A Shift in Power?                         #230

By Hank Silverberg 

 

 Do you know who your state legislator is? Who represents you in Richmond, Albany, Sacramento or Des Moines?

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court seem to be throwing more power back to state governments, whether it be on abortion rights or control of federal elections. That is going to give the lawmaker you send to your state capital a great deal more power, and that could have a bigger impact on your life. 

Many of these lawmakers are part-time. They do something else for a living, yet usually work on legislation that hits home faster than anything Congress does. They also often do so with less vigilance and little public attention.  

This shift also gives more power to governors in some states. 

This possible return to pre-Civil War "state's rights" control of politics could mean a patchwork of laws that are often confusing as you move or travel from one state to another. It makes our country's laws less uniform and more regional in nature. 

Here are just a few things that are already different state-by-state and could be more so as state lawmakers move to react to the SCOTUS dismantling of federalism. 

1) Abortion. SCOTUS has now ruled there is no constitutional right to an abortion, and that means women face a confusing web of laws that can differ by just a few miles. Abortion remains legal in some states, restricted in some states, and totally illegal in others. Some states are even trying to go after women who cross state lines to have an abortion. For example: abortion is still legal in Virginia, but the Governor and the Republican majority in the House of Delegates want to ban it. The only thing stopping them is the State Senate, which the Democrats control by just three votes.   

2) Federal elections. Election laws establishing the rules to vote for Congress, the Senate and president have been basically the same since the passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965). But the dismantling of federalism currently promoted by the conservative Supreme Court has already had an impact. More states are putting restrictions on how and when you can vote, such as eliminating voting by mail, early voting or restricting the use of absentee ballots. The question must be asked, how long before they start changing the rules on WHO can vote. Will we see a return of the "poll tax" or "literacy" tests that were used to suppress votes of the poor and minorities before 1965?

There are more examples. I am not a lawyer, but history indicates such disparity in state laws, without the clarity of federal control and regulation, creates division, pits state against state and pretty much kills the idea of THE United States. 

Finally, pay close attention to what the candidates for your state government are saying and doing. The continuing financial downturn in the journalism industry and the loss of many local daily newspapers and local radio news has led to less coverage of state legislatures. That will probably lead to more behind the scenes shenanigans in state capitals. 

Gun Tax?

Back in 1919, Congress decided to raise some revenue by putting a tax on guns, ammunition, fishing rods and archery equipment. And in 1937, they passed the bipartisan Pittman-Robert

son Act, which dedicated all money raised by that tax be distributed to the states to be used for wildlife management, habitat conservation, land acquisition and hunter education and safety. 

GOP Bill Takes Aim At Gun Tax That Has Funded Conservation For Decades | HuffPost Latest News 

 Since then, the tax has raised billions of dollars for such conservation and sporting efforts, and because of that it is popular with the hunting and fishing crowd.

Enter the current crop of wacky Republicans who

have now decided that tax must go. Fifty House Republicans have signed on to a bill to repeal the 100-year-old tax, which they say is an assault on the Second Amendment. Here's the way the sponsor of the repeal, Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA) described it.

“I firmly believe that no American should be taxed on their enumerated rights, which is why I intend to stop the Left’s tyranny in its tracks by eliminating the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition.”

 But here's the thing. The bill actually taxes gun manufacturers and importers, not consumers. 

And the bill wants to replace the money raised by the tax for conservation with $800 million from the general fund, meaning the burden would shift from gun manufacturers to the general public. 

Meateater, a hunting website, is quick to point out that Congressman Clyde owns a firearms store in Georgia and stands to benefit personally if this repeal bill passes. Among his co-sponsors are some of the dumbest members of Congress that I have mentioned often in this blog for their outrageous comments and proposals, including Lauren Boebert (R-Co), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga, Paul Gosar (R-Az).

Despite the 50 co-sponsors, the bill is not likely to pass. But it just shows the hypocrisy, and frankly stupidity, of the current Republican crop. It's hard to understand how anyone can be pushing this with the current climate on gun control. But some of these folks just aren't tuned in to what most Americans support.  

 Uncle Vladimir Wants You!

Wanted: snipers, gunners, drivers, sanitary instructors and other specialists! The Russians are recruiting, trying to fill more than 22,200 "contract workers" with the vacancies listed by some of the military units fighting in Ukraine.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-in-quiet-mobilization-as-22k-vacancies-show-army-losses-ukraine/ar-AAZq2cB?ocid=msedgdh

 

 Russian President Vladimir Putin can't actually conscript soldiers because he would first have to declare war with Ukraine. That would mean abandoning his propaganda tool, labeling his invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation".  So, the recruiting is apparently going out as job vacancies.  

Newsweek reports this information comes from The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council. 

Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine (arcgis.com)

Casualty figures in the war in Ukraine are hard to accurately pin down. Example: Ukraine says it has killed 37,300 Russian soldiers. A Russian general told state media in March that only 1,351 Russian soldiers have been killed.  

But it's clear the Russians are having a hard time on the battlefield--much harder than they expected.  

 

 Dumbest Quote of The Week!

 This week the dumbest quote comes from Virginia's Governor Glenn Youngkin, who was the keynote speaker at the Nebraska Republican convention on Saturday. Youngkin can't run again in Virginia where Governors are restricted to one term, so there's already been speculation that he might be eyeing a run for president in 2024.   

He told Republicans in Nebraska that he won in "dark blue" Virginia because he paid attention to what parents cared about, like the culture war battles over schools and race.

“All of a sudden, the curriculum that was supposed to be about critical math and critical science was teaching politics, was in fact teaching our children to view everything through a lens of race and to judge one another.”

Well, not really. No one was talking about that issue until Youngkin brought it up during the campaign. That came after one or two comments he heard from some parents in the troubled Loudoun County School District, which has been having trouble dealing with increased diversity.  And in fact, critical race theory, as it's called, has NEVER been taught in Loudoun County or any other Virginia school. So, once again, Youngkin is using a falsehood to further his political career.

  Youngkin tells Nebraska GOP that his win in 'dark blue' Virginia was beginning of a 'red wave' | Govt-and-politics | richmond.com

 

And about that possible run for President, Youngkin told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, "that's not a decision we have even begun to undertake." Really, Governor? Then how about staying in Virginia and doing your job instead of traipsing to Nebraska and other states to lie to other Republicans about a false narrative?    

 (Your comments and suggestions are welcome) 

(My book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:

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