# How Many states before SC Forced To Rule on SSM? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 20, 2014, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-before-sc-forced-to-rule-on-ssm/688820 "2014-05-20T12:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 187
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-before-sc-forced-to-rule-on-ssm/688820/187 "2014-06-03T16:03:21Z")
**Really Not All that Bright** : it would be improper to hold you to what you said in another thread as applying here, but it is not improper to ask you whether this claim you made applies here, and if not, why not? > [@Do people have a right to be "safe"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-have-a-right-to-be-safe/689922/8): > > Well, not really. This whole idea of limited government really only applies to the federal government. The state governments have always had plenary power, which in real life means they can do pretty much anything. > > The federal constitution is the source of the federal government’s authority. The feds can only do what the constitution says they can. The state constitution is a _check_ on state government’s power, and works the opposite way: the state government can do anything unless the state constitution says they _can’t_. > > So we’ve never historically had this (much cited) society where people can do as they please unless the government has a good reason to prohibit something. That has developed over a long period of time basically from thin air. I hold the “right” to SSM has appeared out of thin air, what makes SSm different, if indeed you deny this view in application here? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-before-sc-forced-to-rule-on-ssm/688820)._