5 ms·

As far as I can tell as a non-american: people support states rights when the federal government does something they dislike, and they support federalisation wh

As far as I can tell as a non-american: people support states rights when the federal government does something they dislike, and they support federalisation when it does something they do like. Most people aren't very principled about it.

dsr_ 9y ago
Mostly that's true. More specifically, the Republican Party is a champion of states' rights when it comes to regulating civil liberties or implementing health care, education and anti-poverty measures. They are quiet about states' rights when it comes to control of corporations, where they prefer to have the power centralized but unused. The Democratic Party, by way of contrast, never talks about states' rights, but supports various individual initiatives that align with their federal policy. There are very few people who care about states' rights as a concept divorced from particular policies.
- kevin_b_er 9y ago
  They are a champion of states' rights where it affects their sponsors' bottom lines and fiercely opposed where it affects their sponsors' bottom lines. Always follow the money.
- aerotwelve 9y ago
  The right-wing contempt for local control is going even further nowadays. After the 2016 elections, counties in my home state of Iowa are no longer allowed to set a minimum wage that is higher than the state's level (which is, of course, $7.25)[1]. By traditional conservative thought, a county would only be hurting themselves by setting a minimum wage that's too high; companies and their jobs would leave if it wasn't competitive. Of course, if raising the minimum wage didn't kill jobs, others could point to it as evidence that it may be feasible to increase it statewide. So it's gotta go. [commentary: I grew up in a conservative family, but I don't recognize the modern Republican Party.] [1] http://www.thegazette.com/gov-branstad-signs-bill-to-roll-back-minimum-wage-20170330 http://www.thegazette.com/gov-branstad-signs-bill-to-roll-ba...
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - craftyguy 9y ago
    > [commentary: I grew up in a conservative family, but I don't recognize the modern Republican Party.] I don't think even Ronald Reagan would recognize the modern republican party.
- HumanDrivenDev 9y ago
  Another example is the American left got into the states rights/seccession thing after Trump with "Calexit".
wallace_f 9y ago
Unfortunately, these themes are showing to be sadly true about people. Most everyone becomes a civil libertarian when their rights are violated[1], but not when we violate the rights of others[2]. Some pedantry on word choice: federalism is more like equal state/central gov power; confederalism is pro-states rights. 1- https://theintercept.com/2018/02/05/the-nunes-memo-and-katie-roiphe-article-show-how-concerns-for-due-process-and-civil-liberties-are-highly-selective-and-self-centered/ https://theintercept.com/2018/02/05/the-nunes-memo-and-katie... 2-https://youtu.be/YtEk5A1dRyY https://youtu.be/YtEk5A1dRyY

dsr_ 9y ago

Mostly that's true. More specifically, the Republican Party is a champion of states' rights when it comes to regulating civil liberties or implementing health care, education and anti-poverty measures. They are quiet about states' rights when it comes to control of corporations, where they prefer to have the power centralized but unused. The Democratic Party, by way of contrast, never talks about states' rights, but supports various individual initiatives that align with their federal policy. There are very few people who care about states' rights as a concept divorced from particular policies.

kevin_b_er 9y ago
They are a champion of states' rights where it affects their sponsors' bottom lines and fiercely opposed where it affects their sponsors' bottom lines. Always follow the money.
aerotwelve 9y ago
The right-wing contempt for local control is going even further nowadays. After the 2016 elections, counties in my home state of Iowa are no longer allowed to set a minimum wage that is higher than the state's level (which is, of course, $7.25)[1]. By traditional conservative thought, a county would only be hurting themselves by setting a minimum wage that's too high; companies and their jobs would leave if it wasn't competitive. Of course, if raising the minimum wage didn't kill jobs, others could point to it as evidence that it may be feasible to increase it statewide. So it's gotta go. [commentary: I grew up in a conservative family, but I don't recognize the modern Republican Party.] [1] http://www.thegazette.com/gov-branstad-signs-bill-to-roll-back-minimum-wage-20170330 http://www.thegazette.com/gov-branstad-signs-bill-to-roll-ba...
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- craftyguy 9y ago
  > [commentary: I grew up in a conservative family, but I don't recognize the modern Republican Party.] I don't think even Ronald Reagan would recognize the modern republican party.
HumanDrivenDev 9y ago
Another example is the American left got into the states rights/seccession thing after Trump with "Calexit".

wallace_f 9y ago

Unfortunately, these themes are showing to be sadly true about people. Most everyone becomes a civil libertarian when their rights are violated[1], but not when we violate the rights of others[2]. Some pedantry on word choice: federalism is more like equal state/central gov power; confederalism is pro-states rights. 1- https://theintercept.com/2018/02/05/the-nunes-memo-and-katie-roiphe-article-show-how-concerns-for-due-process-and-civil-liberties-are-highly-selective-and-self-centered/ https://theintercept.com/2018/02/05/the-nunes-memo-and-katie... 2-https://youtu.be/YtEk5A1dRyY https://youtu.be/YtEk5A1dRyY