by John Cylc

January 1, 2026

The story is as follows:
Benjamin Franklin, walking out of Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention, was asked by Philadelphia resident Elizabeth Willing Powel, “Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy”? Franklin replied earnestly, “A Republic, if you can keep it“.

To many of us, for the past couple of decades, it seems the Republic is slipping away. Scandals. Abuse of government powers and agencies. Usurped Executive authority by judges. Inaction by Congress. Voting integrity questions. Outright lies and manipulation of the public by a biased media. And now, major corruption being exposed. Americans are certain Minnesota is only the tip of the iceberg. Other states and programs are manipulating the system. Politicians are all becoming multi-millionaires on only $170,000 a year salary, while our country is sinking in debt.

Something isn’t right. Americans are more angry than ever.

I saw this post on X.com. It discusses the actual purpose and mission of the Federal Government. I asked the author permission to publish it an he agreed. Every citizen should read this.

It is from MIKE BSKI (@BskiMike22802 on X).

“Alright, America, gather ’round because apparently we need a remedial civics lesson.

I keep hearing folks scream about how we need MORE federal programs, MORE federal spending, MORE federal everything. And every time, I want to grab a copy of the Constitution and ask: “Have you people actually READ this thing? Or did you just use it as a coaster?”

Let me break this down for the folks who are a few fries short of a Happy Meal when it comes to constitutional law.

The Tenth Amendment. Say it with me. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Not complicated. Not ambiguous. Pretty darn clear if you’ve got two brain cells to rub together.

So what DOES Article I, Section 8 actually authorize Congress to do? Lay and collect taxes. Regulate INTERSTATE commerce. Establish post offices. Coin money. Provide for the common defense. Declare war. A handful of other specifically listed things.

You know what’s NOWHERE on that list? Healthcare. Housing. Food stamps. Energy assistance. Childcare subsidies. Retirement programs. Education. NOWHERE.

James Madison, the guy we literally call the FATHER OF THE CONSTITUTION, spelled this out in Federalist No. 45 in language so plain even a squirrel could understand it: the powers delegated to the federal government “are few and defined,” while state powers “are numerous and indefinite.”

FEW. AND. DEFINED.

Yet here we sit with HHS running Medicaid, USDA running SNAP, HUD running Section 8, DOE running LIHEAP, and a bloated federal bureaucracy that would make King George blush. The Founders didn’t fight a revolution so we could recreate a centralized monarchy with better PowerPoint presentations!

And don’t even get me started on Social Security. The Constitution grants Congress ZERO authority to establish mandatory retirement programs. States could handle this just fine with their own state-managed retirement accounts, but noooo, Washington knows best! States are too dumb to figure out how to run a retirement program, apparently. Never mind that they manage to run everything ELSE in their states.

Hamilton himself, in Federalist No. 17, said matters like “the administration of private justice between the citizens of the same State, the supervision of agriculture and of other concerns of a similar nature…which are proper to be provided for by local legislation, can never be desirable cares of a general jurisdiction.”

Translation for those who aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULDN’T BE DOING THIS STUFF.

The Supreme Court has said this REPEATEDLY. In United States v. Morrison (2000): “the Constitution requires a distinction between what is truly national and what is truly local.” In NFIB v. Sebelius (2012): “the Framers gave Congress the power to regulate commerce, not to compel it.” In Medina v. Planned Parenthood (2025): the Spending Clause “does not expressly endow Congress with the power to regulate conduct.”

So here’s my call: IT’S TIME FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO DO ITS JOB.

Strike down these unconstitutional programs. Return these powers to the STATES where they belong. If California wants to tax its citizens into oblivion to fund cradle-to-grave welfare, that’s California’s business. If Texas wants a different approach, that’s Texas’s right. THAT’S FEDERALISM. THAT’S WHAT THE FOUNDERS DESIGNED.

And while we’re at it, let’s talk about SALT, the State and Local Tax deduction. You want unconstitutional? How about the federal government essentially SUBSIDIZING high-tax blue states by letting their residents deduct state taxes from federal returns? The rest of us are basically paying for New York and California’s spending habits! If you want to live somewhere with sky-high state taxes, that’s YOUR choice, but don’t ask Ohio taxpayers to foot the bill. States should raise their OWN taxes for their OWN programs, period.

This follows QUINN’S LAW #25 perfectly: “Liberals are great at giving away other people’s money.” They want the federal government to run everything because then they can force taxpayers in ALL fifty states to fund their pet projects. Can’t get your state to approve universal pre-K? No problem! Just federalize it and make Nebraska pay for San Francisco’s programs!

And Quinn’s Law #1 is on full display here too: “Liberalism always generates the exact opposite of its stated intent.” These programs were supposed to END poverty. Sixty years and TRILLIONS of dollars later, how’s that working out? The poverty rate hasn’t budged, but we’ve successfully created a permanent underclass dependent on government handouts voting for whoever promises to take more from others.

Fun historical note: In 1963, Congressman Albert Herlong read 45 Communist Goals for America into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. Goal #32: “Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture.” Goal #17: “Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism.”

Gee, does any of that sound familiar? Almost like there was a plan to concentrate power in Washington that certain people have been executing for decades…

The beauty of federalism, as the Court recognized in Bond v. United States (2011), is that it “secures the freedom of the individual” by keeping governmental power “diffused.” Concentrated power in Washington means LESS accountability, LESS responsiveness to local needs, and FEWER choices for citizens about how they want to live.

Don’t like Ohio’s policies? Move to Oregon. Don’t like Oregon’s taxes? Move to Florida. That’s FREEDOM. That’s CHOICE. That’s the CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN.

But instead we’ve got a federal government running programs it has absolutely NO constitutional authority to operate, funded by taxes it has no business collecting for these purposes, administered by bureaucrats who’ve never set foot in the communities they’re supposedly “helping.”

The STATES should be raising taxes for welfare programs. The STATES should be running retirement systems. The STATES should be handling healthcare assistance. Not Washington. Not unelected bureaucrats. The STATES, accountable to their own citizens.

It’s time to return to constitutional governance. It’s time for the Supreme Court to strike down this federal overreach. It’s time to remember that we’re supposed to be a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC with LIMITED federal powers, not a centralized administrative state where Washington decides everything for 330 million people.

But what do I know? I’m just someone who actually read the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and bothered to understand how this country was SUPPOSED to work.

3:45 PM · Dec 31, 2025“

As of the writing of this article, it had 60,000 views. It needs to have 60,000,000. Please share this article to friends and family. Mike is right. Federal Government has bloated and has become our new King. It may be leading us to our Second American Revolution.