Federalism
A brief comment to my friends and family who are disappointed by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh.
Think about the name, United States. Our country is made up of 50 individual, unique states. 50 states united together. This does not mean we have 50 identical states. We have 50 individual states with their own personalities, their own preferences, and their own idiosyncrasies.
Yes, many of us Americans are similar in many ways. We work hard, we love our families and friends, we respect each other and the law, we enjoy sports, entertainment, and many of us love God.
We are similar, but we are not clones. We agree on many issues, but not all of them. This is why the original intent of our federalist system of government is so important and so needed at this time.
Federalism is our system that separates government responsibilities between city, county, state, and federal. The federal government is responsible for national security, international relations, interstate commerce, and other similar items. The federal government was never intended to govern human affairs that the states, city, and the people could handle themselves.
Why is federalism so great? Because it gives Americans choices. You like low taxes, you like high taxes, you want more regulation, you want less regulation, you think guns are good, you think guns are bad, you believe in abortion on demand, you believe in abortion restrictions, you want unisex bathrooms, you want men’s and women’s bathrooms, you want tax payer funded college, you want college to be paid by the students, you can have choices with federalism.
Why is federalism so great? Because everything is not determined by the federal government! If Georgia has high taxes, I can easily meet with my representatives and argue my case. If Georgia laws become oppressive, I can move to a state with laws more to my liking. No, it’s not always easy to move, but it’s an option.
The problem with a federal government that usurps the power from the states, cities, and the people is that people feel trapped. If there side loses - they have nowhere to go! Things that happen in Washington DC become life or death, and people act desperate. Like many of the protestors we’ve seen over the past several weeks.
Let me use an example. Abortion. Do we really want the federal government to decide whether abortion is legal? If you are pro-abortion, do you want the federal government making abortion illegal? If you are anti-abortion, do you want the federal government to legalize tax payer funded abortion on demand? Probably not, in both cases. Yes, I know, you want abortion if you want abortion, and you don’t want abortion if you don’t want abortion...but hear me out.
Isn’t it better if we leave this to the states or the people? If New York has tax payer funded abortions, and you like this, then New York might be the state for you. If you are against abortions and Kansas doesn’t use taxpayer funds for abortion and makes partial birth abortion illegal, then maybe you’ll prefer Kansas. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but federalism makes things much better!
You see? Federalism is a relief valve that keeps Americans from blowing a gasket! This same principle applies to all of the most contentious issues of today. Federalism won’t satisfy the most radical in our society who want to tell everyone else how they should live, but it works for those of us who just want the radicals in society to LEAVE US ALONE!
Here’s the good mews for my liberal friends who are distraught by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh and a “conservative” court.
The U.S. Constitution establishes a federalist form of government. “Conservative” judges believe in the original intent of the Constitution. This means the issues brought before the U.S. Supreme court will be left to the states, cities, or people to decide, unless it truly is a federal issue. This means the Supreme Court won’t allow the federal government to establish federal bathroom policies. If you want men to use the women’s bathroom, you meed to take it up with your state, county, or city government.
There is nothing for liberals to be afraid of with a “Conservative” court. You can still have access to everything you have access to now,. You just won’t have 5 of 9 justices implementing your policies at the federal level against the will of the people who have different views.
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