Let the states take care of it

Do some conservatives believe the simple ideology that the states should just take care of everything except for national defense.  This simple idea would be a much more compelling argument than what they are trying now.  Repeal Obamacare, the federal government should do anything for healthcare; if you state wants to give you health insurance, go for it (for example, all children in NYS have access to free health insurance).  This completely removes the argument that repealing Obamacare (or any federal program) hurts people.  It isn't about helping or hurting people, it is about giving the responsibilities back to the states.  New York can have sanctuary cities (because their people want it), and Alabama can make it illegal (because that is what their people want).  New York can restrict fracking, but Idaho can have a giant fracking party.  It is their people and they will deal with the consequences.  The idea would be even better, if there was an automatic tax shift.  For example, if the federal government does less, taxes should go down, but if you want to maintain those services, the state taxes should go up.  Than the states should have the choice of running those programs or cutting them and not increasing the state tax at all.  In some ways this makes sense.  Abortion in Chile are illegal and I don't freak out.  On a related note look at the counties in which abortions are illegal.   I don't know anyone in Chile, but I also don't know anyone in Kentucky either. You can have an uzi in Texas, but bring a handgun into New York and its 20 years hard time.

If this is their agenda, they need to communicate it better.  I still wouldn't agree with it and believe that the federal government should play a critical role in protecting and supporting all Americans. I believe that we should have standards for the law, for trade, for voting, for the environment, for quality of life, etc.  These standards should be protected and there is efficiency in having certain federal agencies instead of just 50 different state agencies.  Sometimes I really think there is just a fundamental issue of poor communication.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Free Shakespeare Tickets - Contest #3

My girlfriend and I have two extra tickets to Much Ado About Nothing in the park tonight (Saturday August 7). Since we thought selling free tickets was a little unethical, we decided to have a contest to see who needs them the most. So, if you are interested please go to http://danlipka.blogspot.com/ and post a comment that best describes why you want/need the tickets. The stories can be made up, but you have to specifically say if it is fictional (true stories carry more weight than fiction, but creativity is also a good thing). If you have any questions post them on the blog or email them to me. Tickets can be picked up on the upper east side or by the theater. Contest ends at 6:00 unless something changes, (well maybe at 5:30). Good Luck. 6:14 - It's all over. We have selected and contacted the winners. I’m sorry to all those who weren’t chosen, as you all were deserving of the tickets. To those couples that couldn’t get to go, I say to spend the night together, have a roma
Read more

The Constitution and Justice

When the Supreme Court rules, they often struggle to understand the depth and meanings in some of the words or phrases in the Constitution. However, the Founders provided very clear language as to what they were trying to accomplish from a vision standpoint. Although not the law, the Preamble provides critical guidance that should be the first reference for any court ruling. "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." Specifically, the word "Justice". It is the very first thing they wanted to establish. Justice should be the defining feature of any law, and anything that increase injustice should be unconstitutional. The very first question at any Supreme Court hearing should always be
Read more

Lessons from History - Democracy

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time" - Winston Churchill I am currently reading biographies on each of the US Presidents. I'm only on Madison, but I've learned some incredible insights into the dysfunctions of our government. Since the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1777, politicians and the wealthy have been constantly undermining justice, equality, and the idea that they should prioritize the good of the nation above all else. The disgraces of current politicians are nothing new and have been part of US political culture since our country's founding. For example, the southern states refused to adopt the constitution unless it counted enslaved people at 3/5 of a person for the purposes of having more ele
Read more