 The 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: "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." Commonly known as the States' Rights Amendment, it now lies in ruins with most of the rest of the Bill of Rights as the federal government exerts its power over every aspect of our lives. The intentions of the Founding Fathers have been dragged through the quagmire since "The Great Centralizer," Abraham Lincoln, became president, to the point that most Americans have little or no knowledge of the fact that the Constitution was intended to be the ultimate check on tyranny. For example, up until the mid-19th century, regional differences were recognized and respected. The social, political and cultural heritage of a New Englander was far different from that of a Southerner. So much so that each group referred to the other as "foreigners." This was in no way construed as a detriment to American society. The Founding Fathers had firsthand knowledge of tyranny and knew that the best protection against it was limited government. They wished to provide for the necessary functions of government in small entities where power was entrusted to men who were close to their constituents and who were personally accountable for their actions. They knew that individual communities and individual states knew best how to govern their own residents, for the whole idea behind States' Rights was that the smaller the political entity, the greater the accountability. The primary function of the national government (as it was called then) was national defense. The Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) was put in place to protect our rights as well as to protect us against governmental tyranny. Now, all sorts of government agencies are invested with police powers your congressman never voted for — the IRS, ATF, DEA and EPA, to name a few. States are forced to comply with the national government's rules and regulations in order to receive a fair share of federal funds. Today's political system is rife with corruption. Our "representatives" don't represent — they trade their votes for power and/or money. Often, serious reformers fail due to lack of support from their spineless colleagues and from compromise to the point of ineffectuality. The federal government wields its heavy hand in every facet of your life. Until mid-May, we work solely to pay the federal government's bills. Taxes are confiscatory. Just try not paying your property taxes. Thomas Jefferson said: "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare but only those specifically enumerated." Yet we are taxed to death for socialist programs we do not approve of. By now I'm sure you've all made the analogy to Mensa. The AMC is our "federal government" and the local groups are the states whose rights are slipping into oblivion. I don't need to reiterate the details of the AMC's abuse of power. You are reading this because you know the extent of the bureaucracy and red tape involved in dealing with the AMC. You also know that your local group runs smoother and easier, and with greater benefit to your members when you practice your right of self-government. Some of you have already had the experience of trying to make a change to your bylaws and have learned your lesson the hard way regarding dealing with the AMC. You also know that the power to control local groups and the hunger to feed the insatiable appetite of its budget is what keeps the AMC running. Almost no expense is too great for the operation of the national office but local groups are told to raise money on their own if they need operating funds above the meager allowance we are given for our newsletters. It's time we told the AMC to either cut their expenses and the expenses of the national office or raise money on their own. Local groups are the foundation of Mensa and we should have the right of governing ourselves and control of at least half of members' dues to operate. So what can we do? First, tell our RVCs what our needs are. Read the AMC minutes, and when our needs are ignored, we must vote these "representatives" out of office. If we can't change the AMC, then our only other option is to leave them. These issues are not new in American history. When colonists in the 18th century wanted the right of self-government and control of their tax money, they seceded from Great Britain. The South did the same thing for the same reason in the 19th century. The precedent has been set. We must demand our "states' rights" and oppose the aims of the centralists, for if they win, Mensa is nothing but a dictatorship and its members are nothing but subjects. Surely, we can use our intelligence to emulate the Founding Fathers and prevent this eventuality. — Rebecca Barbour |