Jonah Goldberg on federalism, via Betsy, via Lorie "Federalism! It's not just for conservatives anymore!" Indeed.
He gets at my "first principle of good government", which is that decisions should be made and things should be done at the lowest level possible:
The virtue of a federalist, republican form of government is that the more you push these decisions down to the level where people actually have to live with their consequences, the more likely it is they will be a) involved and interested in the decision-making process, and b) happy with the result. Federalism is also morally superior because it requires the consent of the governed at the most basic level. Sure, your side can lose an argument, but it's easier to change things locally than nationally. And, at the end of the day, if you don't get your way, there's always the highway. It's easier to move to the next state than it is to move to Canada.
Update: Also see David Ellis' federalist vision of America with a few more very conservative judges on the Supreme Court. Sounds good to me!
Update: Also see this article by Jonathan Adler about the Supreme Court case on medical marijuana (via Glenn):
At stake is more than California’s effort to legalize the medical use of marijuana. A decision for the federal government could send federalism and the constitutional doctrine of enumerated powers up in smoke.
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
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