Thoughts From Maharrey Head

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions doesn't like nullification. He attacked the principles in recent statements about California's sanctuary state policies. In doing so, he sounded just like Rachel Maddow. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about it. I compare the ideas of Maddow and Sessions (there's not much to contrast), and I also take on the absurd notion that the Civil War "settled" the issue of nullification and secession.  You can visit the show notes page here: http://bit.ly/2FnyolS

The Republicans still haven’t gotten rid of Obamacare and they aren’t going to. But there are things going on at the state level that could eventually undermine and replace the federal healthcare debacle. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey, I tell you about some exciting developments at the state level and share my personal experience seeking out alternatives to the unaffordable care act. You’ll be amazed at how much money I’m saving – for better care than I was getting in the insurance-based system. You can visit the show notes page here: http://bit.ly/2oKRWpf

A lot of people seem to think the Constitution is Silly Putty. They get to mold and shape it into whatever suits their political agenda. They are dead wrong. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about it. You can visit the show notes page here: http://bit.ly/2EOIPi5

The school shooting in Flordia has reignited the debate about guns. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I wade into the fray and tackle a common myth related to the Second Amendment - this strange idea that it was never intended to allow people to own military weapons. Actually, that's exactly what it was intended to do. Take a listen and I'll explain. You can visit the show notes page here: http://bit.ly/2Ey2D9o

After a seven month hiatus, Thoughts from Maharrey Head is back with episode #100! You can visit the show notes page here: http://bit.ly/2H1QQ0G We all have ideologies. They help us make sense of a complex world and provide us with a lens through which we can evaluate events. But ideologies can get us in trouble when we become unable to look outside of them. In this episode, I talk about the problems that inevitably crop up if you try to project your ideological point of view on the Constitution. I also catch you up on what’s been going on over the last seven months and make an announcement about an exciting project I hope to release this spring.

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about America's first immigration debate and what it reveals about federal power. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2tQqjPi 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 fundamental question – who has power over immigration matters? Arguments over immigration are nothing new. In fact, America’s first major immigration debate happened in 1798 when Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. James Madison weighed in on the issue in his Report of 1800. His arguments reveal a great deal about federal and state power over regulating immigration. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I highlight Madison’s thinking and what it reveals about the power of the federal government.

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about how my Independence Day fireworks experience demonstrates the power of nullification. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2tZFcjA 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 never work.” As these naysayers see it, the federal government is big enough and powerful enough to do whatever it pleases. This simply isn’t true. The feds depend on state and local assistance to do virtually everything they do. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I share an Independence Day experience that demonstrates exactly how we can nullify government actions in effect and what a powerful strategy nullification really is.

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about centralized government, slavery and discrimination. To visit the show notes page, click here; http://bit.ly/2txngwB 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 took to the Kingsley Plantation, near Jacksonville, Fla., underscored this fact. In truth, centralized power was necessary to maintain the slavery and to institutionalize racism. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about it.

This song was inspired by George Orwell's 1984 and a quote by Ron Paul.

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. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2sKyPwT 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 in some of its power. But as with most things, we simply can’t count on Washington D.C. to fix a problem in Washington D.C. Nevertheless, all hope is not lost. Several states are moving forward legislation that takes on the Federal Reserve and sets the foundation to undermine its power. If enough states act, it could even effectively nullify the Fed. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about these state effort and explain how a widespread shift to sound money could limit, or even nullify, the Federal Reserve.

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. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2qEKxrm 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 nuts. Condemnation and outrage cascaded down from the right. Even the left seemed to try to distance itself from the image. Griffin apologized, and CNN fired her from hosting its New Year’s Eve gala. The picture raises some important free speech issues. While I didn’t hear anybody from the right calling for government action to punish Griffin’s gruesome display, there was almost universal pleasure in CNN’s decision to can her. The mantra goes something like this. “Yes, she has a right to free speech, but there will be consequences!” Let me say this emphatically: If you want “consequences” for free speech, you don’t really believe in free speech. In th

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the preamble to the US Constitution - what it tells us and what it doesn't.

In this episode of Thoughts form Maharrey Head, I talk about how Donald Trump proves we shouldn't let the president hold the leash restraining the dog of war. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2qBlI2j In a recent Facebook post, I suggested that with all of the trouble swirling around his administration, it was time for Trump to bomb something. Not three hours later, he did. Randolph Bourne famously said, “war is the health of the state.” It is also the health of a presidency. The founding generation understood the dangers of placing the power to make war in the hands of the president. The Constitution specifically prohibits this. As Thomas Jefferson said, it places “one effectual check to the Dog of war, by transferring the power of letting him loose from the executive to the Legislative body.” Trump – and virtually every other modern president – proves the founding generation’s wisdom. Now if we would only follow it. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I discuss the p

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the absurdity of "Red Team" vs. "Blue Team" politics. Click here to visit the show notes page: http://bit.ly/2pG6KDU This week’s political brouhaha erupted when Pres. Trump fired FBI director James Comey in the midst of an investigation into Russian ties – or something. The firing caused a total freakout on the left – just months after the same people called for Comey’s head because of his probes into Hillary Clinton’s shenanigans. Another “pass the popcorn” moment in American politics. Meanwhile, a lot of Republicans have decided that nobody should do anything to limit the actions of the federal government. You know, the same people who screamed bloody murder about everything Barack Obama did for 8 years. Their guy is in charge now, so full steam ahead. This is what politics has devolved to in America. Everything my team does – good. Everything their team does – bad. In this episode of the podcast, I talk about the absurdity of this red team v

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the "provide for the common defense" clause in the Constitution. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2pdwYh4 May 5, 2017 Michael Maharrey Thoughts from Maharrey Head Leave a comment { Edit } “10 Minutes Closer to Freedom” In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the “provide for for the common defense” clause in the Constitution. Progressives have long used “general welfare” as an “anything and everything” clause to justify all kinds of unconstitutional overreach, from federal meddling in education to national healthcare. The right generally scoffs at this bastardization of the Constitution – and rightly so. But more and more, I’m hearing conservatives and Republicans use the term “provide for the common defense” in the exact same way. They essentially turned these words into a right-wing version of the general welfare clause. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I expl

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I explain why the recent federal court decision on Pres. Trump's sanctuary city order was a win for the Constitution. You can visit the show notes page here: http://bit.ly/2oEHqCZ Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge William Orrick slapped an injunction on Trump’s executive order relating to so-called sanctuary cities. The EO set the stage to punish cities that refuse to participate in immigration enforcement by withholding federal funding. Santa Clara County and San Francisco, California, challenged the EO in federal court on a number of grounds. Orrick agreed that the administration overreached and stopped enforcement of parts of the order. Conservatives were outraged by the decision. Social media erupted with condemnation of Orrick and complaints about “liberal, activist judges.” But in fact, at least one aspect of the judge’s decision was a huge win for the Tenth Amendment, separation of powers and an important legal principle known as the anti-commande

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about "fake news." To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2plPwjy There’s been a lot of talk about “fake news” over the last several months. But what exactly is fake news? Why the sudden obsession with rooting it out? And can we really be sure what we get from so-called “mainstream” sources is “real” news? In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the media, the concept of fake news, and how it’s used to marginalize unapproved opinions.

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about outrage culture. To visit the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2ounn6w I'm outraged!! Aren't you? Last week, video of security dragging a United Airlines passenger off a flight sparked outrage. The backlash caused United stock to stumble. Social media continues to churn the story to this day. But that wasn't the only source of outrage last week. Trump press secretary Sean Spicer whipped everybody into a frenzy when he suggested the Nazis didn't use chemical weapons. And then there was the actual use of chemical weapons. Outrage over a Sarin gas attack allegedly launched by the Syrian government led the U.S. to lob cruise missiles at a government airbase in Syria. Watching reaction to these three events unfold, I noticed some commonality. There is a definite outrage culture growing in society. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly good reason to become outraged. But outrage culture grows out of a group-think mentality and it has some

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I answer listener questions on topics ranging from the federal government's constitutional power over immigration to the NHL playoffs. To visit the show notes page, click here; http://bit.ly/2oJEjt3

In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the size and scope of society, and why it matters. For the show notes page, click here: http://bit.ly/2ohgiZo Whenever I talk about political or social issues, at some point somebody in the conversation will say, “We need to …” “We need to provide healthcare.” “We need to educate our kids.” “We need to take care of the poor. This raises an important question: who’s we? In other words, how should we conceive of our society? What is its scope and scale? Americans generally think of “we” as the United States – all 320-plus million of us. But is this really a good conception of society? Can you really have a functioning society made up of so many millions of people spread out over thousands of miles? Or should we perhaps consider viewing things through a narrower lens? Over the last 100 years, the federal government has taken on more roles that used to be carried out at the state and local level. The founding generation believed this type of micr