The Illusionists

Everyone has something that really, really grinds at their nerves, gets their "goat", yanks their chain, etc. For me, that's corrupt politicians who make it hard for the citizens to have any faith at all in the Federal government. In my U.S. History AP class, just this morning, a classmate and I got into a heated discussion about the power the federal government ought to have. She fervently supported the idea of states rights and the strict, conservative read of the Constitution. I fervently disagreed. The Constitution is a very important part of our history, there's no arguing that, nor was I attempting to; however, I do stand behind the Necessary and Proper Clause. The government ought to have the ability to stretch as necessary to benefit the good of the nation, the NPC provides the balance needed. See, if all the powers were specifically left to the state, we'd, in essence, be right back to the state of nation we were at during the Articles of Confederation. America is not a confederation. We are not a group of nation co-habitating, we are ONE nation serving the greater good of not only ourselves, but of our family and of our friends. In the same sense, we cannot leave all the power to the federal government to take advantage of whenever they want. Then the states would have no rights at all, and then, why have states at all? No, that's to unitary. The United States is not a centralized government. Part of what makes our nation great is the fact that so many different forms of governments exist, so many different voices can be heard, and so many different actions can be taken. That states have that certain amount of autonomy makes is so that we, the people, feel not as numbers, but as significant parts of a whole. I have no problem finding fault in my own beliefs, for there is no doubt that both of those clauses rely on the ideal that the self-interest enacted by the representatives and senators is, in fact, the self-interest of their state and their nation, not of themselves. That, however, is not the case. Take, for instance, the most recent governmental blunder: the failure of the Bailout Plan to pass through the House of Representatives. Now, I don't care how you felt about the bill, the fact of the matter is, the way it was handled was not only completely irresponsible, but also unprofessional. The Nay-sayers, if you will, were not so much the problem as were the dozen or so Republican voters who claimed that they were all for the plan until Nancy Pelosi's speech. Was Nancy Pelosi wrong in being so partisan as to offend, when no offense was necessary or even appropriate? Abosolutely. However, if you're going to tell me that twelve republicans voted "no" simply because they got their feelings hurt, then my understanding is that they put their egos before the necessary good of their nation. How in the world am I supposed to represent an ideal that keeps failing? We wouldn't NEED such strong states rights if the representatives and senators whose JOB it is to represent each state actually did so. If these men and women were actually looking out for the common good instead of the personal good, every state might actually get what they needed. That way, we'd still be achieving the ideal of state's rights, but enacting that the federal government has the power needed to ensure the needs of the nation are fulfill. In conclusion, a final sentiment to those twelve congressional representatives: Please, do your nation a favor and step down, you obviously are not qualified for the position of which you have been appointed. Stop playing the illusionist.