Fred Thompson on Federalism

Fred Thompson explains the benefits of Federalism as envisioned by the framers. We are worse off if we continue to expect the Federal Giverment to be involved in every issue.

http://www.imwithfred.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx

With that in mind:

Why is it that Bush gets the blamed for Katrina? What about the Governor of the State and the Mayor of the City? What about holding people accountable for their choice to stay? What is a reasonable time for a Federal response to a National Disaster? Is a citizen responsible for his own protection/preservation during an emergency situation? Do 2^nd amendment rights help ensure that the citizen is able to protect himself?

Why does Bush get the heat the failing Educational system? No Child Left Behind was bi-partisan effort and education spending under Bush is up over Clinton’s. Never mind that it is an unfunded mandate; Why is the Federal Giverment even involved in education in the first place? I don’t see it mentioned in the Constitution. How much money do we have to throw at the incompetent and corrupt educational bureaucracy to get results? Although the Federal Government only funds about 9% of the cost of schools, this portion has almost doubled in the past generation and there are no signs of stopping this expansion.

Let’s look at some other Federal programs with dubious legitimacy in the constitution;

Social Security: I won’t even contend that this program is unconstitutional. That debate was decided in 1937 with the Supreme Court legitimizing the program according to the general taxation powers of Congress, even though this was decided during the crisis times of the Depression. Regardless, is the Social Security program solvent for the future? Is it providing acceptable benefits to recipients now? Will it in the future? Is it another example of a unwieldy Federal bureaucracy that mismanages my tax dollar and underperforms? Answer: it’s the biggest governmental program in the world.

Healthcare: Does the Constitution mention an individual’s right to healthcare or a Government obligation to provide universal healthcare to all? Leave it to the states to reform healthcare insurance if necessary. If the Fed’s get involved, medical innovation and quality of care will suffer. The best remedy to cure the ailing healthcare system is economic competition rather than reduced Government regulation.

Environment: I am not a fan of pollution or over-consumption. We need to respect our Earth and ensure the sustainability of our environment for future generations. However, we need to be careful not to derail our economy by imposing overburdening environmental restrictions and limitations. I fear that an emotional response to the theory of human caused global warming by the Federal Government will lead to anti-competitive business practices in the country.

Immigration; A glimmer of hope for Congressional restraint:

Ironically Congress is showing restraint on a task the Constitution expressly charges Congress to take care of:“To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions” (Article I Section 8).

I guess they are too busy working on things they shouldn’t be to take care of the things they are supposed to.