Tenther movement
The Tenther movement is a pejorative term used to describe a political ideology and a social movement in the United States which espouses that many actions of the United States government are unconstitutional.[1] Adherents invoke the states' rights concept and cite the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution as the basis for their legal and ideological beliefs:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Tenthers believe all actions and authority not specifically enumerated in the United States Constitution lie with states and citizens.[2] They argue for a return of sovereignty to states and individuals.[3] Opponents draw intellectual parallels between the modern tenthers and the nineteenth century states' rights secessionists and the movement to resist Civil Rights era legal advances.[4]
Critics of the term note that "Tenther" was first used by those opposed to the movement's ideas, in an attempt to elicit the idea of conspiratorial movements such as Birthers and Truthers.[5]
Examples of political authority opposed
Tenthers oppose a broad range of federal government programs, from New Deal legislation to Great Society legislation, such as Medicaid, Medicare and the GI Bill.[6]
Political mobilization
Tenthers criticize Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) for her citing federal support for federal highway work, and on this basis critize her on Tenth Amendment grounds.[7]
Texas Secessionist Movement activists cite the Tenth Amendment in their mobilization to secede from the United States.[8]
State legislators are proposing resolutions asserting greater autonomy, on the grounds of the Tenth Amendment. The soon-to-be speaker of the Florida House of Representatives introduced a passage reading in part, "That the Legislature claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution of the United States."[9] The Georgia Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers and Judson Hill have proposed that Georgia invoke the Tenth Amendment to withhold any Georgia participation in the proposed national health care program.[10]
Prominent tenthers
- Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) [citation needed]
- Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) [citation needed]
- Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) [citation needed]
- Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) [citation needed]
References
- ^ David Barton, "New Hampshire Dem discredits U.S. Constitution" August 27, 2009 http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=659584
- ^ Ian Millhiser, "‘Tenther’ Activists Add The Federal Highway System To List Of Programs To Kill" Thinkprogress.org, August 27, 2009 http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/27/tenther-highway/
- ^ "About the Tenth Amendment Center" http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/about/
- ^ Ian Millhiser, "Rally 'Round the "True Constitution": Convinced that the 10th Amendment of the Constitution prohibits spending programs and regulations? Conservatives have a movement for you." "The American Prospect" August 25, 2009 http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=rally_round_the_true_constitution
- ^ Radley Balko, "The 'Tenther' Smear" Reason.com, September 22, 2009 http://www.reason.com/blog/show/136201.html
- ^ Ian Millhiser, "Rally 'Round the "True Constitution": Convinced that the 10th Amendment of the Constitution prohibits spending programs and regulations? Conservatives have a movement for you." "The American Prospect" August 25, 2009 http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=rally_round_the_true_constitution
- ^ Ian Millhiser, "‘Tenther’ Activists Add The Federal Highway System To List Of Programs To Kill" Thinkprogress.org, August 27, 2009 http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/27/tenther-highway/
- ^ Ian Millhiser, "Texas ‘tenthers’ plan pro-secession rally tomorrow." Thinkprogress.org, August 28, 2009 http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/28/texas-tenthers-rally/
- ^ Chad MacInnes, "Independent patriot movement gains momentum in central Florida" Examiner.com August 28, 2009 http://www.examiner.com/x-21821-Orange-County-Independent-Examiner~y2009m8d28-Independent-patriot-movement-gains-momentum-in-central-Florida
- ^ Jim Galloway, "On health care reform and the constitutionality of Medicare" Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 3, 2009 http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/09/03/on-health-care-reform-and-the-constitutionality-of-medicare/