The Defenders of States' Rights - the Good Ole GOP

I seems that even folks in California actually "get it" when it comes to the topic of states' rights. Here is an except from a fellow in Folsom, CA -

I'm no genius when it comes to studying our constitution, but "States Rights" looms large on my list of "must have." If my state votes to allow people to wear bikini suits to work, then so be it. The constitution protects the right for us to elect our own officials and they have the obligation to do what we want.

"Must have" indeed, here is one reason why as he puts it -

I now hear seniors are voicing the concern that voting no longer matters. "There is no one to vote for, and besides, they don't even listen anymore."

Now this is alarming. The young voters have always been reluctant to believe their "vote counts" and the middle-agers are frantically trying to keep their heads above water, but now the oldsters are upset with our system? Now that's trouble.

As Johnny pointed out a month or so ago, for many voting is stupid - if they don't listen, you are merely giving tacit validity to a system that has lost its mandate. Voting or not voting does not matter - in either event ours is a system of taxation without representation. The scale is too big, influences other than the individual hold too much sway - our politicians only speak to our issues at election time, and then proceed with the hubris of Roman Senators to go back to the Federal District and do what they think is best for us (or for their future/wallet/etc).

We are foolish enough to believe asinine comments like this found in stateline -

[T]he Republican Party traditionally was known as a supporter of states’ rights.

Wait a darn minute, how can anyone wishing to be taken seriously make such a statement? What could they possibly base this assumption on? The GOP's promises or their actions?

The GOP is the party of Lincoln - you know those guys that killed 600,000 Americans in order to crush states' rights under foot as the grapes of wrath. What in the world has this party done in the last 40 years to redeem that record? Have they supported or passed one piece of legislation that supports and defends states' rights?

Perhaps the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110) was a GOP attempt to bolster states' rights and all of us yokels are too stupid to realize it.

Perhaps their attack, in 2005, on New York state's attempt to regulate trade within her borders was a defense of states' rights. And certainly we foolish plebes misunderstood the intent behind the Federal Government's attack on the right of states to prefer local businesses to say, Panamanian ones. (We can't have states ignoring something as important as the Central American Free Trade Agreement.) The list could go on and on.

The point is the GOP is absolutely no supporter of states' rights - they have proven themselves to be the greatest enemy of these rights. It is a travesty that this party sells a bill of goods to otherwise good people with no intention of meaning what they say.

Don't get me wrong here, the socialist Democrats would do no better - at least they lack the hypocrisy of proclaiming to stand for the rights of states. With a democrat you know what you are getting (with a few curious exceptions - such as James Webb).