The original wording of the 10th Amendment was “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Of late, the Tenth Amendment is interpreted as giving individual states authority to, for example, publish school books and prepare curriculum of their own determination.
The theory of evolution often comes up in these discussions; some individuals, some states, we know may prefer their children be taught “Creationism,” or “Intelligent Design” instead of the common standard evolution. Also, there have been cases of historical events being reinterpreted by school districts. In one case, the capture of African people and their transportation to America and slavery has been written in far different ways from those traditionally and previously taught. These differences in education may cause difficulties to students from remote areas who may someday find themselves hoping to achieve some greater success in, say, New York City, or Los Angeles.
On the issue of Federalism, States would have greater authority in punishing crime, or regulating the influx of illegal aliens. Governor Perry has specifically said that the individual should be able to choose to smoke marijuana. His general viewpoint is clearly evident in his statements about gay marriage. "Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me!" Does he mince words? Does he distinguish between what might be right for New York, and for Texas? Or for the entire country? And if pot is okay with Perry, do other drugs also come into alignment with his views?
In a very recent poll, 17% of voters are favoring Mitt Romney, but already, 15% are looking for leadership from Texas Governor Rick Perry. For the record, behind Perry is Sarah Palin with about 12%.
Article comments
1 - Glenn Contrarian
Since the "Days of Prayer" that Perry decreed in April, the drought in Texas has only gotten worse.
Of course, global warming has nothing whatsoever to do with it, and if global warming is real, then of course a half-billion cars pumping 20 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere with every gallon of gas burned certainly can't have anything to do with it! Of course not! That would be against conservative dogma which - like the Party in the communist nation of your choice - must never be questioned!
No, Perry doesn't stand much of a chance - partially because of Bush 43. It might be said that one of the best things that Dubya ever did was to prejudice most of America against Texas enough that we would not elect Rick Perry to the presidency!
2 - Keith Wanless
Not to quibble over @Glenn #1's comment, but a US gallon of gas weighs about 6.175 lbs. The law of conservation of mass would indicate that Glenn's statement about pollution is at least a 3-1 exaggeration, which will not help win any converts to belief in man-made global warming.
3 - John Lake
Texas Gov. Perry: 'Gay marriage is not fine with me'
4 - jude folly
if gov. perry received the republican nomination (he'd wisely devote prayer toward avoiding it), he wouldn't have the liberty of sneezing or wincing without being the butt of an unfavorable comparison to george w. bush. be assured there will be a rabid segment of liberals reminding every voter of perry's off-the-cuff flirtation with secession.
texas--thanks, but no thanks. we'll manage quite all right without any more 'help' from your cowboy booted pols.
5 - Glenn Contrarian
Keith Wanless -
When gasoline is squirted into the cylinder and combusts, do you really think that ONLY the gasoline undergoes a chemical reaction? FYI, it's a very small amount of gasoline that is processed...along with the air that was inside.
It's the gas AND the air, guy. It's called "chemistry", in case you're not familiar with it. Here's a simplified explanation:
It seems impossible that a gallon of gasoline, which weighs about 6.3 pounds, could produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned. However, most of the weight of the CO2 doesn't come from the gasoline itself, but the oxygen in the air.
When gasoline burns, the carbon and hydrogen separate. The hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water (H2O), and carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2).
CO2 molecule with one carbon atom (atomic weight 12) and two oxygen atoms (atomic weight of 16 each)A carbon atom has a weight of 12, and each oxygen atom has a weight of 16, giving each single molecule of CO2 an atomic weight of 44 (12 from carbon and 32 from oxygen).
Therefore, to calculate the amount of CO2 produced from a gallon of gasoline, the weight of the carbon in the gasoline is multiplied by 44/12 or 3.7.
Since gasoline is about 87% carbon and 13% hydrogen by weight, the carbon in a gallon of gasoline weighs 5.5 pounds (6.3 lbs. x .87).
We can then multiply the weight of the carbon (5.5 pounds) by 3.7, which equals 20 pounds of CO2!
6 - Arch Conservative
Oh goody another Texas neocon pretending to be a conservative. Just what this nation, and the world needs. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll start wars in Iran and North Korea.
If GOP insists on harvesting it's candidates from Texas there is one guy who currently resides there and is a member of the US House of Reps who'd be a damn sight better for this nation than the current crop of maniacal whackjobs from both parties.
7 - Baritone
The line up for Perry's "Days of Prayer and Fasting" includes a # of religious and political nut jobs. As John noted in #3 above, Perry quickly separated himself from his "gay is okay" comments.
He will never make it to the White House unless he elects to take the guided tour sometime in the future.
B