Editor’s note: Can the president unilaterally initiate the use of military force without a prior authorization from Congress? In his notes from the Constitutional Convention, James Madison stated that the Executive could only do so when it was necessary “to repel sudden attacks.” The White House is now contending that President Obama can engage in […]
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) made the case that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), passed by the Senate, “oversteps the Constitution’s rightful limits on federal power.” Sen. Lee argued on the Senate floor that “everyone agrees that violence against women is reprehensible.” He went on to make the case that this is an issue better […]
By Peter Wehner In a press conference on Monday, President Obama said, “I’d just remind conservative commentators that for years, what we’ve heard is the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism or the lack of judicial restraint, that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law. And […]
George Washington has a monument; Jefferson has a memorial; and even James Buchanan has a spot in Washington, D.C., dedicated to his legacy. But there’s no slab of marble in honor of James Madison. Yesterday was James Madison’s birthday, so today let us then remember his legacy as the father of our Constitution. Madison conceived the […]
Saturday marks the anniversary of the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act, which in 1887 created the first federal regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). Although those who created the ICC had no intention of establishing the modern administrative state we now have, the creation of the ICC was an inadvertent first step toward […]
Let’s be honest: We all know you’re not really gonna quit smoking, start exercising, and eat more vegetables as of today. As Emerson wryly remarked: “All promise outruns performance.” The key to keeping your New Year’s resolutions is to make them more realistic. Rather than try to drastically change the way you live, why not […]
California is teetering on the edge of economic and social collapse. According to an Economist special report, this is largely the result of decisions to implement direct democracy reforms during the Progressive era, such as poplar recall, initiatives, propositions, and referenda — reforms that have “inflamed” the passions of the people — “James Madison’s worst […]
