Eye On Boise

Sovereignty resolution passes House, 51-17

March 23, 2009 11:25 a.m. • 31 comments

HJM 4, a non-binding memorial sponsored by Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, to declare Idaho’s sovereignty from the federal government and ask the feds to “cease and desist” from violating that sovereignty, passed the House just now on a 51-17 vote. Harwood read from the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and told the House, “With them words, the states of this United States created the federal government.” It was meant to be an agent for the states, he said, not the other way around. Harwood decried federal actions that push states to comply under threat of losing federal funds. “They’ve moved us in a direction that we can’t afford to go … and we shoulda never went there,” he said. And he told the House that he believes the United States is not a democracy and not even just a republic, but a “confederacy,” adding, “To be accurate, we’re a confederated republic.”

Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d’Alene, a retired high school government teacher, responded, “The Constitution clearly states that … we the people do ordain and establish this government. Our government is a government of the people and by the people and for the people - it is not a compact of states. I think that issue was further defined during the civil war … was it to be a compact of states, or was it to be a union of the people? And the answer of the north, when the south seceded, was that it was a union of the people. … I think that this memorial is probably fighting a 200-year-old battle, and I’m not quite sure how it’s going to serve us.”

Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, spoke out in favor of a return to the gold standard, and said he supported the memorial because of its statements against the federal reserve system. Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, also spoke in favor of the measure. Harwood said a number of other states are considering similar memorials.

31 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

slfisher on March 23 at 11:29 a.m.
Barrett also requested a roll-call vote, so that the people who voted no on this useless resolution can be nailed for it next campaign season.

Nobody mentioned the billions of dollars that Idaho receives from the federal government.
Lisa on March 23 at 11:50 a.m.
Funny how those who pushed this resolution and most of those that voted for it never spent a day in uniform defending the constitution. Maybe North Idaho should succeed and take all the poligimists, rascists, haters and other oddballs with them, including Lenore since she fits in most of the before mentioned categories.
thomg57 on March 23 at 11:55 a.m.
““They’ve moved us in a direction that we can’t afford to go … and we shoulda never went there,” he said. And he told the House that he believes the United States is not a democracy and not even just a republic, but a “confederacy,”

Stupid is as Stupid does.
slfisher on March 23 at 12:49 p.m.
Well, I can’t speak for his English, but yes, technically, a ‘confederated Republic’ is what we have.
BeerSaint on March 23 at 2:15 p.m.
In regards to “Lisa’s” absurd comment:

It never ceases to amaze me when bigot haters “come out” and show their true bigoted selves. You are a fine example of what’s wrong with our society.

As for this resolution: Whether the intentions were pure, the actions were necessary. The Federal Government has long overstepped it’s bounds in State issues. All you folks who enjoy justifying this invasion of sovereign states rights by declaring that we are impotent without Federal monies… are conditioned little Govt worshipers.

Our Constitution demands shared sovereignty between States and the Federal Government… so I am not really seeing the problem here.
thomg57 on March 23 at 2:56 p.m.
BS—so I am not really seeing the problem here.

The problem is that the non-binding memorial doesn’t do anything except make a noise like an empty gong.
slackwater3 on March 23 at 3:02 p.m.
Lisa: it is secede not succeed.

Also, while it may just be a bill of rhetoric, it is probably what close to 50% of the public in all of the states feels about the federal government. Remember our Congress’s approval rating was lower (12%) than G.W. Bush (23%). The reason is the federal government has its hands in too much business and does not let common sense override special interest BS. We are basically printing money we do not have; see Germany post WWI.

Idaho has a balanced budget and does not want to be tied to federal spending it can’t pay for, amen to that.
Lisa on March 23 at 3:40 p.m.
BeerSaint…you never served either did ya? thought so.
slfisher on March 23 at 3:59 p.m.
slackwater, okay, then they should *do* something about it rather than spend a lot of time deciding to write a letter on the *nice* stationery.
stylephreak on March 23 at 5:30 p.m.
@slfisher - Billions? Really? Irregardless of your guestimate, you seem to be impling that by accepting federal funds we should disregard our soverignity and allow the federal government to dictate our state business? Furthermore, in appropriating money to Idaho, or any other state, the federal government is simple handing back a portion of the money that they collected from us in the form of taxes. Where do you think the federal government gets it’s money? ( up until they started printing their own batch recently).

@Lisa - You’ve assumed BeerSaint has not served and therefore his explaination doesn’t hold water? Well, I have served and completely agree with his statement. Have you served, Lisa? Should it matter? We’re talking about our constitutional rights here, and BeerSaint isn’t running for office, he’s just explaining the reasoning behind this act - you should also be aware that the majority of the states in the union are currently drafting up similar resolutions all with the same purpose in mind. As Rep Harwood pointed out, the federal government has got it backwards in thinking the states serve the federal government and their growing disregard of the will of the individual states is a gross misuse of power.

I applaud Rep Harwood and the house and have been anxiously awaiting this act in some form or another. There are simply making sure DC remembers that Idaho, as every other state in the union, is a soveriegn entity and any attempts to dictate our state business is unconstitutional.

The fact that a Federal Judge just two days ago decided to attach more regulations to our Second Ammendment rights by banning guns in national parks is a clear example why the individual states need to remind DC that they are becoming increasingly flagrant in their attempts to impose their will on the people.

As slackwater3 pointed out, Idaho is managing their budget just fine right now (thanks to fiscally responsible state legislators and a predominately moderate-to-conservative population). Idaho managed to carry over $176 million from last year’s budget - outstanding considering the serious deficits in most of the surrounding states (esp. WA). With all the dice rolling and finger-pointing going on in DC right now, it’s imperative that we keep decisions regarding our money and our rights where they belong and not allow DC to ‘appropriate’ our funds or our freedom for us. How could you not agree with that?
slfisher on March 23 at 6:59 p.m.
stylephreak, Idaho receives more from the federal government than we pay in.

I wouldn’t count on that $176 million figure; every month receipts have been lower than expected.

And yes, if the Feds are giving us money, I think they’re entitled to some say in how we spend it. It seems hypocritical to say, we want to be free of your interference, except for the part where you give us money.

And “billions” is not a guesstimate. According to the 2008 Fiscal Facts book, produced by the Idaho state government, almost one-third of the fiscal 2009 budget, nearly $2 billion, comes from the federal government. Look it up for yourself: http://legislature.idaho.gov/budget/publications/PDFs/FiscalFacts/2008/FFFrame.htm
cantyoureadthesigns on March 23 at 8:14 p.m.
“stylephreak on March 23 at 5:30 p.m.

@slfisher - Billions? Really? Irregardless …”

Irregardless?

/points, laughs.

Ahh, the dumbing down of America.
Lisa on March 23 at 8:32 p.m.
StylePhreak…yes I have, 5 years with the 44th Med Bde @ Ft.Bragg NC, (91B)(P)(SSG) I took the Oath to Defend the Constitution from All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic. My Husband did 25+ years and Retired a Colonel (SF)(2 Silver Stars, 2 Bronze Stars, 5 Purple Hearts, LOM). Yes Idaho is doing such a wonderful job managing their budget, thats why Idaho Ranks 49th in Education, the 40’s in HealthCare…seems being the bottom of the list is something Idaho Politicians are Proud of.
stylephreak on March 23 at 10:30 p.m.
@sfisher - I agree, the feds should have some say in how we spend the money they give the state, but over the past 6-8 years they’ve been trying to do much more than that. Accepting money from the federal government should not equate to giving them legislative power within the state. It should be left to Idaho legislature, and therefore the people of Idaho, to decide where their money goes, not bound by regulations from DC outside stipulations agree upon, i.e. if the money is placed in the budget for education, then by all means, the state should be bound to put it towards education. My concerns are more on federal laws or interpretation of laws that contradict with the state in question, especially from federal judges half a continent away.

@cantyoureadthesigns - I’m new to this board - you must be the local troll (and obviously a fan of the Family Guy). I’ll be sure to skip your posts by default.

@Lisa - I wasn’t questioning your service, I was wondering why you felt the need to weigh others’ opinions against their service or lack thereof. I come from a long line of servicemen and have spent more of my life on Army bases than off them - I have always felt our elected officials should be required to have some military background (especially the Command in Chief), but never do I feel my opinion matters more than another citizen’s based on my military background.

You are absolutely right that Idaho could do a much better job in Health and Education, but no matter where you look, it’s a toss up. WA ranks in the top 10 in health care (I believe) but their deficit has become so deep that maintaining that rank may well be impossible in the years to come. CA made great efforts over the past 4 years to put more into both health and education yet had to send out IOU’s to their taxpayers because they could not issue state tax refunds this year. It would be nice if we could find a nice medium. However, there is nothing that could convince me that DC could do a better job governing Idaho than Idaho is doing for itself. If our representatives are not doing the job then it’s up to us to correct that - not throw our hands up and and let the feds take over. They need to clean up their own back yard before they come snooping around mine.

Meritocracy is one of the things that makes America great, but at it’s core is the need hold our elected officials responsible for the job we have put them to. That is much easier to do when the laws are being made here, the votes are being cast here, and we have a name and an office to hold responsible should our will be ignored. By deferring to DC, we lose that ability and lose our voice.
BeerSaint on March 23 at 10:58 p.m.
@ThimG -“The problem is that the non-binding memorial doesn’t do anything except make a noise like an empty gong”

That is your biased opinion, Sir. Constitutionalists of every sort have been trying to wake up their fellow countrymen to the abuses of our Federal Government for decades. A resounding “gong” to you may just be the Liberty Bell “ringing” to another.

@Lisa: Hahaha! Lisa, you are amazing! Wanna know something funny… I also served as a 91B/91X and in Ft. Bragg 96-2000. My unit at Bragg was C Co. 782 MSB, DISCOM, 82ABN. My great great Uncle was actually Post General at Bragg way back in the day…and there is a main street on post named after him.

My service (and yours) does not somehow magically make the arguments and the facts any different. Here’s a tip: read the Constitution. That one was free… the next one I am charging.

@slfisher: Would never deny that Idaho takes a buttload of money from the Feds… IMHO the problem lies in spending. Cut the wasteful spending and cut the Federal umbilical cord. The gross waste in the education system and the HHS is a crime.

@cantyoureadthesigns when folks get on these sites and talk about the “dumbing down” of their fellow citizens… one can only assume that the finger pointer is a Liberal Democrat. Now, its just a guess, but I have seen a trend with the “compassionate left” to be bitter and rude. I could totally be wrong. :)

Cheers!
slackwater3 on March 24 at 7:45 a.m.
1. I love freedom of speech, because of sites like these where everyone can state their opinion.

2. If you have not already, read the actual purpose and text of the bill.

3. Just because you have served in the military (which, I greatly appreciate and respect) does not mean you control the market on love for your country.

4. People have stated that they do not want *more* federal money coming into the state does not make them stupid as some on here have said. It means that they want to avoid becoming socialists or having our country bought out by another country (like, China - we owe them a lot of money).

5. There are other states that have done or are doing the same thing, so it isn’t like radical Idaho is at it again.

6. I suggest to those who do not like what the government is doing, write letters to your Reps, get people to sign petitions and send them on. Be a part of the solution, not part of the problem.