A 10th Amendment Joyride (PDS)

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." Amendment X, Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution.

It's Tuesday evening. It's a school night.

Do you know where the 10th Amendment is right now? Do you know who it is hanging out with? Do you care?

You may not think you have to worry about the 10th Amendment. You voted to leave it with sensible caretakers. You checked their references, examined their trackrecords, and you were impressed by their seemingly thoughtful demeanor. In the past, you could leave the house and not worry that the 10th Amendment was in shaky hands, right?

Well, I'm sorry, but it turns out that the 10th Amendment has been on a joyride with those who claim to be in favor of limited government. It was stuck in the backseat of a '78 Camero, seatbelt off, loud rock and roll music blasting, and Tom Delay drunk at the wheel. If you are like me, you feared that, once this joyride was over, you might find the 10th Amendment passed out in the backseat, the faint smell of barf in the air, and its red lipstick smeared in all the wrong places.

Fear not. This is springtime. Yes, kids do dumb things in the spring. And yes, the caretakers may have been feeling their "senior class" oats, but they will come to their senses. Most important, however, the 10th Amendment is made of good stock. When a tempting Bob Marley Doobie was passed its way, the 10th Amendment took a pass. I think we can be forgiven for worrying.

It turns out that the 10th Amendment was alittle embarrassed to be in the same car as those guys.