Attorney General Jeff Sessions Doesn’t Believe In The Tenth Amendment

Federal government officials who believe in the Constitution and limited government are generally a rarity. In modern American politics, the federal level is expected to do most things in society. Lower level governments from state to municipal are merely administrative extensions to the will of the top. It’s the type of structure that is contrary to the vision laid out by our founders, and the natural downfall of any republic.

In recent decades, this has accelerated. In the post-9/11 America, former President George W. Bush used the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 to massively grow the federal government. Along the way, he escalated the war on drugs. Although the drug war was relaxed to a certain degree under the Obama Administration, the federal government still reigned supreme.

The Tenth Amendment was in exile.

Everything was supposed to change under the Trump Administration. As a candidate, Donald Trump railed against what he called “the swamp,” which included both predecessors and many other members of the political establishment. His Administration would be the one to cut down excessive regulation and overbearing government, returning power to the people.

This was a lie.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a known opponent of the Tenth Amendment, and has an obsession with fighting a war on a plant. As Attorney General, he made it known early he would use his position to spend taxpayer dollars on fighting marijuana. The drug war was back on in full force, and efforts would be doubled.

While it was clear he has a personal hatred of this plant, he made a shocking quote that reflects a flawed political philosophy.

In a recent interview on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, he ran down his belief that a pot crackdown should happen. But the basis of his belief here is that states simply can not buck the federal government and that all acts by the federal government reign supreme.

Specifically, Sessions said federal law is in effect in all fifty states, and they will enforce that law as it stands on the books. States cannot simply nullify a federal law, according to Sessions.

Sessions’ line of thinking is at odds with the plain text of the Constitution. Under the Bill of Rights, the Tenth Amendment greatly restricts the powers of the federal government. Specifically, unless the power is specifically given to the federal government or specifically prohibited to the states, it is then left to the states and the people.

Prohibiting the use or sale of pot to your friend or neighbor is not a power given to the federal government. Instead, it’s something that the states or even local municipalities can prohibit or otherwise regulate at their own discretion. The federal government does not have this power.

The problem with Sessions is his woeful understanding of how the American government is supposed to work. Through this top heavy belief that the lower levels of government are subservient to the feds, Sessions delusionally believes he can save the world from a plant that he feels without evidence to be the devil. He needs a reality check and a civic lesson.