North Carolina’s convention to approve the U.S. Constitution, held in July 1788, voted to “neither ratify nor reject” the document.
The historic meeting instead produced amendments and a suggested Declaration of Rights that contributed to the inclusion of the iconic Bill of Rights.
Today the federal government bends constitutional limits by controlling health care and education, overspending on entitlements and tying tax dollars to mandated regulations. Often hidden in obscure requirements, the fiscal impact of federal expansion on North Carolina’s budget is immeasurable.
States can challenge federal laws through the judicial branch – Florida led 26 states to the U.S. Supreme Court over Obamacare – but the political independence our early statesmen defended is gone.
Uniting the states
Victorious in a brutal war against the British empire, thousands of patriots were unwilling to authorize a strong national government. They viewed states as the primary and sufficient source of governance for the American people.
Thomas Hall was a North Carolina congressman intent on keeping federal funds and influence out of transportation. Known at the time as ‘internal improvements,’ he promoted amendments to transportation bills protesting the loss of individual sovereignty over ‘jurisdiction and soil.’
Hall’s resolutions were historic, on-the-record disapprovals of federal influence from an early member of Congress. North Carolina’s leaders remained vocal about federal restraint two decades after achieving a Bill of Rights for their citizens.
We the People will find solutions to failed, big government growth in the independent spirit of North Carolina’s patriots.
Our biggest problems involve federal programs
North Carolina’s $3 billion debt and $70 million interest payments are owed to Washington D.C. for federal unemployment loans. We operate under their mandates, yet federal business taxes went up per employee this year when the state didn’t pay any principal on the loans.
The $200 million Medicaid benefits gap, the $320 million Medicaid IT disaster and the $20 million annual cost of a state health care exchange are ongoing impacts of federal intervention in health care.
Education funding is overly complex and federal interference contributes immensely to the maze of layered spending. I produced a rhetoric vs. record comparison on K-12 spending that provides government resources and budget figures.
We the People
The U.S. House and Senate are gridlocked on spending in part because advocacy groups are unwilling to sacrifice or compromise on federal benefits. Citizens should instead ‘ask not’ what their country can do for them – she is bankrupt.
Hard work and free enterprise are pillars of the American dream that preserve individual liberty. Private prosperity and limited government create commercial growth critical to economic recovery.
It’s an honor to serve New Hanover County with conservative values. I remain mindful of your hard-earned money and individual rights. Thanks for reading.
