John C. Calhoun

While on vacation I took the opportunity to read some about Mr. Calhoun. The South Carolina politician had some interesting thoughts regarding majority rule versus consensus rule.

Mr. Calhoun pointed out that American federalism had an apparent flaw in that the federal government could not be the final judge of its own powers. Citizens had to be able to defend themselves when national majorities in Congress violated Constitutional limits with the complicity of the executive and judicial branches of the national government. If the seperation of powers and checks and balance system is not in working order then citizens have a right to defend themselves against the federal government.

"Calhoun reasoned that because the people of the states gave their consent to the Constitution through the state ratification process, they, not the national government, were sovereign. Thus, the people of the states possessed the legal authority to protect both themselves and American liberty by declaring unconstitutional acts of Congress null and void within their respective states."

Perhaps Mr. Calhoun is correct in his assessment. If so health care reform should be a non-event.