[m.i.sanders]

This is just a matter of personal curiousity. What specifically grants the Federal Gov. the power to pass laws/rules/etc on various topics like local land use, the AWB, abortion, kidnapping, etc. As much as I can tell, if it doesn't relate to interstate commerce, do they really have that much authority?

[grampster]

In the present day, the Federal Gubmint has as much power as it cares to exercise as long as the public, who elects their representatives, goes along with the mischief promulgated by those same reps, judges are appointed to the courts in direct proportion to their political correctness, activist quotient and willingness to subvert the Constitution and BoR, and finally we continue to support government schools in the same fashion that we do today.:banghead:

[braindead0]

Generally, they simply blackmail states into passing the laws they want by threatening to withhold highway funds, educations funds..etc. (funds they shouldn't have).

Federal laws technically only apply on federal property, but.. they've browbeat most (if not all) states into passing the same or similar laws.

I think that's part of the problem.

[El Tejon]

The "plenary power" of our friend the Commerce Clause=the big hammer of unlimited government.