Supreme Court Decisions Trample States’ Rights

By Sen. Rob Standridge (S-15)

Regardless of which side of the recent Supreme Court decisions you land on, there’s no denying that these decisions were made in total disregard to the will of the American people.  We have an out-of-control judiciary and the traditional values and beliefs of the American people are being assaulted. The courts’ decisions have put more nails in the coffin of the 10th Amendment and states’ rights. 

When we look at the failures of previous great Republics, it’s like looking in a mirror. With more than $100 trillion in debt and unfunded liabilities, we’re on the brink of financial disaster. How irresponsible to leave such debt to our posterity. We are a nation that was founded on the idea of liberty, freedom and a better life for all, and yet we’re leaving our children and grandchildren a nation much worse than the one we were given.

Oklahomans want answers to America’s biggest challenges, not platitudes of how things should be; I learned this when running for office. Electing who we believe are the “right people” simply isn’t enough to change how the federal government operates. After three historic elections in 2010, 2012 and 2014—the elected elite on Capitol Hill continue to disappoint and disenfranchise those who trusted them with their vote and voice. 

America is at a crossroads. The time is now to stand together to push back against the federal government and restore the balance of power. The Founders intended for power to reside in the states, where issues are discussed and determined with the people on a local level, not with a federal leviathan intent upon an all-power role dictating down to the People.  The last line of defense for liberty is now firmly with the states and their legislatures. We must work to reclaim our Constitutional right—and a state legislator’s Constitutional duty. 

The US Constitution gives the states the power to correct this obvious imbalance of power. As the Father of our Constitution, James Madison stated if the rights of the states are usurped by the federal government, the states must correct these abuses through amendments proposed by the states through Article V of the US Constitution. If we don’t exercise the power entrusted to the states to correct the abuses, someday we’ll have to answer to our children and grandchildren as to why we did nothing. 

My friend, former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has repeatedly said, “Calling a convention of the states through Article V is the only way to repeal Obamacare and halt the massive abuses of federal government overreach.”

It is time Oklahomans call their state legislators and fight for their Constitutional rights and freedoms by demanding that the state approve a resolution calling for a Convention of the States to demand a Balanced Budget from Washington and term limits for federal officials as well as limiting the size, scope and jurisdiction of the federal government. The time is NOW for Oklahomans to send a strong message to the federal government.  Together we can turn the tide of federal dominance and restore some semblance of state control in this Republic.