Constitutional Countdown: 10

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, the last of the Bill of Rights adopted almost contemporaneously with the ratification of the Constitution itself, is frequently referred to as the “Reserved Powers” amendment. It declares:

“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.”

Some express the opinion that the Tenth Amendment has been honored more often in the breach, others that it has been trampled, still others that it is an anachronism. It is certainly true that many have detected in the juxtaposition of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments one of the great ambiguities of the Constitution — discerning a potential conflict between the unenumerated rights of individuals in the 9th and the unenumerated powers of the states in the 10th. Indeed, many of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions have revolved around precisely this point.

Perhaps the single most important point that can be advanced about the Tenth Amendment is that it is, in precise encapsulated form, a restatement of the fundamental character of our Constitution — its federalism. Our national government has been delegated certain powers and responsibilities; the states and the people retain all others.

For an interesting discussion of the jurisprudence concerning the Tenth Amendment, see the Government Printing Office version of the Analysis and Interpretation of the Constitution: Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Rising Sun

Signing the Constitution, September 17, 1787

During the final session of the Constitutional Convention, 221 years ago this next Wednesday, Benjamin Franklin, infirm and nearing the end of his long and fruitful life, arose as the founders were signing the document to which they had devoted so much thought and energy and emotion. He pointed toward the image of the sun emblazoned on the back of the chair in which George Washington, president of the convention, had sat throughout the long and arduous proceedings. I have often wondered, he said, what this image represented — whether it was a rising or a setting sun. “But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.”

When the sun rises for the 80,720th time since that day, We the People of America can be assured that Franklin’s judgment was sound, and that the Constitution they had wrought has endured and serves even to the present day to help us preserve, protect and defend our liberties.

We can be especially proud, eleven score years and one since that American renascence, that despite all the sound and fury of an election year, and regardless of our differences over politics and policies, by the end of our present election season we will either have elected our first woman as Vice President or our first black President. On the day of that signing long ago, neither women nor blacks were even permitted to vote. It is a measure of the wisdom and potential of our Constitution that each generation in turn has witnessed great threats and challenges to our freedoms, and through perseverance, vigilance and sacrifice have not merely preserved but increased the sphere of freedom. May our present and future generations cherish our freedoms enough to do the same.

So, come celebrate your rights at the Haysville Community Library on Constitution Day, September 17th. Learn more about your freedoms, and be better prepared to keep them. Two hundred copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence will be given to our first 200 adult visitors. Large scale replicas of the original Constitution and Bill of Rights will be on display. And the top three finishers in our “Name the Signers” contest will receive a $25 gift certificate (visit the library for details). Help do your part to keep freedom’s sun on the rise.

Voter Registration for the General Election

Now is the time to register in order to vote in the November 4th General Election. Registration is open until October 20th, but don’t delay. You can obtain all the necessary forms and any information you might need at the Haysville Community Library.

Remember, even if you have previously registered to vote, you should re-register:

 If you have moved, even within Sedgwick County

 Changed your name

 Want to change your party affiliation

More information is also available at the Sedgwick County Kansas Election Office

Prescription Drug Assistance

This week’s featured publication from the Federal Citizen Information Center is an eight page brochure on obtaining assistance with prescription drug costs entitled Show Someone You Love How Much You Care. As the FCIC explains, “anyone who has Medicare can get Medicare Prescription Drug coverage. Extra help is available for some people with limited income and resources. It will pay for all or most of the monthly premiums and annual deductibles and lower the prescription co-payments related to their plan. The extra help could be worth up to $3,600 per year. Many people with limited income and resources qualify for these big savings and don’t even know it.” The brochure explains who qualifies and provides a straightforward method for speeding application. If this sounds like something you, or someone you know, can use, check it out today.