Out of all political organizations and think tanks, the Tenth Amendment Center is one of my absolute favorites. One of the biggest reasons why is its effectiveness, especially considering its humble origins in Michael Boldin’s apartment. And today, it remains largely an operation run out of Boldin’s apartment, though with a wide network of volunteers all across the country. I know not what the TAC’s annual budget is, but it is far less than those DC organizations that have been with us for decades and haven’t really made much of an impact on Washington’s growth in power. Meanwhile, the TAC has had a direct hand in getting state law and local ordinances passed that counteract federal overreach on a range of issues, like hemp laws, NSA spying, firearms restrictions, medical care, etc. They have done so much with so little and, frankly, it’s exciting.
What I also love about TAC is its uncompromising dedication to principle. It goes beyond their motto, “The Constitution. Every issue, every time. No exceptions, no excuses.” They have declined to register with the IRS as a non-profit, as they refuse to accept the vulnerability such a move would entail (e.g., take a look at Campaign for Liberty’s battle with the IRS for refusing to share their donor list).
They have also done an outstanding job of creating coalitions of individuals and groups with widely varying political ideologies (take a look at their OffNow Coalition, for example). Individuals of all political stripes (except for totalitarians) should be able to find an issue that they agree with TAC upon and use their combined resources to effect change. I think TAC’s being issue-oriented, rather than party- or ideology-oriented, has contributed a lot to its success.
And instead of telling you about all the problems of the federal government and leaving you feeling hopeless and dejected, TAC offers real options to apply one’s efforts to change things. They have a bill tracking that helps one know the state of proposed legislation in their state and what to do if he or she wants to support it. If you want to volunteer, Michael Boldin will find something for you to do. It’s wonderful.
I promise the Tenth Amendment Center is not paying me anything at all to write this. As gushing and seemingly sycophantic today’s post may seem, it’s how I feel. TAC is a great organization and I would encourage all who value individual liberty to check it out.
Anarcho-Buddy! 