I believe the 10th Amendment is the key to at least holding back the power grab going on right now by the federal government. It states "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people". State sovereignty legislation is being enacted in numerous states. The legislation basically states that the constitution intended the federal government to be an agent for the states, not the other way around. Clearly that is not the case today. While we as individuals might not be have the means to fight Washington, a united front of state governments certainly would. Yes, the power lies in the states. We need more states to behave as they did in Alaska, South Carolina and Texas to name a few. Let your state representatives and governors know that you demand state sovereignty legislation immediately. Let them know that their re-election may depend on how well they stand up for your constitutional rights against the federal government.

This is probably the best idea I have read on this site so far!! That is in fact how the constitution intended to do things in the first place. The problem with the federal government nationalizing health care is that you can't just move to another state if you don't like it (much like the wealthy in NY will be doing after they instituted the new tax on those making over $300K a year). GLENN, YOU MUST READ THIS IDEA ON THE AIR!!

jrcMT,

Couldn't agree with you more. What you are talking about is precisely what I meant when I wrote about our efforts "gaining traction". Good ideas will come from smart people and we will get organized and start making a real impact. It won't happen overnight however. Also, please don't underestimate getting involved locally and trying to take control locally. I think our plan has to be comprehensive and attack not only the near term but the long term as well. I also agree with you that it is going to take people stepping out of the their daily grind and getting involved. As for myself I am trying to educate myself so that hopefully I can contribute some useful ideas. Unfortunately, like many of us, I have been more concerned with my professional life than advancing my woeful knowledge of our gov't system. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on as well as talking with friends and neighbors in an effort to build that knowledge base. Reading some of the posts on this site I feel I'm not alone. Don't lose hope brother. We will bounce back. People like us have been on the sidelines too long but as you so eloquently stated they are now 'ramming it down our throats'. That is a mistake because it is serving as a wakeup call. Unfortunately we still have to learn the playbook that leftists have been using for 40 years and we have scant little time to play with. We have to believe we can do it though. Keep the faith!!

The constitution isn't going anywhere. True, it is being trampled over right now but there will be a reckoning for that. It has already begun. Look at OBs approval rating. It is in precipitous decline. That said, there almost certainly will be some irreparable damage done before they are stopped.

What do we do to make them listen? What do elected officials want more than anything? Re-election! We need to start keeping a public score card and keep building our strength in numbers so when re-election time comes around we can launch an offensive to keep the self-serving politicians from being re-elected. Right now, there is no real downside for a politician that ignores his constituency because they know that at the end of the day most people vote for the party they feel affiliation with regardless of the candidates track record. It is a 'lesser of two evils' mentality. Additionally, the RNC and DNC have vast resources and money to help candidates that tow the party line get elected. The candidates know this and they know they won't be around long if they buck the system. Think Joe Lieberman. That said, I still believe we can change this broken system. When we reach the point that our voice starts swaying elections THEY WILL LISTEN. Additionally, we need to seek out candidates that espouse the values of the founders and help them in any way we can to win election. This is especially true within the judicial system. Liberals have been winning that battle for 30 years running now and it is beginning to have disastrous effects. We as a group may be spinning our wheels right now, but eventually we will gain traction, and when we do we will be able to effect change. After all, we will have the constitution on our side.

Thanks for the info CAT. I will do just that.

Look....I think most of us would agree that our current system is broken. The question is, why? I think it is broken because of the pervasiveness and power of the two party system. At its conception the founders envisioned a system where the elected officials were held accountable by their constituency. Nowadays that is no longer the case. Now, representatives are ultimately held accountable by their party. We can write letters to our representatives until we get carpel tunnel syndrome but it is essentially meaningless because it is the party that gets someone elected. Without the backing and financial support of a party you will fail. The numbers bare this out. What percentage of independents actually get elected? So while a representative might read your letter and even agree with you, his/her party is ultimately going to decide how they vote. They all know that if they go against their party too often they will soon be watching from the sidelines and how can they do anything for anybody if they aren't in office. Hence, 'the ends justify the means'. So the question now becomes how do we get the elected officials to listen to the people. I personally think that a watchdog group on a massive scale would be a good way to start. With a website like 912 and a national voice like Mr. Beck we can start calling elected officials out by name. We can let them know that regardless of party affiliation, if they act against the constitution that we will use every means necessary to keep them from getting reelected. Use the website to post information, reading lists, voting records, local perspectives on isssues, and recruit other voters to the cause. As it grows the voice becomes louder and if it gets loud enough we might actually make it back to what the founders intended it to be. Elected officials that have to act in the peoples best interest or face the consequences. Regardless, we have to stop thinking in terms of Democrat and Rebublican. That only serves to exacerbate the problem. Let's start a new party based on the PRINCIPLES of the constitution. The Constitutional Party! Sorry for being long winded. It's my first post and apparently I had a lot to say. Hope some of it made sense :)