Danik wrote:I'm strongly in favor of the notion that a state which votes to remove itself from any federal involvement in education should also lose any federal funding or support for that purpose. If it feels the EPA is too onerous, it should declare itself free of it : along with that would go any federal funding for environmental related issues : no more FEMA, no more disaster aid too. No more feeding at the federal trough with pork-barrel contracts and placement of federal buildings and institutions too. If a state wants its own gun laws, it should also decline federal funds for local ATF enforcement too.
As it is, populist politicians get to campaign to keep the feds out but still take the money it gives. equalize that issue and then see what gets voted for.
After all, the precedent is there, with the current administration moving even further into defining what federal funds can be used for with regard to family planning and such.
Constitutionally, the Federal Government is restricted to a specific set of areas that it has authority over. Any authority not directly granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution is automatically under the jurisdiction of the states.
The Federal Government allocates money to States at the request of the State for the nature of that request. The FG doesn't just hand out money to States. The FG has complete authority to set conditions on the use of the money. In relation to states the conditions are generally in relation to the request, such as a request of Education Funds from the FG can only be used for Education. As for your examples, both the ATF and FEMA are Federal Agencies. The state does not provide nor is provided funds for either. The services of FEMA are done so by request from a State. ATF has jurisdiction based on federal law.
Returning federal overreach back to the states is not populism.
