NBR: Explain it to me like a 6 year old

rachaelski

We've been having a nice, civil discussion about politics on the UO thread (seriously!). From that conversation, Jillian and several others mentioned the small federal government idea. Can someone explain to me why they think this is a big deal? Is there really a big difference in the federal vs. state government making decisions? Is it about individualized needs of the state? I'm in no way being snarky or looking for an argument....

 

In my state, many people in our state government do not have college degrees... call me a snob, but I think if people are running a state or country they need to be as smart or smarter than me. Errr, well at least educated (education does not mean intelligence).  

vtcnicely

Rachael - I think you and I are very like minded when it comes to politics, so I'll try to explain why I'm behind a smaller federal government.

The originial idea for government in the U.S as I understood it is to keep government and the decisions as close to the people as possible.  The decisions that may be correct for the people of Maine may be different from those that are needed in Oregon or Illinois.

I think if the states DID have more power, people would be more interested in their local/state elections than they are currently.  And informed/involved voters are always a good thing. 

MrsNash37212

vtcnicely:

Rachael - I think you and I are very like minded when it comes to politics, so I'll try to explain why I'm behind a smaller federal government (btw I'm actually a gov't contractor).

The originial idea for government in the U.S as I understood it is to keep government and the decisions as close to the people as possible.  The decisions that may be correct for the people of Maine may be different from those that are needed in Oregon or Illinois.

I think if the states DID have more power, people would be more interested in their local/state elections than they are currently.  And informed/involved voters are always a good thing. 

I couldn't have said it better myself.

rachaelski

Okay....that's helpful! 

catch2010

I wasn't in this conversation, but I'll try to explain it the best I can.  Please feel free to correct me or jump in if this is more your conviction!

The 10th Amendment reserves all powers not listed as specifically for the federal government to the states or the people.  One of the big reasons why the founders were so leery of making the federal government huge is because they didn't want another monarchy (although some wanted to make Washington king...)  I think the big problem comes into play when the federal government expands to fill a void that could easily be handled by the state governments. 

Some things make sense to legislate on the federal level.  Bumper heights on cars, for example.  Those are going to cross state lines and safety should be maintained.  No one in their right mind is going to say that the Pure Food and Drug Act was a bad idea.  But, if it wasn't something directly granted to the federal government through the Consititution, there is a conflict.  The Consititution is made to be amended for this very reason.

Hope that helps, and I'm by no means an expert, but this is my understanding.

(Had to add: I think it's folly to assume that a college degree indicates smartness or any speciality in politics, just my opinion.  I've met plenty of idiots with PhDs and JDs as well as very intelligent people who didn't want to go past high school!  I live in DC and you better believe that there are several people here with degress that have no idea what they're talking about!)

ClaraEarlene

It doesn't help that the federal government has a history of threatening to withhold highway funds from states that don't pass certain laws.  This is why every state how has a drinking age of 21... because the federal government bullied us into it. It's crap like that that undermines the 10th Amendment.

jnealet

vtcnicely:

Rachael - I think you and I are very like minded when it comes to politics, so I'll try to explain why I'm behind a smaller federal government.

The originial idea for government in the U.S as I understood it is to keep government and the decisions as close to the people as possible.  The decisions that may be correct for the people of Maine may be different from those that are needed in Oregon or Illinois.

I think if the states DID have more power, people would be more interested in their local/state elections than they are currently.  And informed/involved voters are always a good thing. 

 

What she's leaving out is that the US Gov't did try this at first and it failed miserably, the country almost dissolved.  While its a nice idea, it would only build walls around states and cause problems.