Our Founding Fathers believed that of the three branches of government the legislative branch would take the lead. And they were right for a time. But then members of Congress got lazy and started giving up their powers to the executive and judicial branches. Today, the Executive branch clearly dominates as they create laws that they call “regulations” but that comes with the same fines and penalties that come with laws, but these regulations never go through Congress. There is a reason why the Founding Fathers wanted all legislation to go through Congress. It’s because Congress is directly responsible to the people who elect them to office to create laws. That’s their purpose. No federal bureaucrats in the executive branch are answerable to anyone but the president. And with Joe Biden in there now passing sweeping laws through executive orders that have absolutely no powers behind them we have a serious problem. Executive orders are used by a president to “execute” or “carry out,” if you will, a power that is given to him by Congress or the Constitution. What Biden is doing is writing orders with no powers behind them. It’s illegal, but who’s going to stop him? He’s the president. Well…
It looks like the state of Oklahoma has stepped up to the place as the second state to move to block Biden’s illegal executive orders.
On Thursday, the Oklahoma House passed bill HB 1236 by a vote of 79-18 which would grant the state’s Attorney General (AG) and state Legislature the authority to review Biden’s executive orders in order to determine valid Constitutionality. But it’s more than just that. The bill authorizes the state legislature to recommend that the AG review any executive order, federal Congressional action, or any bureaucratic federal agency regulation in order to determine if the state should seek an exemption or simply declare it unconstitutional. If the AG OR the state Legislature by concurrent resolution deems the order unconstitutional then all state and local officials, including any publicly funded organizations are barred from enforcing it.
Folks, this is how it is supposed to be. The federal government does not rule the states, even though it has acted as it does for a hundred years. The federal government didn’t create the states, it was the states that created the federal government. The states were not going to create a new form of government that would be more powerful than themselves, and it’s asinine to even assume that.
The federal orders that fall under this state bill include any orders that are related to health emergencies, Second Amendment infringements, regulations of natural resources, land use, and agriculture. It includes any regulation of the financial sector with regards to social, governance standards, or environmental policies., education, school sports, and even regulations of colleges, along with any other powers reserved to the state or the people, just like it says in the 10th Amendment.
This bill is Oklahoma’s Declaration of Independence as it is the most effective way of resisting federal usurpations of state powers. In its current state, the bill would allow the AG or the Legislature to block Biden’s racially biased orders in commerce and finance, his mask mandates, and how the federal government has attacks school sports with transgender rights abuses. Critical race theory taught in Oklahoma schools could potentially be a thing that never happens.
All of this because all of what Joe Biden has done is illegal.
North Dakota’s House passed a similar bill, HB1282, earlier this month.
Wasting no time at all, Representative Jay Steagall (R-43rd District) introduced bill HR 1005, which declares the right of a state to defend the Constitution and to intervene to protect the liberties of the citizens of the state.
“Oklahoma hereby asserts sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers,” the text of the resolution stipulates, which the House passed by a vote of 80-14.
“THAT this resolution shall serve notice to the federal government of our intent to maintain the balance of powers where the Constitution of the United States established it. THAT we intend to ensure that all federal government agencies and their agents and employees operating within the geographic boundaries of Oklahoma, or whose actions have an effect on the inhabitants, lands or waters of Oklahoma, shall operate within the confines of the original intent of the Constitution of the United States.”
You can chalk this up to the immense overreach of the Biden administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress since January 20. Oh, I am sure that the Democrats in the DC swamp will try to throw punishments at Oklahoma by withholding certain federal funding until they submit to their tyrannies. I submit that the states should propose bills that allow the states to reserve the right to not send federal tax dollars to the federal government if the federal government continues to try to force unfunded mandates on the states. See how quickly the greedy politicians in Washington back down.
In introducing the bill, Rep. Steagall, who is the chairman of the States Rights Committee, stated plainly the intent of the legislative effort this week.
Steagall, Chairman of the States Rights Committee, gave a crystal clear announcement of what this week’s legislative efforts were about.
“I submit to you that it is the duty of the state to interpose between the central government’s abuse of power and the people in order to secure the authorities, rights, and liberties of the people, and that duty falls squarely on the shoulders of the state legislature.”
There are thirty-one states where both houses of the legislatures are controlled by Republicans and the majority of them hold supermajorities. Can you imagine if all those legislatures pushed legislation similar to Oklahoma’s efforts? Large portions of the country would be free of the totalitarian dictators that rule out of Washington. It would be America again.
Rich is syndicated opinion columnist for David Harris Jr. and owner of Maga-Chat.com. He writes about politics, culture, liberty and faith.
MAGA-Chat.com, where free speech is still free. JOIN the revolution!
Absolutely! Government is strongest at its smallest point!! I’ve been pushing that here in my state too!! Unfortunately my state is blue and my doorknob in charge is content with his fraudulent 125% voter turn out victory but without the public fanfair. Wished they would have included our state in the challenges. I mean we have master ballot harvester Omar. Call me Rudolf, I feel so left out of the reindeer games.
A ray of sunshine in the dark Age of Woke.
But MSM and Hollywood and Disney and Big-Corp may continue their relentless population engineering across states borders.
YES! MAY GOD BE WITH US.
Congress is the daddy of all of this unfettered regulatory power, however. It passes sweeping, generalized legislation which tells the regulatory bodies to, in effect, just go ahead and make up whatever regulations and penalties it thinks appropriate. That needs to stop. Once I had hoped the Supreme Court might put an end to it, if it were challenged, because these “regulations” have the force of law, but nowhere in the Constitution is the Legislative Branch permitted to delegate its power–yet this is what it now routinely does. Now, however, I have little hope, since the Constitution doesn’t have much to do with mant SC rulings.
ARIZONA MUST BE NEXT!
I love this. Alas, I live in California. Where nuts find fertile soil, even in the legislature.
All 50 should be doing this
This is the best news I’ve heard this year. Thank you for the accurate and brilliant article.
Thank God! I’m so happy to hear this and to be a proud Oklahoman! Thank you all so much!
If only mn would..13 times we tryed to get walzs out ..
Thank You Gov. Stitt!
Wonderful news! Regarding your comment about withholding dollars being sent to fed gov, I agree and have been saying this for years, ever since they strong-armed Montana into reversing the “reasonable and prudent”, i.e., no speed limit in that state. Why is fed gov entitled to that anyway? Simply void the fed gas tax and replace with a LOWER state tax, and self fund the roads, one of the few taxes I’m on board with. But, if this gains steam, fight on behalf of all constituents also, and halt all false claim that fed gov has on our income. No federal income tax. Imagine, you’d have a boom on your hands bigger than anything fueled (pun) by oil.
I just read article shared by Mike Pompeo that the Dept of Commerce, Transportation is relocating to Oklahoma from DC. Interesting are dots needing to be attached or am i reading into something that isn’t there?