ALEC’S Mission and Impact in the 50 States: Jonathan Williams in 1851 Franchise
We need to look toward solutions based in the Tenth Amendment idea of federalism.
Jonathan Williams recently spoke to Morgan Wood of 1851 Franchise about the impact of ALEC’s work on state economies.
Having traveled to all 50 states multiple times over the course of working on this project, they’re all very different. I said earlier that federalism is key, but it can also be messy. One of the big discussions is often around whether the federal government should take something and bring it to the federal level instead of leaving it at the state level, and understanding the structure of federalism provides a clearer answer.
A lot of folks, if you were to call on a person on the street, could probably name the first and second amendments, but beyond that, it gets a little bit fuzzy. One that would probably have very little recall from Americans is the Tenth Amendment. Maybe this is more of an indictment on our education system, but I think you would find that we get a failing grade as a country on answering that question.
So many of the solutions I think we need to look toward are solutions based in this Tenth Amendment idea of federalism. Most ideas should not originate at the federal level. It should be reserved for the states and the people of the states.
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