I give you a solemn oath:

• To obey and defend the United States Constitution,
• to work tirelessly to undo the damage done by other politicians,
• to work tirelessly to prevent more damage by other politicians,
• to always vote against socialism,
• and not accept campaign contributions from PACs or non-individuals.

If elected, I will:

• Vote against all spending increases.
• Vote against all taxes increases.
• Vote against all bills that violate the Constitution.
• Vote against all bills that increase the size or influence of government.
• Vote against all bills that weaken the sovereignty of the United States.
• Vote against all bills that would require any compromise of principles.
• Vote for all bills that protect the rights of individuals and do violate one the above principles.

Because the U.S. Constitution Enumerated Powers (this explicitly enumerates all the power the Federal Government should have - period!)

Article 1, Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

• To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
• To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;
• To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;
• To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
• To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;
• To establish post offices and post roads;
• To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
• To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
• To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;
• To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;
• To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;
• To provide and maintain a navy;
• To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;
• To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
• To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
• To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And
• To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

Amendment X - 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.

I encourage you, the voter, to print this page and put it in a safe place. This is my contract with you. I can make this contract with you because, unlike Republicans and Democrats, I am a man of my word.  I am a man of principle.

I am proudly sign the 10th Amendment Federal Pledge:

As a public office holder, or a candidate for public office, I affirm that:

1.  All just political authority is derived from the People, and government may only be established and maintained with their consent.

2.  The People of each State have the sole and exclusive right and power to govern themselves in all areas not delegated to their government.

3.  A government without limits is a tyranny.

4.  The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that which has been delegated by the people to the federal government in the Constitution, and also that which is necessary and proper to advancing those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution of the United States.  The rest is to be handled by the state governments, or by the people themselves, as they determine.

5. In order for a federally-exercised power to be “necessary and proper” it must be a) something that, without which, would make the enumerated power impossible to exercise, and b) a lesser power than that which has been enumerated

6. The “Interstate Commerce Clause” in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, does not permit Congress to regulate matters that merely affect commerce among the States.  It only permits Congress to regulate trade among the States.

7. The phrase, “general Welfare,” in Article I, Section 8 does not authorize Congress to enact any laws it claims are in the “general Welfare” of the United States.  The phrase sets forth the requirement that all laws passed by Congress in Pursuance of the enumerated powers of the Constitution shall also be in the general Welfare of the United States.  This was affirmed by James Madison when he wrote: “With respect to the words “general welfare,” I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators.”

8. The federal government is not authorized to tax the People to raise monies for unconstitutional purposes.  Likewise, the federal government is not authorized to condition funding to State or local governments on compliance with mandates which require them to do what the federal government is not authorized to do directly.

9. When Congress enacts laws and regulations that are not made in Pursuance of the powers enumerated in the Constitution, the People are not bound to obey them.

10. When the federal government exceeds its Constitutional authority, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy.  Without that remedy, the People would be living in a tyranny, under the unlawful and excessive control of one or more branches of the federal government.

As a public office holder, or a candidate for public office, I promise that, as long as I hold office:

1. My votes will always be in favor of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this State.  Every issue.  Every time.  No exceptions.  No excuses.

2. I do, and will continue to, oppose any and all efforts by the federal government to act beyond its Constitutional authority.

3. I will proactively introduce and support measures designed to adhere to the Tenth Amendment and preserve, to their fullest extent, the powers of the People in my district, and of the legislators and administrations of my State.

4. I will introduce, sponsor and support a resolution affirming the sovereignty of the People of each State under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

5. I will introduce, sponsor, and support legislation that seeks to repeal laws and regulations that are outside the scope of the powers delegated by the people to the federal government.

6. I will introduce, sponsor and support legislation that provides such relief as is necessary and proper to provide fair redress to the citizens of my State in response to actions by the federal government which exceeds its Constitutional authority.

7. Whenever I vote in favor of a new federal power, I will always make public my justification for it within the confines of the enumerated powers of the Constitution.

8. I will only vote in favor of a bill that I have thoroughly read, considered and understood.

9. I will be accountable to voters.  Upon request, I will make public every vote I cast while in office.

10. I will keep this pledge public, and will provide a link on my website which directs constituents to the text of this pledge.

A signed copied of my pledge can be found at: http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/pledges/JoeBellis.pdf 

Moveover, I am willing and able to accept Glenn Beck's challenge to Congress, The 5 Pledges:

1. I believe in a balanced budget and therefore will vote for a freeze in government spending until that goal is realized.

2. I believe government should not increase the financial burden on its citizenry during a difficult economic times, therefore I will oppose all tax increases until our economy has rebounded.

3. I believe more than four decades of US dependence on foreign oil is a travesty, therefore I will support an energy plan that calls for immediately increasing usage of all domestic resources including nuclear energy, natural gas and coal as necessary.

4. I believe in the sovereignty and security of our country and therefore will support measures to close our borders except for designated immigration points so we will know who is entering and why. I will vehemently oppose any measure giving another country, the United Nations, or any other entity power over US citizens.

5. I believe the United States of America is the greatest country on earth and therefore will not apologize for policies or actions which have served to free more and feed more people around the world than any other nation on the planet.

Please feel free to send this to my opponents and challenge them to agree to the same.

Contact Information:

Joe Bellis for Senate
9615 Hardy
Overland Park KS 66212

Phone: (913) 620-4281
Email: joe@bellisforsenate.com