"So, you do not like your state's policies? Just move to another state!"
Wait a minute, the next state is subject to the same federal restrictions and mandates as my state. What can I do now?
Such is the state of our union today. Too many local decisions are made at a national level. There isn't any escaping the federal overreach.
The Framers operated on the premise that government closest to the people governs best. That tenet has been turned on its head by decades of federal government expansion.
The purpose of our Constitution was to define what the federal government must do "for" you and what it couldn't do "to" you. The powers of the federal government are few and defined. The powers of the states are many and various.
The reversal of this balance has resulted in the loss of mobility for all of us.
If we were still operating under the Constitution as written, states would have more ability to implement public policy as desired by their citizens.
If a state wished to have higher taxes, more regulation, and broader public services, the state could enact policies reflecting those values. If a state wished to pursue more free market principles, less government, and individual liberty, it could.
The bottom line is that the citizens of each state could decide for themselves.
Currently, many of these local decisions have been nationalized, by the federal government, the courts, and the federal bureaucracy.
On average, 65% of state budgets are effectively controlled by the federal government. This is accomplished through a web of mandates and compelled spending to earn federal matching funds. States have become regional agencies of the federal government.
The result is individuals are no longer able to move to a state that pursues policies more in line with their own values, because states are no longer able to be the factories of experimentation.
When public policies have negative consequences, they have a negative affect on everyone. A new federal agency must be created to deal with the negative affect of the prior policy. There is no escape.
The bureaucracies needed to implement these grand designs make it next to impossible to reverse course, correct errors, or eliminate harmful policies. As Ronald Reagan said, "The closest thing on Earth to eternal life is a government program."
The Framers understood the tendency of a central government is to behave this way. Instead of leaving our fate in the hands of a beneficent agency, they entrusted We the People.
The tool they provided us is the Convention of States process. Through Article V, we have the opportunity to return the federal government to its constitutional box.
It is time we exercise our right to oversee the federal government.
