tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post6411443248246390143..comments2023-12-28T06:30:48.808-05:00Comments on The Rule of Reason: Asserting States’ Rights: A Turf WarUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-84438551891072521122010-04-16T12:35:30.240-04:002010-04-16T12:35:30.240-04:00Jeff: State legislators may be closer physically ...Jeff: State legislators may be closer physically and culturally to their constituents, but most of them are as selectively deaf (and even dumb) as Congress. Most of them I imagine look at their own state bureaucracies and state laws and regulations, with a view to dismantling the whole mess, and think: "Forget it." The obstacles would be daunting, and would include state employee unions, contractors, voters, fellow legislators, to name but a few. I think most of them also are one of two things: they have a vested interest in the status quo, or are conceptually corrupted (in the way most Europeans are, that is, in not being able to conceive of absolute freedom and not depending on the state for economic and/or social succor) <br /><br />In fact, many Americans are in the same rut. The first things many of them mention as an objection to getting the government out of the economy are: what about fire departments? What about roads? What about mail delivery? What about licensing doctors so we aren’t victims of quacks? And so on.Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11137609409286630058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-33082482749333976542010-04-16T12:20:18.471-04:002010-04-16T12:20:18.471-04:00Jason: I've queried the site host about the Pa...Jason: I've queried the site host about the PayPal button.<br /><br />EdEdward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11137609409286630058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-31084545048974457112010-04-16T11:55:35.485-04:002010-04-16T11:55:35.485-04:00"But what logical difference would it make to..."But what logical difference would it make to an individual if his state government may enact a rights-violating law that Congress may not, one having the same end and which is equally pernicious? One must question the scope and foundations of the moral reasoning of the more prominent opponents of ObamaCare."<br /><br />While, fundamentally, no government at any level has the right to violate rights, there is an important practical difference in where the violation occurs.<br /><br />If a state enacts legislation that violates one's right, it is much easier (easier, not always easy) to relocate to another state. This legislative competition helps keep them in check. (We see this in the way people move in response to taxes, for example.)<br /><br />If it's enacted at the Federal level, there is no where to go but out of the country, a much higher hurdle.<br /><br />Also, state legislators, being closer both physically and culturally, to their constituents tend to reflect their values more closely.<br /><br />While far from an ideal solution, the more local the law the more the individual citizen can influence it. Sometimes that results in more egregious violations than less (as in Civil War era slavery), but less often than the reverse, especially today.Jeffrey Perrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11841019772535869442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-34275866299109968792010-04-16T11:53:24.085-04:002010-04-16T11:53:24.085-04:00You should update the Contribute PayPal button on ...You should update the Contribute PayPal button on the site; it's not working.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-42358551373430905012010-04-16T11:31:55.291-04:002010-04-16T11:31:55.291-04:00In other words all the protesting, without underst...In other words all the protesting, without understanding and demanding individual rights, is because the noose around our necks has tightened.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825599895116548191noreply@blogger.com