Utah Nullification

Well, just as I was about to purchase the books, I saw that Amazon (the cheapest place to get them) had increased their price by $3 per book. When you’re ordering 100+ books, that adds up quick! So we had to increase our goal from $2,000 to $2,300 to compensate. We’re getting close!

On Monday I’ll be ordering the books from the publisher, whose bulk discount was not cheaper than Amazon’s original price, but now is slightly cheaper after Amazon’s price hike. In the next couple of weeks I’ll be putting together a draft of the letter that will be included in each book we’ll be sending to every Utah legislator, as well as emailed directly to them in anticipation of the book’s arrival. Stay tuned for that draft which I’ll post here for your reviewing pleasure.

We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on this project and are very encouraged by the many donations that have been made in its support. We’re just a few hundred dollars away from raising the total amount needed — please donate and encourage your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to do the same!

We submitted the following op-ed to the Daily Herald which was published today:

The founding fathers of this nation wisely created a government with several important checks and balances to separate and curb the powers delegated to it under the U.S. Constitution. Congress passes the laws, the Executive enforces them, and the Judiciary arbitrates when conflicts arise.

It is to this latter branch of the federal government people often look when concerned with a law’s constitutionality. In light of numerous and increasing examples, though, where the judicial branch upholds the constitutionality of a law that clearly exceeds the limited powers delegated by the states, the question must be asked: what recourse, if any, do the states have?

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It’s payday (well, for most people)! That means it’s time to do another push in fundraising for the Utah Nullification project!

We are at 60% of our fundraising goal, and eager to move into the next phase of the project — where we purchase and distribute the books. We’re hoping to get this going soon so that legislators have ample time to read the book before next year’s legislative session begins.

Will you help us? Can you afford, and are you willing to donate $10, $25, $50 or more to help us reach our goal? Please click the “ChipIn” button at the top right of this page to donate.

Thank you for your support — at this time, the thing we most need is whatever donation you can offer. Please also spread the word to family, friends, and neighbors and ask them to do the same!

We’re just over three days into the project and are almost halfway complete with our fundraising goal! If you have not yet donated and are able to, please consider contributing what you can. Click the sidebar widget to start your donation, and thanks!

Tuesday afternoon, I was interviewed by KVNU about the project, and nullification in general. It was an interesting conversation (primarily because of the stark disagreement being offered by Jason); click here to listen.

That evening, Pyrolitical’s Call for Freedom interviewed Tom Woods about his new book and had some great discussion on nullification. If you weren’t able to listen in, you can listen to the archived podcast here. Dr. Woods is very entertaining and persuasive character, and presents his case well.

Please be sure to share the project with your friends and family through whatever means you have at your disposal. The success of this project relies on each of you! Everybody I’ve talked to is super excited about this project, and we’re all eager to have the funds needed to purchase the books and get the ball rolling.

How fitting that the idea for this project came to me on Independence Day weekend—a day after the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed, and the day before the anniversary of the traditional celebration.

The idea is simple: buy a copy of Tom Woods’ book Nullification for every Utah state legislator (just over 100 of them).

The total funds raised will be used to purchase the books and mail them to each legislator. Any leftover funds will be used to purchase copies of the book for Utah’s federal delegation, state executive leadership (Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, etc.), Utah Supreme Court justices, etc.

The ideas this book contains are crucial in our political climate today, and have already successfully been implemented by Utah on several occasions. Learn more about the project, or read a review of the book!

Project’s goal is to raise funds to purchase a copy of a new book on the topic of state nullification for every Utah legislator

Lehi, UT, July 6, 2010 — On the heels of the release of bestselling author Thomas E. Woods’ new book, Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, a local political activist has launched a project to put the book into the hands of every state legislator in Utah. In his latest work, Woods, a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, explains the history, purpose, and effective use of state nullification as a check on federal laws and programs that exceed constitutional authority.

On the announcement of the Utah Nullification project, Woods commented: “Thomas Jefferson warned that if the federal government is allowed to hold a monopoly on determining the extent of its own powers, we have no right to be surprised when it keeps discovering new ones. History clearly shows that it has just done that, and despite their protests, resolutions, and lawsuits, the states have repeatedly ceded their sovereignty to an ever-expanding accumulation of federal power. The subject of nullification is one that every concerned citizen should familiarize himself with, but most especially the legislators of the several states. I look forward to what will unfold in Utah once each of the state legislators is given the opportunity to study this information and consider its application.”

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