Dick Spotswood’s columns remain a must-read. His latest:
A robust form of federalism may be the best (or perhaps the only) route forward if we are to remain a nation of 50 united states. Directing FEMA’s role back to individual states is just one approach toward promoting federalism on steroids.
Each party will need to sacrifice elements of control that they relish. Trump and his minions will not be able to dictate how individual states and private enterprise promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or tell California how to disburse its scarce water. Likewise, progressive Democrats will need to forgo forcing politically correct initiatives on “red” states or land management on rural bastions.
The old version of the Republican Party promoted the virtues of local control. Contrast that to many national Democrats who favored edicts from Washington. Whether that belief in local control still holds at a time when the GOP controls all three branches of national government is in doubt. That doesn’t negate the belief that a local control-first policy has merit.