Our Commonwealth

 

 

"This is one snake you do not want to step on!"

One of the least understood terms these days is Commonwealth. I have heard this term misused and abused many time. Some on the Left believe it be almost a communal term. ALL wealth is common - to be used for the good of us all by an overreaching government. However, the history of this term is far from that modern day misinterpretation.

Commonwealth, like liberal, has been hijacked by the Left over the centuries. Commonwealth is a term that originated in England around the fifteenth century. The term continued to evolve from the 15th to the 17th century. When it was all said and done, Commonwealth had to do with the "common well being" of the people. It had NOTHING to do with government. Quite simply, it meant "a state in which the supreme power is invested in the PEOPLE".

I believe when our Founding Fathers drafted our governing documents they had this definition in mind. Our government was here to serve the people, not visa versa. Checks and balances were littered all throughout our documents to ensure the people would be the masters, not the slaves. And yet, even with that, our government continues to act like a caged beast, just waiting for the opportunity to devour its masters.

I find it fascinating as we go through time how the Left continues to chip away at our liberties. Very slowly, yet very surely, one piece at a time. The latest volley came yesterday after the botched execution of the murderer of an innocent teen. It was a mess, I will admit that. However, this is a STATES RIGHTS issue, not the Federal Government. The state will find the problem and fix it. We don't need the President's Press Secretary weighing in on this issue. It really is NOYB.

As Ronald Reagan would often say, "Government IS the problem". States need to remember the 10th Amendment and live by it. It is what many refer to as the "powers reserved" amendment. To truly live in a Commonwealth as it was defined in the 17th century, we need to live by, and adhere to our 10th Amendment. In it's simplicity 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 respectfully, or to the people."

Seems straight forward enough. Decentralize power. Decentralize authority. Remember that the main purpose of the Federal Government was to form a military to protect the states. For starters, we need to get rid of all expressed and implied authority that resides within the Federal Government in education, energy and commerce. Once that is done, we can continue to whittle down the log.