of the Constitution.
This same question was central to the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

The founders knew only monarchy and they understandably followed that model with the presidency. If we don't like this today, and it is arguably too much power, then it requires an amendment to the Constitution.

Is it time to fix it? Maybe so. There are some good ideas.

The Supreme Court is considering whether removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission violate the separation of powers.

07/07/2025

The constitution is clear that NO money can be spent without approval ("appropriation") by congress. See Article I Section 9

Say Congress appropriates money to build a road.
Where does the constitution require the president to spend more money than needed to build the road?

It doesn't. The constitution was not intended to force government to waste money. Such an absurd, and very "modern", idea.

06/23/2025

Today's trivia question: does the Constitution of the United States require a declaration of war by Congress before the president can attack another country?

Short answer: yes

Longer reasoning:
In "Federalist" #69, Hamilton says the American president has LESS power than an English King in that he CANNOT decide to wage war on his own, He must have a declaration of war from Congress. THEY decide whether the nation goes to war.

The power of the president is "nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces . . . while that of the British king extends to the declaring of war and to the raising and regulating of fleets and armies-- all which, by the Constitution under consideration, would appertain to the legislature."

Of course this is just one more example of a broken American Constitution. The last war declared by the United States was 1941 (WW2 after Pearl Harbor.)

The "modern" theory is that Congress "delegates" its authority to the president and America's state of near-permanent endless wars has resulted. Perhaps suitable for an empire, but not a republic.

This isn't just a "delegation" of war-declaring, but of law-making itself. The power to regulate all things and impose tariffs arbitrarily. It results in an unelected "administrative state" (Wilson's term for the "deep state") and we are long way from fixing it.

Elephants notice only donkey presidents with too much power and donkeys notice only excessive powers in elephant presidents.

It is bad enough to concentrate government power in one imperial city, and damnably worse beyond foolhardy to put all the power into one person. There was a time the American people fully understood this and elected only those who followed it to the letter. No more. It will only be fixed when the people stop electing those who break it.

05/20/2024

Just wanted this observation on record: Kennedy (RFKJ) would win the presidency if we chose electors using RCV (Ranked Choice Voting).

This is because neither Biden or Trump (or Kennedy) will be the first choice for a majority of the voters and Kennedy easily be the SECOND choice of most voters (for BOTH Biden and Trump voters)

By December 2024, America will not be governable. NO matter the outcome, roughly HALF the American people will believe they were cheated, the election was rigged. They will be pi**ed off and consider themselves ruled by Satan's hand-picked disciple.

NOT so if we had RCV and Kennedy wins. In THAT case, SOME will be happy they got their first choice and the REST will say: "oh well, not so bad, at least THEIR guy did not win and I got my second choice."

Incidentally, this change could be made easily by state legislatures before November. It requires NO constitutional amendment to do this.

To those who don't understand this reasoning, please get educated-- for your country's sake.

09/06/2021

If anyone ever asks: "what is the most important change we could make to restore federalism and the U.S. Constitution?"
HERE is the best answer we've seen:
The State Powers Amendment
Here is the text and the two-step petition approach that has been introduced in Missouri.
https://legiscan.com/MO/text/SCR5/2021

We STRONGLY urge people to read this, consider seriously, and get behind this effort.

Bill Text (2021-03-02) Strongly urges the U.S. Congress to propose the State Powers Amendment to the U.S. Constitution [Hearing Conducted S Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee]

02/13/2020

That's me in the background in Jefferson City speaking at a hearing on behalf of HB1948, a modest sales tax cut.

I fear I was a bit "fed up" by the time I reached the mic and ranted more than these folks are accustomed. The usual practice in addressing our overlords is sycophantic.

I am sick of this regressive taxation hypocrisy in BOTH parties. Elephants LOVE a tax cut UNTIL it helps the bottom half more than the rich. Donkeys love the poor UNTIL it cuts their taxes and hurts the government they love FAR more.

We have a disgusting government class that is blind to the obvious: it makes NO sense to TAX people only to give them their own money back. I say it makes no sense UNLESS you want the power over others to control their lives.

Sadly, I told them this to their faces. That is a faux pas.
Please call and apologize on my behalf. They will appreciate it.
Or call and tell them to pass HB1948 because you are as pi**ed as I am.

No MO Sales Tax co-founders, Ken Newhouse & Lloyd Sloan, are ready to testify in favor of our sales tax cut, HB 1948 this morning.

The bill is being heard before the Ways & Means Committee in the Missouri House of Representatives.

08/24/2018

03/08/2018

Those supporting a Convention of States should always be asked: "so what amendment do you think will fix the problem?"
This Missouri Resolution contains the SPA (State Powers Amendment) which is the best answer yet to that question.