Friday, November 05, 2010

Federal taxation

From Federalist Paper #31
Revenue is as requisite to the purposes of the local administrations as to those of the Union; and the former are at least of equal importance with the latter to the happiness of the people. It is, therefore, as necessary that the State governments should be able to command the means of supplying their wants, as that the national government should possess the like faculty in respect to the wants of the Union.

But an indefinite power of taxation in the latter might, and probably would in time, deprive the former of the means of providing for their own necessities; and would subject them entirely to the mercy of the national legislature.

– written by Alexander Hamilton and published in the New York Packet on Tuesday, January 1, 1788.

Monday, September 27, 2010

John Randolph on the 2nd Amendment

John Randolph in a letter to St. George Tucker on what would become the the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, 11 September 1789
"A majority of the Senate for not allowing the militia arms & if two thirds had agreed it would have been an amendment to the Constitution. They are afraid that the Citizens will stop their full Career to Tyranny & Oppression."

Basically, career politicians wanted to limit the right of the people to have guns out of fear that they would overthrow them from power or whack them.

Monday, March 15, 2010

The case for which I had jury duty.

For the second time in two years, I got tagged for jury duty. Last week I spent Monday and Tuesday at the court house while a jury was picked for a criminal case. I never did get chosen since all 12 plus an alternate were seated before I got called from the jury pool. I found the case disposition online today.

DA's Office Convicts Two Habitual Felons

Both Defendants Found Guilty Of Eluding Deputies
A Johnston County man was sentenced to 80 to 105 months in jail on Wednesday after being found guilty by a Johnston County jury of speeding to elude arrest during a chase with Johnston County deputies. Jimmie Wayne Banks attempted to avoid a traffic stop by Deputy David Hildreth. Banks drover his car at a high rate of speed several times around a CVS Pharmacy parking then onto Highway 42 and Cleveland School Road before crashing and overturning his car. Banks had previous convictions for felony possession of cocaine and felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury.