The delegates . . . found the question of how to choose the federal executive one of the most perplexing they faced. People who want to abolish the Electoral College usually are unfamiliar with how perplexing the issue was—and still is.
Why Did the Framers Create the Electoral College?—1st in a Series Read More »
A Montana Policy Institute report documented the tribunal’s handling of ballot measures over three decades. Every measure expanding government power survived the Montana Supreme Court. Almost every measure restraining government died in the Montana Supreme Court.
The Montana Supreme Court’s Demonstrable Bias Against “Conservative” Voter Initiatives Read More »
[I]t became clear the ERA was a poorly-drafted measure that would do little for women’s rights. It would have transferred massive amounts of power away from local governments and elected representatives, handing it instead to lawyers, judges, and bureaucrats.
This much is clear: John Dickinson receives much more of our national gratitude than we have given him.
The most ‘underrated’ founder’s influence on America’s Constitution Read More »
Any states that allowed the federal government to interfere in their sovereign jurisdiction would be guilty of a breach of trust, for the “trustees or servants of the several states” were obliged to protect the authority citizens had placed in them.
Fifth (and last) in a Series: John Dickinson and the Ratification of the Constitution Read More »
The list of constitutional provisions impacted by Dickinson is a very long one.
Fourth in a Series: John Dickinson’s Contributions to the Constitution Read More »
Dickinson was one of the few to free his own slaves during his lifetime.
Third in a Series: John Dickinson During the Continental and Confederation Periods Read More »
“We cannot be happy without being free,” Dickinson wrote in Farmer Letter XII. “We cannot be free without being secure in our own property … We cannot be secure in our property, if, without our consent, others may take it away.”
Second in a Series: The Message of the Farmer Letters Read More »
This year marks the 250th anniversary of one of the most influential series of writings in American history.
First In a Series: John Dickinson Comes Into Prominence Read More »
The unstated goal is to change the balance of power among humans—and to undermine democracy and the rule of law.
Rights for a River? An Effort to Undermine Democracy and Make the Law Unfair Read More »
The Farmer letters went well beyond asserting the case against taxation without representation; they also helped clarify American constitutional thinking on other questions, including: Which government responsibilities should be exercised centrally and which locally?
John Dickinson’s ‘Farmer’ Letters on Their 250th Anniversary Read More »
[B]ecause almost everyone conforms in most respects to prevailing social practices, disqualification for such conduct is necessarily arbitrary and driven more by politics than by merit.
Why removing historical monuments is a bad idea Read More »
