The trouble is, though, that practically speaking the states have lost their voice in many things. As federal programs have grown and grown, so too have states rights been diminished in many respects. As an example, a state can set their drinking age or their speed limits at whatever they like, but they can only receive federal funding if they fall in line. In essence, on matters like these the federal goverment IS the state government for every state.
Now, we still have state government for certain issues, like abortion (possibly) and gay marriage. But the minute these get tied to the federal teat in the way that other issues have, for all intents and purposes states rights become merely a matter of theory and not of practice.
The truth is that we now have almost an entirely federal system of government on many issues. If you like it, you do. If you don't...well, then I guess you deal with it!
|