Several days ago in Austin, Texas, Governor Rick Perry announced his backing of House Concurrent Resolution 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Perry made clear his Federalist position with regard to the attempts in Washington to extract more and more control over what are clearly State’s issues.

“I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”

Texas is now leading the way in a bold manner in an effort which is still in its infancy, to begin to push forward the fight for Federalism and the rights of individual states to control their own destiny and rise and fall on the decisions they make, irrespective of dictates and demands from the Imperial Federal Government (IFG).

And what did the Republican leaders in the State of Georgia do when they had a similar opportunity to take a stand on the side of Federalism during the recent session of the Georgia General Assembly?

Nothing. Not a damn thing.

House Resolution 280 was introduced this session and never even made it to the floor for a vote in the Republican controlled Georgia State House. What did make it to the floor was the much more important opportunity to honor President Barack Obama for doing exactly what the language of HR 280 opposed. Neat, eh?

Sponsored by Georgia State Reps. Martin Scott, Tommy Benton, Sean Jerguson, Terry England, Stephen Allison and Tom Weldon, HR 280 would have the State of Georgia claim its sovereignty rights under the 10th Amendment of a little known (and seldom referenced) document called the Constitution of the United States for all powers not specifically delegated to the National government via the U.S. Constitution. To boot, the State of Georgia would have instructed the Federal government to halt all actions beyond the scope of its Constitutional powers.

Pretty cool, right? Even if ignored in Washington, at least we are on record in a pretty noticeable way!

Nah…the Georgia General Assembly couldn’t be bothered. They would much rather consider legislation to log prescriptions and personal data at pharmacies instead of fighting for Federalism.

Of course, what can you expect when you have a visionless and passive leader like Georgia’s Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, who has this opinion about Federal slavery stimulus money:

“We’re gonna take every dollar we can. That means long term benefits… Georgians have paid their taxes in and when the Congress passes a law like this, I want Georgians to get everything to which they’re entitled.”

Thus, one of the original 13 colonies and a State that in the 20th century recognized the danger of the 17th Amendment and refused to ratify it, now sits idly by while its rights and responsibilities are whittled away by an oppressive national government.

Maybe tomorrow night, when thousands will converge on the State Capitol in Atlanta for the Atlanta Tea Party, the formerly proud and liberty-loving elected officials of Georgia will realize that Federalism isn’t a quaint concept but, instead, a viable mechanism through which the Republic can right itself and set sail on a new course of independence without the burden of a choking and stifling yoke from Washington limiting the opportunity and liberty that people for hundreds of years have sought in the United States.

Click here for more on the 10 other states which have similar “10th Amendment” legislation pending. And pray for us all.