"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about America's first immigration debate and what it reveals about federal power. Immigration ranks among the most contentious political issues in America today. Debates rage about "pathways to citizenship," building walls and blocking refugees. But Americans often ignore the most..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #98: Fourth of July Fireworks and Nullification
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about how my Independence Day fireworks experience demonstrates the power of nullification. Despite all of the successes we've had at the Tenth Amendment Center over the last few years, whenever I talk about nullification, somebody wants to argue, "It will..
Read moreJames Madison and the Necessary and Proper Clause
"Necessary and proper" ranks among the most abused clauses in the Constitution. It has been dubbed the "elastic clause" because of the perception that it allows the scope of federal power to expand. The federal government began abusing this clause within years of ratification. In 1800, James Madison countered these early abuses, forcefully arguing that..
Read moreConstitution 101: The Supremacy Clause and the Bill of Rights
Many Americans believe the Bill of Rights apply to state and local governments. Most who hold this position rely on the 14th Amendment and the "incorporation doctrine" to support their position. But some proponents of using federal power to restrict state and local actions through the Bill of Rights use tortured legal reasoning to argue..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #97: Centralized Government Is No Friend of Minorities
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about centralized government, slavery and discrimination. Conventional wisdom holds that national, centralized government protects the interests of minorities. This is a myth. In fact, the state has a long history of persecuting minority populations. A recent trip my wife and I..
Read moreDecentralizing for Freedom: Radio Interview
On June 23, I appeared on a Chattanooga, Tenn., radio show hosted by David Tullis to discuss how state and local action can move power away from Washington D.C. and ultimately lead to greater liberty. We opened the discussion talking about the Tennessee legislature's failure to follow through and start the process of creating a..
Read moreEmpire of Lies (Song)
[audio m4a="https://www.michaelmaharrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Empire-of-Lies-5.m4a"][/audio] This song started out as just a sampled beat and a base line. Then I found this really cool audio quoting some lines from George Orwell's 1984. I ended up building the lyric around that. The famous Ron Paul quote "truth is treason in an empire of lies pulled it all together." For..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #96: The States vs. the Federal Reserve
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about state action to undermine the Federal Reserve and the government's monopoly on money. Ron Paul mainstreamed the idea of "ending the Fed." Even today, we occasionally hear about efforts in Congress to audit the Federal Reserve and perhaps rein..
Read moreConstitution 101: The Preamble
For many Americans, knowledge of the Constitution begins and ends with the preamble. A lot of you probably even memorized it at some point in school. I suppose you could laud the educational system for at least acknowledging the existence of America's governing document. But unfortunately, all of the focus on the preamble has done..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #95: Free Speech for Real
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about freedom of speech in light of Kathy Griffin's photo with Trump's severed head. Comedian Kathy Griffin sparked the brouhaha of the week when a picture of her holding the likeness of Pres. Trump's severed head surfaced. Social media went..
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