Enclave Clause
Why most federal land holdings are unconstitutional and why you should care
This summer has been quite a wildfire season in the western United States. Uncontrollable fires are becoming increasingly common in the West, but many people in other parts of the country do not understand why. This ignorance makes citizens prey to propaganda about...
Why the District of Columbia should not be a state
In June 1783, the Confederation Congress was meeting in what is now Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Continental soldiers surrounded the building demanding back pay. They were peaceful, but the intimidation was plain. Congress asked Pennsylvania authorities to clear...
Reduce Holdings of Federal Lands
Interior secretary nominee Ryan Zinke served his country honorably as a Navy SEAL, but in affirming in his federal lands testimony that he would refuse to loosen the government’s chokehold on America’s land, he did the U.S. a disservice. Reasonable people can disagree...
What Does the Constitution Say About Federal Land Ownership?
The “Bundy stand-off” in Oregon at a federal wildlife refuge has triggered (or, rather, re-triggered) questions about the constitutionality of federal land ownership. Westerners in particular question why the federal government should own nearly 30% of the country. In...