It's Time to Separate Our Federal, State, and Local Governments
Do we have three separate governments or one three-headed beast running our lives? by EJ Moosa
(libertarian)
Monday, June 14, 2010
As we head faster and faster towards a financial crisis of proportions that we cannot really fathom, it becomes clearer and clearer to me that part of the problem is that there is no longer a clear and distinct line between Federal, State and Local rule. In essence, they have become one and the same. We have a three-headed beast directing our homes, our schools, and our economy. No surprise it is failing.
My home state, Georgia, is a prime example. Sure, they have worked to balance their state budget despite declining state tax revenues (May 2010 down 6% year over year). But that budget is a farce when you realize that Georgia has budgeted in millions and millions of dollars from the Federal Government to make that budget balance. What happens when those dollars do not appear?
Georgia is not alone. All across the country, states are looking to the Federal government for assistance. After all, it is the Federal Government that can print and distribute all the money they desire, not to mention, the ability to run a deficit.
Yet it is you and I that are being cheated in the end. Because we are denied the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of our Local, State, and Federal governments clearly because the lines are so blurred as to where one begins and the other ends.
Public Schools are one example. So many dollars roll into the local school system from the Federal and State coffers, that it is difficult to know just how much I am really contributing to the local schools, and whether or not I am getting the most for my dollars.
And in return for those dollars, the Public Schools have ceded much of their direction to both the State and Federal governments leaving it very difficult to determine who is to blame for the shortcomings. An excellent arrangement if you are trying to avoid accountability at any level.
Roads are another example of the same problem. If I call the local government about a road issue, I am told it's a state problem. The state says they are waiting on Federal dollars and approval to fix the problem. And so it goes.
It's time that this overlapping of Federal, State, and Local authorities came to an end. We need a separation of these three entities so we can slowly regain control over what is going on around us.
Local roads need to be bought, maintained and planned by local authorities. If local roads are not meeting the needs, then we will know who to address the issue with and resolve problems. No one in Washington is really going to respond to me about a turning lane issue even if it is a State or National Highway, despite it being the main artery in my community affecting all of my neighbors.
When our Constitution was written, the Founding Fathers were as clear as they could have been about where specific responsibilities fell regarding Federal and State governments. The system was not designed to have the overlapping governments we have today. This has occurred over decades as the Federal Government has worked to expand it's domain, and the states have been complicit because they like to get the money without having to go directly to their taxpayers to justify it.
It also enables an endless circle of finger-pointing when things go wrong, or we suffer from the unintended consequences. We end up paying for commissions to look into what went wrong and make recommendations, which just wastes more tax dollars.
There are indeed times where legitimate reasons for the overlapping of Federal, State, and Local Government responsibilities exist. But those times should not last indefinitely. For any Federal program that overlaps with State and Local responsibilities, it should expire with a certain and specific date. Then, if the State and Local governments feel that whatever program it is needs to exist, they can ask their constituents for direct support. If the local constituents do not want to support it, then that is a choice that they can make.
I do not want to be governed by a quasi Federal-State-Local entity. It will never be responsive to my needs nor will I be able to control its spending or direction by casting a vote.
Nor will I ever be able to understand the true cost of any program, because the source of funds is not clear. To keep us in the dark on the true cost is just one of the many ways we are kept from determining what our future will be.
Give us the truth. Give us the true costs of what programs cost us. Let us see the true costs in the taxes we pay. Then we can decide whether or not it is in our best interest to pursue these programs.
The three-headed beast we are governed by today will ultimately destroy us. It is up to us to force a separation so that we can once again have a chance to reach our full potential as individuals, and as a nation.
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The views expressed
in this article are those of EJ Moosa only and
do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates.
EJ Moosa is solely responsible for the contents
of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated
with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
