Commentary: Thanks to Our States There Is Hope Amidst Federal Government Failures

by Paul Teller

 

With Washington, DC, more bitterly divided than ever under the Biden administration, the American people are once again fed up with the state of our nation’s politics.

Who can blame them? In poll after poll, the American people have clearly stated their highest priorities: illegal immigration, lousy leadership, rampant inflation and economic decline. But the Biden administration hasn’t just ignored these issues – they’ve actively made each of them worse.

But there is hope for American renewal, and it lies largely in our state capitals. Contrary to the opinion of many in Washington, our 50 states are not subsidiaries of the federal government – they are the very foundation of the American republic.

The system of federalism created by the United States Constitution is one of the most brilliant feats of engineering ever recorded in human history. It recognizes that government closest to the people governs best – far better than a distant bureaucracy dictating policy for the entire country.

In fact, federalism is so well designed that today, the states are the ones who are cleaning up many of the messes created by Washington’s incompetence. For example, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed a massive surge of manpower and resources to shut down Biden’s border crisis. Eight states have enacted universal school choice in just the last year, giving more parents the right choose the best school for their child’s education.

In Utah, Treasurer Marlo Oaks is making the state a national leader in fighting the far-left politicization of our financial industry, including shutting down an attempt by the financial industry to privatize huge tracks of public lands. Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ (pictured above) has become a target by Wall Street Banks for his work to stop the state from doing business with banks that are actively harming the state’s energy industry. And in Texas, State Board of Education Chairman Aaron Kinsey is leading the fight against the indoctrination of our children with left-wing curriculum and recently divested $8.5 billion from Blackrock, the mega-firm leading the charge for left-wing activist investing.

When states are free to lead, our nation benefits from 50 laboratories of democracy – each state developing unique solutions to shared problems, and each state competing with its peers to innovate the best policies.

Unfortunately, for much of the last century, America drifted away from the wisdom of our founders and consolidated far too much power in the hands of federal politicians and bureaucrats. It’s time to return much of that power back to the people and the states where it belongs.

Only the states, set free from Washington’s chains, can break the Leviathan’s back and restore the freedom our founding fathers intended.

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Paul Teller is the Executive Director of Advancing American Freedom.
Photo “Oklahoma Treasurer Toss Russ” by OK Treasurer Todd Russ.