The Foundation
“Another not unimportant consideration is, that the powers of the general government will be, and indeed must be, principally employed upon external objects, such as war, peace, negotiations with foreign powers, and foreign commerce. In its internal operations it can touch but few objects, except to introduce regulations beneficial to the commerce, intercourse, and other relations, between the states, and to lay taxes for the common good. The powers of the states, on the other hand, extend to all objects, which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, and liberties, and property of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the state.” – Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution
What did he/she say?
“While elements of the conservative movement have emphasized the Constitution, the rule of law and the will of the people, conservatives have traditionally lacked the fiery commitment to that document that I see among Tea Partiers. And this is another reason why the Tea Party movement has so much more potential for growth and sustainability than the conservative movement.
The basis of the Tea Party movement is anger that Washington, including both Democrat and Republican politicians, has allowed the Constitution to be shredded. It has seldom been invoked to limit the authority and reach of Washington into the lives of American citizens and the 50 states.
People ask me all the time what the Tea Party is all about. I think I can summarize it very succinctly. And, if I’m wrong, may the complaints and corrections of millions of tea partiers descend upon me. The Tea Party is about the Constitution. It’s about the rule of law, not the rule of men. It’s about the will of the people, not the will of the Washington elite.” – Joseph Farah, The Unlimited Potential of the Tea Party