States Versus Federal Governments

Anything that's not explicitly stated in the Constitution as a state or federal issue should be handled jointly, with bias towards the federal government.

If state governments all go bankrupt, the Feds should probably help with healthcare and education. If Social Security goes bust, maybe the state governments can be given block grants or some extra authority to support all the stakeholders. Probably the one key advantage of a two-party system is that it's easier to coordinate agendas and action at all three levels of government if need be.

 

That's funny, because the Constitution says, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

You'd think with that in mind, that we'd leave these issues to the people first, and the States otherwise, and NOT the federal government...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

This has been largely disregarded by the Feds.

 

Article 1 - The Legislative Branch
Section 8 - Powers of Congress
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and General Welfare of the United States; but all Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
Tenth Amendment
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

We seem to have drifted far away from the founding fathers' creation.

 

Yep, we don't keep slaves and we let women vote. We are on a slippery slope.

 

Both of your examples required constitutional amendments, which BTW the founding fathers provided as a means to keep the Constitution viable and current.

 

At least we are doing well here.

So no design of weapons programs that take more than 2 years?

And no Air Force or space programs!

 

Even funnier is that when John Marshall established federal supremacy, the guys who wrote the Constitution didn't voice any objection.