Rightguide
Prof Triggernometry
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2017
- Posts
- 67,290
Hopefully in November voters will communicate their love for civil rights to the "little tyrants" who presumed the authority to curtail them:
A Remedial Explanation Of Federalism For Jonah Goldberg
The point of federalism is that it keeps tyrants little.
By John Daniel Davidson
April 14, 2020
Jonah Goldberg seems to think I’ve been inconsistent in a series of recent articles about state and local government efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus, suggesting that my past praise for federalism conflicts with my recent criticism of mayors and governors who have taken their emergency powers too far—little tyrants, I called them.
But of course there’s nothing inconsistent about affirming the primary role of state and local governments in a crisis, and also noting that in some places, local officials will behave badly and will have to be held accountable, either by voters or by the courts. That’s sort of the entire point of federalism, and one of its chief blessings: the tyrants are little.
It’s a lot easier to remove a mayor or county commissioner from office than a president—just ask Nancy Pelosi. Even overreaching governors can be brought to heel by the threat of a recall, which is what Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is now facing after she issued an absurd order banning the sale of things like vegetable and fruit plants, but not lottery tickets.
For Goldberg’s sake, let’s take a step back. Federalism means the separation of powers between the federal government and the states. Some things fall under federal authority, like national security and immigration, and some things fall under state authority, like disaster response and police powers.
In a big, sprawling democracy, sometimes politicians will take things too far—like Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky, who mistakenly thought he could ban Christians from celebrating Easter at drive-in services. Thankfully, a federal judge stayed the mayor’s order in time for churches to hold their services. What’s more, our federalist system ensures that the good people of Louisville will have a chance to let Fischer know exactly what they think of his bone-headed authoritarianism in the next election.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/14/a-remedial-explanation-of-federalism-for-jonah-goldberg/
A Remedial Explanation Of Federalism For Jonah Goldberg
The point of federalism is that it keeps tyrants little.
By John Daniel Davidson
April 14, 2020
Jonah Goldberg seems to think I’ve been inconsistent in a series of recent articles about state and local government efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus, suggesting that my past praise for federalism conflicts with my recent criticism of mayors and governors who have taken their emergency powers too far—little tyrants, I called them.
But of course there’s nothing inconsistent about affirming the primary role of state and local governments in a crisis, and also noting that in some places, local officials will behave badly and will have to be held accountable, either by voters or by the courts. That’s sort of the entire point of federalism, and one of its chief blessings: the tyrants are little.
It’s a lot easier to remove a mayor or county commissioner from office than a president—just ask Nancy Pelosi. Even overreaching governors can be brought to heel by the threat of a recall, which is what Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is now facing after she issued an absurd order banning the sale of things like vegetable and fruit plants, but not lottery tickets.
For Goldberg’s sake, let’s take a step back. Federalism means the separation of powers between the federal government and the states. Some things fall under federal authority, like national security and immigration, and some things fall under state authority, like disaster response and police powers.
In a big, sprawling democracy, sometimes politicians will take things too far—like Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky, who mistakenly thought he could ban Christians from celebrating Easter at drive-in services. Thankfully, a federal judge stayed the mayor’s order in time for churches to hold their services. What’s more, our federalist system ensures that the good people of Louisville will have a chance to let Fischer know exactly what they think of his bone-headed authoritarianism in the next election.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/14/a-remedial-explanation-of-federalism-for-jonah-goldberg/
