The Free To Be Free Podcast

Have you ever noticed the differences between how your State and Federal legislatures operate? We will talk with Senator Mike Braun who has experience in both the U.S. Senate and the Indiana General Assembly to get some interesting perspectives on the differences.

Resources

Convention of States

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

Government lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have infringed on our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness.

Resources

Wikipedia entry on Police Power

The Proper Scope of the Police Power

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

Since the ratification of the constitution, there have been over 12,000 attempts to propose amendments. Of those, 33 have been passed by congress to become proposed amendments. 27 of those have been ratified as part of the constitution. In this episode, we will take a look at the 6 unratified amendments.

 Resources:

Pew Research on Proposed Amendments

Unratified Amendments

The First and Most Important First Amendment

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

Socialism or Capitalism seems to be the question of the day. But this is the wrong question. The real question is Statism or Freedomism. The answer is Freedomism.

 Resources:

Restoring America's Soul

The Deadly Isms

The Declaration of Independence and the American Theory of Government: “First Come Rights, and Then Comes Government"

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

Judicial Review allows the Supreme Court to exercise a power it was never granted - the power to legislate. 

 Resources:

Miranda vs Arizona

Federalist 78

Dickerson vs United States

Section 3501

Marbury vs Madison

The Second American Revolution

The Original Meaning of the Judicial Power

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

What many may have missed in the circus that was the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing, is the excellent diagnosis of what ails our Federal Government presented by Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse. In this episode, we will review Senator Sasse’s diagnosis and what it has to do with a concept known as The Non-Delegation Doctrine.

 Resources:

Senator Ben Sasse Statement

John Locke's 2nd Treatise on Government

The Creature from Jekyll Island

The Four Stages of Approval of the Bill of Rights in Congress and the States

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

We celebrate Constitution Day on September 17 - the date of the signing of the Constitution. In this episode we will explore the objections of George Mason who refused to sign the Constituion.

Resources:

The Virginia Declaration of Rights

James Madison's convention notes from September 15

George Mason's Objections

The First and Most Important First Amendment

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

In a recent appearance on Steve Hilton's The Next Revolution, Jason Chaffetz and Tomi Lahren both expressed a great deal of fear over a Convention of the States. Chaffetz claimed that "you don't know what the rules are if you have one of these." This episode discusses the rules that apply to such a convention and why there is nothing to fear.

Resources:

Defying Conventional Wisdom: The Constitution was not the product of a runaway convention

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

The 17th amendment, ratified in 1913, changed they way senators are elected. Prior to 1913, Senators were elected by, and were accountable to, the respective state legislatures. After 1913, senators were chosen by popular election. 

The impact of the 17th amendment should be obvious when you consider the dramatic expansion of the federal government in the mid-20th century, with the states powerless to contain it.

Resources:

Ulysses at the Mast: Democracy, Federalism, and the Sirens' Song of the Seventeenth Amendment

The Constitution

The Articles of Confederation

Federalist #39

Federalist #62

Federalist #26

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song. 

With the recent presidental election going to the winner of the Electoral College rather than the winner of the popular vote, the Electoral College is facing hightened criticism and calls for elimination.

The Electoral College is not, as characterized by Hillary Clinton, “an anachronism designed for another time”. It is just another one of the ingenious components of the constitution, devised by the founders, to protect our rights and freedoms.

Resources:

Convention of States Project

Special thanks to Kerosec Productions for producing/composing/mixing/performing the theme song.