Big Brother is a Bully
Charles Daniels
7-1-11
The over-reaching hand of an out of control government knows no limits. It is greedy. It is hungry for more power. Every government agency must justify its existence. It goes forth among the people, regulations in hand, to let you know they are in charge. Whether it’s the BATFE, FDA, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, IRS, Department of Homeland Security with its many divisions and subdivisions, or any number of other federal agencies, the net result is the same; more control over every aspect of your lives. The powers are granted to them by the federal government to implement under their respective jurisdictions. There is a big question whether any of these agencies have actual jurisdiction within the states themselves. Clause 17 Article I Section 8 of the Constitution states that Congress does have the power to legislate over the federal districts, such as Washington D.C. and other territories ceded to the federal government by the states, these include military installations and enclaves. The states themselves usually concede authority to the federal government or face severe financial restrictions from their loving big brother. The states usually acquiesce in order to continue receiving these funds, so they accept the intrusion of their state’s sovereignty by coercion of the federal government.
The state and local governments are no better at creating a functioning viable alternative to the deep bureaucracies of the federal government. As a matter of fact, it may be worse on the state and local levels. The state legislatures look to their big brother in Washington as the example to follow and the result is often a bigger, bloated, and more sluggish political system within the states. They often have deep financial problems themselves and are dependent on federal dollars to keep them afloat. The borrower is the servant of the lender and most states fall into dutiful compliance with the wishes of the federal government.
State and local governments regulations and laws may be, and often are constitutional, yet it’s hard to make that case when they are coerced into compliance by big brother. The fear that federal dollars will stop flowing into their state strikes fear into their legislatures, so big brother receives voluntary compliance. Many state politicians will cry out against federal intrusion, but their arguments have no teeth. They understand that it is a political ploy to make their constituents believe they are fighting for them; but in truth, big brother wins and little brother continues to allow the federal bully to have his way.
The government grows and more regulations spew forth. Only “We the people” can stop this over sized federal bully.
