Thompson on Federalism

[dude1394]

Hmmm...might have to look closer at this dude after all. He's right on imo about federal crimes. Also didn't realize he was a prosecutor. Have to check his biography a little bit.

From instapundit. http://instapundit.com/archives2/007672.php

THOUGHTS ON FEDERALISM FROM FRED THOMPSON: And I certainly agree with this bit:

Law enforcement in general is a matter on which Congress has been very active in recent years, not always to good effect and usually at the expense of state authority. When I served as a federal prosecutor, there were not all that many federal crimes, and most of those involved federal interests. Since the 1980’s, however, Congress has aggressively federalized all sorts of crimes that the states have traditionally prosecuted and punished. While these federal laws allow Members of Congress to tell the voters how tough they are on crime, there are few good reasons why most of them are necessary.

For example, it is a specific federal crime to use the symbol of 4-H Clubs with the intent to defraud. And don’t even think about using the Swiss Confederation’s coat of arms for commercial purposes. That’s a federal offense, too.

Groups as diverse as the American Bar Association and the Heritage Foundation have reported that there are more than three thousand, five hundred distinct federal crimes and more than 10,000 administrative regulations scattered over 50 section of the U.S. code that runs at more than 27,000 pages. More than 40 percent of these regulatory criminal laws have been enacted since 1973.

I held hearings on the over-federalization of criminal law when I was in the Senate. You hear that the states are not doing a good job at prosecuting certain crimes, that their sentencing laws are not tough enough, that it’s too easy to make bail in state court. If these are true, why allow those responsible in the states to shirk that responsibility by having the federal government make up for the shortcomings in state law? Accountability gets displaced.

But read the whole thing. And I have some related thoughts on federalism, special interests, and accountability here.

Also, Mark Tapscott has some further observations on Thompson's essay.

[Usually Lurkin]

just because this is the most recent Fred thread:

posted at the Corner
Thompson's Donors [Byron York]

A few names you might know from the newly-released list of Fred Thompson's early donors include some people who are working with the campaign: pollster John McLaughlin, adviser Kenneth Rietz, and media consultant Nelson Warfield (plus his wife) each gave $2300. Among other donors, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth leader John O'Neill gave $2300. Citizens United head David Bossie gave $2300, and the Citizens United Political Victory Fund gave $5000. Douglas Feith gave $2300. American Enterprise Institute chief Chris DeMuth and his wife gave $2300 each. Former senators Howard Baker, Bill Frist, Alfonse D'Amato, and Mack Mattingly each gave $2300. Washington lawyers John Dowd, Michael Madigan, and George Terwilliger each gave $2300. Football player Peyton Manning and his wife each gave $2300. Seattle radio host Kirby Wilbur gave $2300, as did TV producer Richard Wolf and his wife. And lawyer/blogger Eugene Volokh gave $750.

So I might become a Peyton Manning fan.