Mariposa_Xochipilli's Blog

Something interesting in the XVIII Amendment caught my eye yesterday.

Yes, I know this is the only Amendment to the U. S. Constitution to be repealed, but should that mean that all concepts within it be erased for eternity?

Section 2 of the XVIII Amendment states "The Congress and the several states have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation".

This would seem to further define the X Amendment. The fact is that the X Amendment establishing states rights does have limitations. One is that states' rights cannot infringe on individual rights established under the same Amendment; explained to a better degree in the XIV Amendment. Another limitation is that states have to actually uphold their responsibilities granted under the X Amendment.

Concurrent power is an interesting and - dare I say it - powerful reality. It is a regular occurance between public agencies, private companies and neighborhoods who work together daily.

So, why do our modern day elected leaders hide behind states' rights and say they are unable to take action in difficult situations?  I'm sure this nation's Founding Fathers found themselves in complex situations frequently; it didn't stop them.

Maybe it's because today's leaders don't know what to do ... as if doing nothing will accomplish more.

Maybe it's because resolution won't be easy ... as if ease is the criteria by which civilized society solves problems.

Maybe it's because the first thing attempted doesn't automatically make the circumstances go away ... as if, metaphorically, giving up after throwing one bucket of water on a forest fire will result in the fire becoming enabled to extinguish itself at will.

When our elected leaders allow their constituents to be harmed because they are unwilling to choose concurrent enforcement over the easy route, they abdicate the job they were elected to do. When these elected officials write letters and leave phone messages feigning helplessness, their choice becomes especially abhorrent. I'd like to know their reasoning.

It becomes unacceptable for federal and state office holders to hide behind states' rights and federal limitations when the state refuses to take responsibility and enforce the laws they are charged with overseeing ... federal laws for which states receive federal funding.