The integrity, perseverance, and success of the 2020 state-run national election is testimony to where the true strength of our democracy lies – in the states. For that reason, and because great cost efficiencies could be realized, we should wind down the power of the federal government and put it in the hands of the states. Our country started as a state-centric government, but we evolved into an overwhelmingly strong federal government, and it is time to get back to our roots.
There is still a need for many roles for a federal level government, but there are many arguments against the wisdom of its current reach, such as:
- Gridlock – Congress gets little done, and when it does legislate, modern laws are so poorly devised and complicated (thank you lobbyists) that they often cause more trouble than they solve. Many argue this is due to partisan vitriol, but the creation of a political class (both parties) so far removed from those it represents is also a problem.
- Perversion of the Branches of Government – The intended design of checks and balances is dead. This is due to the great expansion of Executive branch power with Congress’ failure to check it and the politicization of the Supreme Court. The three branches are no longer what they are supposed to be.
- Byzantine Federal Programs – Although many federal programs, such as educational programs, housing programs, and subsidies for the poor, may have been well intentioned at their start, so many of them have become twisted bureaucratic fiefdoms that have forgotten their missions because they are too far away from the boots on the ground.
- Campaigns – There’s way too much money in campaigning, and thanks to Citizens United, one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever made, there is too much local campaigning funded by national manipulators. Basically, local campaigns are becoming nationalized for partisan federal government purposes.
- Burrowing – “Burrowing” is when political appointees are moved to Civil Service positions so their ideologies can persist because they won’t be fired when elected power changes. This harms the Civil Service, which otherwise could provide a great service if it remains politically neutral as it has in the past.
- Wasteful Spending – When federal programs are applied to some local issues (e.g., school aid) its funding comes from local citizens’ federal taxes, goes to Washington who takes a cut, and goes back to the local areas. Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to keep the money local in the first place?
This last point is the crux of this proposal, which is not to “defund the government” but to shift money and power from the federal government to state governments. But it’s complicated. Being closer to the people they represent and their problems, state governments can be more effective, especially with the extra money they could have by avoiding Washington’s cut. On the other hand, states have been known to develop some very unfair or damaging practices if left on their own. In addition, some local needs are best served by federal programs, such as interstate highways and disaster relief. The solution is to have a federal government establish national standards that the states must implement, while also providing services that benefit from economies of scale and are required for international relations. These issues were central to the Federalist Papers.
By this proposal, the federal government should certainly continue activities such as the Defense, State, and some or all of the Commerce Departments as well as Homeland Security, research and other economy-of-scale programs such as FEMA. The other Departments need a closer look to determine what is most efficient – national or state responsibility. The remainder of its role would be to establish and enforce national standards that states must meet for things like the environment, energy, and equality so we remain a nation instead of enclaves of bias. Commensurate with this reduced role, federal taxes would be decreased, but state taxes would increase commensurate with their enhanced role.
As usual, the devil is in the details, but do you really feel like you are being well served by the federal government as it currently exists?