Quote:
Originally Posted by Vampyr
The downside is if you're born in a state that tends to have radical views it's harder for the federal government to set things right.
Mostly talking about very conservative southern states - how many people are disadvantaged from birth due to outdated views on gender, sex education, and marriage?
I don't think the federal government could fix all these things with the wave of a wand, but it makes things more difficult when the mantra "let the state decide" is so ingrained.
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The simple answer is "move", even though I understand it's not that simple for everyone. But hell, if destitute Mexicans can find a way to illegally travel thousands of miles across national and state borders for the chance at a better life, I think we're a little lazy to think an American is trapped in a state.
For things like health care, states can serve as laboratories for ideas. For example: One aspect of Romneycare that many people ignore, or simply got understand, is that not all plans fit all states/communities. Romneycare was built for Mass. If you were to build something for Florida, it would likely be very different. It also allows these governments to compare notes, learn from mistakes, and because the size of the program is much smaller making positive change is much easier. After all, we've seen what happens when anyone tries to fix social security: political death sentence. reduce the stakes and people will take more intelligent risks.
And of course I think real human rights issues like gender and race should be handled on a national level. I'm referring to many social programs such as welfare, unemployment, healthcare, and also many social issues, such as gay marriage, that are more a reflection of that state's specific culture or economic makeup. I'm for gay marriage, but I also don't think it is pragmatic to force it on a community. Let them decide, and as we've seen the force of the nation, not the government, can move mountains and people are more tolerant because they were given a voice. It takes more time, but the end results are far better. Forcing people to do something, like Roe v. Wade, leads to 40 years of contention and even murder.
Uh oh... we just got all serious in a joke thread...
