Posted by Matt Collins on 10/07/09 3:41 PM Last updated 10/08/09 11:24 AM   [Newer: Is TNGOP telling us to vote against Rep "Zigzag-Zach" Wamp?] [Older: Sens Corker & Alexander ready to compromise on health care?]

Apparently US Representative and TN Gubernatorial candidate "Zigzag-Zach" Wamp has cosponsored a bill that will unionize fire, police, and EMTs across the country.

HR 413 which "Zigzag-Zach" has signed on to provides "collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions."

Can someone cite where in the US Constitution the federal government is allowed to have anything to do with unions, or police/fire/medical services?

Besides being blatantly unconstitutional this bill also subjugates the power of the State governments as guaranteed in the 10th Amendment. And finally the bill "grants" power to the Labor Relations Authority (yet another unconstitutional entity) that Congress itself does not possess. How can Congress give something it doesn't have?

If Representative "Zigzag-Zach" Wamp continually disregards the US Constitution, which by the way he took an oath to uphold, then why should the People of Tennessee trust him with even more power by elevating him to the office of Governor?

This was brought to my attention in a recent letter delivered to Rep "Zigzag-Zach" Wamp's office by the National Right To Work Committee. You can view the letter here.

If you would like to let his office know how you feel about this, his contact information can be located here:
http://www.house.gov/wamp/contact_offices.shtm

(UPDATE) ON EDIT:

Unbeknown to me at the time of this posting the TN Republican Party just today sent out an e-mail decrying Democrat Ty Cobb for his association with the SEIU, and calling Cobb a "Big Labor, Big Union candidate". This simply goes to further show how far away Rep "Zigzag Zach" Wamp has wandered from Constitutional / limited-government Republican principles by supporting federal unionization such as HR413.

You can see the letter here:
http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/10/07/desperate-times-call-for-desperate-fundraising-appeals/

______________________________
DISCLAIMER:

Matt Collins is the Vice Chair of both the Davidson County (Nashville) Republican Party and the TN Republican Liberty Caucus. He is also the Davidson County Coordinator for the Campaign for Liberty, and a talk radio producer at 99.7 WTN. Nothing he communicates is to be considered an official statement representative of any organization he belongs to or is an officer of, including the Campaign for Liberty, Republican Liberty Caucus, WTN, Liberty on the Rocks, America's Future Foundation, The Tennessee Liberty Alliance, Rand Paul for Senate, or the Davidson County (Nashville) Republican Party. His opinions are his own.

Posted 10/07/09 4:20 PM JeremyDahl chattanooga, TN

Good Job Matt, keep up the hard work!

Posted 10/08/09 09:19 AM Major C Sharp garden grove, CA

http://www.lawnix.com/cases/nlrb-jones.html Here's your constitutionality on labor relations

Posted 10/08/09 11:27 AM Matt Collins Antioch, TN

MCS - Except that the NLRA is prima facie unconstittuional, and so is the NLRB vs Jones court ruling.

Posted 10/08/09 12:10 PM Major C Sharp garden grove, CA

"John has been shot dead. Joe has been found near John with a smoking gun. Therefore, this is prima facie evidence of Joe having shot John with a smoking gun." Prima facie evidence does not work. Otherwise, we wouldn't need a judicial branch. Also, collective bargaining is a 1st amendment right anyways.

Posted 10/09/09 7:12 PM Matt Collins Antioch, TN

MCS - You are missing the point. I am not saying that collective bargaining is bad, illegal, or unprotected. However the US federal government is not allowed to have anything to do with it in the Constitution. Can you cite where in the Constitution this is allowed?

Posted 10/20/09 07:43 AM JonCampbell Kingsport, TN

Silence affirms the negative I think.