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It agrees with what I said. Calling states sovereign means they answer to no higher authority. The constitution clearly states that the federal government is a
by scott_s 7y ago
It agrees with what I said. Calling states sovereign means they answer to no higher authority. The constitution clearly states that the federal government is a higher authority than state governments. The 10th amendment basically means that powers the federal government has not claimed belong to the states - but federal law is still supreme, and the federal government can always claim more powers through amendments.
- sojournerc 7y agoHow are those amendments passed? By state representatives and senators. The _only_ powers the Federal Gov. has are those granted by the constitution. They cannot go claiming powers not specified therein. That is in direct contradiction with this statement: > powers the federal government has not claimed belong to the states The Fed Gov. can't just claim supreme power. That's exactly what the 10th amendment is intended to address.
- scott_s 7y agoI think you’re disingenuously interpreting what I have said. The federal government is the ultimate authority in the US. That is established in the Supremacy Clause: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supremacy_Clause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supremacy_Clause. This fact directly contradicts the premise the original commentator made - specifically, that the states are “sovereign”, as the Supremacy Clause clearly contradicts.
- sojournerc 7y agoFair enough, I agree states aren't sovereign. The wiki link you posted states this: > However, federal statutes and treaties are supreme only if they do not contravene the Constitution. That's the exact point I was trying to make