By Charlie Meadows

When our Founding Fathers set up our government, they strongly believed in American federalism, where government would exist through different jurisdictions. The most important of those different jurisdictions were to be the states. The powers of the federal government were to be very limited, and a larger role to be reserved for state governments. In so doing, they wanted the various states to compete among each other to fashion the best form of government at the least cost to the citizens.

Ever since the "War of Northern Aggression," mistakenly called the Civil War, the federal government has become intoxicated with raw power and ballooned to a tyrannical size and scope far beyond what the most passionate federalist could have ever imagined. Rather than the federal government existing as an entity of the uniting of the various states, it has become the heavy handed master of the states with ever more mandates wiping away competitive distinctions between them.

As a result, we are seeing 10th Amendment resolutions being debated in various state legislatures. Though there isn't a lot of teeth in the resolutions at this point, at least these resolutions are waking people up to the rising power of the feds and the destruction of the rights of the states. Some of us are clamoring for the competition between the states to come back, allowing us in Oklahoma to show the superiority of conservatism and liberty over the concepts of liberalism, central planning and fascist controls over our lives and property.

In reality, while Oklahoma was the reddest state in the union during the last election -- giving the largest percentage margin in the U.S. to John McCain, as well as gaining seats in the legislature -- all is not perfect in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, we do have a large number of Republicans who are moderate to liberal, and that doesn't even count the liberal Democrats.

However, I believe there is a natural population shift occurring with people from all over America. People who have become dissatisfied with the heavy handedness of the feds, as well as in some instances bloated and intrusive state and local governments.

Thus, many conservatives and Christians are moving to Oklahoma because we are perceived to be more conservative and liberty minded than folks in other states. If that trend continues, each and every election cycle will produce a more conservative electorate, and thus an ever more conservative state and local government.

To make my point, let me relate several encounters with real living, breathing people in recent months. In January I attended the Clouds Over America seminar held here in Oklahoma. Flying in from Ohio was a conservative patriot I had met in Wisconsin this past fall. He and another friend had come here to check out Oklahoma to determine whether or not he and his new bride to be would move to Oklahoma to be a part of a more conservative culture.

I suggested we go out to lunch after the seminar with some other folks I had recently met who now live in Eastern Oklahoma. So, here I am sitting at the table with the two men from Ohio across the table, and the man on my left had moved his family here from Pennsylvania a couple of years earlier, partly because of our conservatism. On the left of him was a man who had moved his family here from West Virginia, and the man across the table from him had recently moved his family here from New York. The main draw for all of them was home schooling opportunities, greater Christian influence, and conservatism.

However, it doesn't stop here. The night before the state Republican convention, I met another couple who had moved here from New York, primarily for the greatest freedoms for home schooling. I also met two couples who had driven down from New Hampshire, just to attend the Republican convention and evaluate whether or not they would move to Oklahoma. The draw for them was the conservatism displayed during the past election cycle.

On the other hand, during the past election cycle, I also read a response to one of the M.O.M.S. post cards which educated people about Jim Roth and his ties to the homosexual agenda. The response came from a very angry mother of a homosexual man who refused to live in Oklahoma because of our conservative values. She expressed anger over the narrow minded "red necks" and disgust over the amount of money she had to spend to visit her son since he wouldn't even come back to Oklahoma for a visit. She also indicated that she didn't know why she continued to live in a state with such backward people?

With these examples in mind, let me get to the point. Today, throughout America, we have people who believe in limited government, private property rights, liberty, and Christian values. We also have people who believe in socialism, collectivism, large government and hate Christian values. So here is the suggestion, for the latter, why don't they consider moving to San Francisco, New York City, Vermont or some other bastion of liberalism? I am sure they would have much less heartburn compared to all the conservative Oklahoma values with which they now have to endure.

Then of course, for the conservatives who are spread out all over America, why don't they move to Oklahoma and really get involved in our political process? That would really move Oklahoma toward a more conservative and moral state based on Christian values and principles? I am all in favor of such a conservative migration inflow, and liberal outflow, re-alignment as Oklahoma would then become a much better place to live and raise a family.