Grab a cup of coffee or tea because today, we are reviewing the Founding Principle of constitutional precautions, or the “fences of protection” around our liberty. I addressed this issue in a previous post from September, 2023. These are timeless principles and deserve a review. Here they are: Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and […]
Nullification Theory: When Challenging Federal Law
What do these actions have in common? Sanctuary cities Legalization of marijuana Local officials ordering subordinates not to protect federal law officers Reminding active duty military that they have the right to disobey an illegal order A U.S. congressman suggesting that state law enforcement could arrest federal officials who were enforcing the immigration laws The […]
Federalism: Balancing Power and Ensuring Liberty
The word “federalism” has been used a lot lately. Let’s be sure to understand federalism well because it is foundational to our U.S. Constitution and American system of government. Interestingly, federalism in the founding era meant being “friendly to the United States.” It refers to the sharing of power between the levels of national and […]
Founding Principles: How the Constitution Guards Against Tyranny
(This is the fourth in a series. Today we focus on Founding Principles: How the Constitution Guards Against Tyranny with help from the Bill of Rights Institute. These principles are the foundation of our Constitutional Republic. They keep us a free, self-governing people. Grab a cup of coffee or tea because today, we add the […]
Students Need to Know
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Whoever thought that teaching American students about communism would be controversial? Florida is taking the topic head-on. In this week’s newsletter, we address that issue and another hot item- the protests over the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion of Roe v. Wade. I’m […]
Federalism Explained
A question I get asked a lot is why different states have different rules. Like, why does Florida do things one way and California operate differently? Why is CC licensing easier in Utah than in Illinois? Why aren’t the vote-ing systems precisely the same in all 50 states? It’s called “federalism.” I’ll explain it this […]
Simple Civics 101
Simple Civics 101- a weekly review of basic American civics Today we are discussing Federal and State powers. It has become evident in the past several weeks that many Americans don’t understand the difference between the federal government’s responsibilities and their state government. (Think “pandemic response” or “Seattle’s former CHOP zone as examples). Studying civics […]
