Remember Roscoe Filburn

Remember Roscoe Filburn is currently out of print (unless there is some huge unexpected demand) BUT you can still download the book’s text: here and for free.

Roscoe Filburn was an Ohio farmer who was fined by the federal government for planting more than the federally allotted amount of wheat on his farm. Mr. Filburn argued that the amount of wheat in excess of his allotment was for his personal use and since it did not enter commerce at all (much less interstate commerce) Congress had no authority to regulate that personal-use amount.  In its seminal decision in Wickard v. Filburn, the Supreme Court stated that under Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce, personal conduct, not involved in interstate commerce, may still be regulated by Congress.

If you’ve ever wondered how the federal government has been able to grow so large, cumbersome, and intrusive, a great part of the answer lies in Congressional abuse of its Commerce Clause powers.

This book examines the history of the expansion of Congressional power, makes the case for a Constitutional amendment to clearly specify a more limited role in regulating commerce, and details a method for proposing and ratifying the twenty-eighth Amendment. It is my hope that this book will help spur a dialog on this subject among local and state governments and concerned citizens.