From Roll Call this weekend:
Sen. Jim DeMint argued for a “devolution of power out of Washington,” saying Sunday that “the fact is, education probably would work a lot better without the Department of Education.”
He added:
“I would support a devolution of power out of Washington for education, health care, transportation, and I’ve introduced a lot of legislation for that, too,” DeMint added, saying the power should go to the states. “And you can do it in a common-sense, reasonable way that doesn’t disrupt any of the activities that we support.”
Looking at the issue with my French perspective, it seems that for many years federalism acted as a safeguard of American freedoms. Economically, it makes sense. A federal government that is large in size and scope is a real threat to our liberties, political and economic.
Unfortunately, today, because of policymakers and court rulings, federalism doesn’t seem to mean much. Many of the federal government’s activities are things that should be provided by the states and the private sector.
I have written a little about the topic of federalism here and here. For some very telling charts on the topic, go here.
