Is it True?

George will is usually right, and sometimes it scares me.

The reason I get so terrified when I read his articles is because he has quite a cynical view of the state of federalism in America--and he's really smart.

In his piece this week about the president's address, the following line appears:

"...the two fears are illness and old age -- particularly illness in old age. The modern anxiety is that educational deficits will leave rising generations of Americans ill-equipped to compete in a world in which few social structures can temper the winds of competition.

Furthermore, Americans are uninterested in the question of which level of government in our federal system addresses those fears and that anxiety."

Are Americans "uninterested?" As far as I know, there are a few things that make this country so great. Private property, free speech, and due process are just a few. Another is the diffusing of power--away from a central source--aka federalism. The debate SHOULD ALWAYS BE ABOUT which level of government does what! It is one of the greatest protectors of freedom we have in place.

He says that it started in the 50's when the government injected into the name of every new federal program the word "defense" in order to give it the feeling of having something to do with national security--a clearly enumerated constitutional endeavor.

Whatever the reason, why can't federalism have new life breathed into it? Like those bumper stickers from the 60's, we could edit them to say "freedom--an idea whose time has come."

Let me get on the phone to the ACME Bumper Sticker Company right now.

George Will Article