Are States Necessary?

[Hangtime]

I don't know about that, I'm not at all sure having politicians choose other politicians is smart at all.

yep. 51% of the population that bothers to vote should be able to dictate terms to the 85% of the population that doesn't.

[RATTFINK]

I don't think Texas is a state

[Chalenge]

Read the Constitution sometime and you will see you have no Constitutional right to vote for President.

If you choose the state legislators you can influence the choices they make or replace them. It removes the influence the other states have on your decisions. It was a beautiful idea that politicians have subverted to their own purposes.

[FrodeMk3]

...Hmmm...If we were to disband the Federal gov't., and go to a states-individualist kind of rule, it would be more like trading one tyrant 3000 miles away, for 3000 tyrants' one mile away, wouldn't it?

     As inconvenient as it seems, we are gonna have to put up with a federal or central-type of national gov't. Let me put it this way; If we were mainly individual states, we would be easy pray for terrorism right now. How many states' would have jumped to New Yorks' aid during 9/11, given that scenario? This nation only got to where it is by being united. And, you have to admit, it's been united because it has almost always had one solid government. The two parties' that dominate it are a shame, but if the people tolerate it, then...we few on this BBS must be the only ones who share this opinion.

[Hangtime]

...Hmmm...If we were to disband the Federal gov't., and go to a states-individualist kind of rule, it would be more like trading one tyrant 3000 miles away, for 3000 tyrants' one mile away, wouldn't it?

     As inconvenient as it seems, we are gonna have to put up with a federal or central-type of national gov't. Let me put it this way; If we were mainly individual states, we would be easy pray for terrorism right now. How many states' would have jumped to New Yorks' aid during 9/11, given that scenario? This nation only got to where it is by being united. And, you have to admit, it's been united because it has almost always had one solid government. The two parties' that dominate it are a shame, but if the people tolerate it, then...we few on this BBS must be the only ones who share this opinion.

Name one Alphabet Soup Federal Agency that's functioning efficiently, correctly & with full accountability..

Just ONE.

Here's the entire list. Good luck...

 A

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)
www.achp.gov

African Development Foundation
www.adf.gov

Agency for International Development (USAID)
www.info.usaid.gov

American Battle Monuments Commission
www.abmc.gov

AMTRAK
www.amtrak.com

Appalachian Regional Commission
www.arc.gov

Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
www.access-board.gov

B

Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
www.mda.mil

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms
www.atf.treas.gov

Bureau of Arms Control
www.state.gov/www/global/arms/bureauac.html

Bureau of Engraving & Printing
www.bep.treas.gov

Bureau of Labor Statistics
www.bls.gov

Bureau of the Census
www.census.gov

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
www.bts.gov

C

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
cms.hhs.gov

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
www.cia.gov

Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board (USCSB)
www.chemsafety.gov

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
www.cftc.gov

Commission on Civil Rights
www.usccr.gov

Commodity Futures Trading Commission
www.cftc.gov

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
www.cpsc.gov

Corporation For National Service (CNS)
www.cns.gov

D

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
www.darpa.mil

Defense Information Systems Agency
www.disa.mil

Defense Intelligence Agency
www.dia.mil

Defense Logistics Agency
www.supply.dla.mil

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
www.dnfsb.gov

Defense Security Service
www.dss.mil

Defense Threat Reduction Agency
www.dtra.mil

Drug Enforcement Administration
www.usdoj.gov/dea

E

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
www.epa.gov

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
www.eeoc.gov

Export-Import Bank of the U.S.
www.exim.gov

F

Farm Credit Administration (FCA)
www.fca.gov

Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
www.fasab.gov

Federal Aviation Administration
www.faa.gov

Federal Bureau of Investigation
www.fbi.gov

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
www.fcc.gov

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
www.fdic.gov

Federal Election Commission (FEC)
www.fec.gov

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
www.fema.gov

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
www.ferc.fed.us

Federal Highway Administration
www.fhwa.dot.gov

Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB)
www.fhfb.gov

Federal Labor Relations Authority
www.flra.gov

Federal Maritime Commission
www.fmc.gov

Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service
www.fmcs.gov

Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission
www.fmshrc.gov

Federal Railroad Administration
www.fra.dot.gov

Federal Reserve System
www.federalreserve.gov

Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
www.frtib.gov

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
www.ftc.gov

Food & Drug Administration
www.fda.gov

G

General Accounting Office
www.gao.gov

General Services Administration (GSA)
www.gsa.gov

Ginnie Mae
www.ginniemae.gov

I

Institute of Museum and Library Services
www.imls.gov

Inter-American Development Bank
www.iadb.org

Inter-American Foundation
www.iaf.gov

Internal Revenue Services
www.irs.ustreas.gov

International Bank for Reconstruction & Development
www.worldbank.org

International Labor Organization
www.us.ilo.org

International Monetary Fund
www.imf.org

International Trade Commission (USITC)
www.usitc.gov

L

Legal Services Corporation
www.lsc.gov

M

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
www.medpac.gov

Merit Systems Protection Board
www.mspb.gov

N

National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)
www.nasa.gov

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
www.nara.gov

National Bioethics Advisory Commission
www.bioethics.gov

National Capital Planning Commission
www.ncpc.gov

National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)
www.nclis.gov

National Council on Disability (NCD)
www.ncd.gov

National Credit Union Administration
www.ncua.gov

National Endowment for the Arts
http://arts.endow.gov

National Endowment for the Humanities
www.neh.gov

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
www.nhtsa.dot.gov

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
www.nga.mil

National Institute of Justice
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij

National Institute of Mental Health
www.nimh.nih.gov

National Institute of Standards & Technology
www.nist.gov

National Institutes of Health
www.nih.gov

National Labor Relations Board
www.nlrb.gov

National Mediation Board
www.nmb.gov

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
www.noaa.gov

National Park Service
www.nps.gov

National Science Foundation (NSF)
www.nsf.gov

National Security Agency (NSA)
www.nsa.gov

National Skill Standards Board

National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC)
www.nttc.edu

National Telecommunications Information Administration
www.ntia.doc.gov

National Transportation Safety Board
www.ntsb.gov

Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
www.nw.org

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
www.nrc.gov

O

Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
www.oshrc.gov

Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight
www.ofheo.gov

Office of Government Ethics
www.usoge.gov

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
www.opm.gov

Office of Special Counsel
www.osc.gov

Office of Thrift Supervision
www.ots.treas.gov

Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development
www.oecdwash.org

Organization of American States
www.oas.org

Overseas Private Investment Corp.
www.opic.gov

P

Pan American Health Organization
www.paho.org

Patent & Trademark Office
www.uspto.gov

Peace Corps
www.peacecorps.gov

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
www.pbgc.gov

Postal Regulatory Commission
www.prc.gov

R

Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
www.rrb.gov

S

Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)
www.sec.gov

Securities Investor Protection Corp.
www.sipc.org

Selective Service System (SSS)
www.sss.gov

Small Business Administration (SBA)
www.sba.gov

Smithsonian Institution
www.si.edu

Social Security Administration (SSA)
www.ssa.gov

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
www.samhsa.gov

Surface Transportation Board
www.stb.dot.gov

T

Tennessee Valley Authority
www.tva.gov

Trade and Development Agency
www.tda.gov

U

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

U.S. Customs Service
www.customs.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
www.fws.gov

U.S. Forest Service
www.fs.fed.us

U.S. Government Printing Office
www.gpo.gov

U.S. Institute of Peace
www.usip.org

U.S. Marshals Service
www.usdoj.gov/marshals/

U.S. Office of Government Ethics (USOGE)
www.usoge.gov

U.S. Treasury
www.treas.gov

United States Holocaust Memorial Council
www.ushmm.org

United States Postal Service (USPS)
www.usps.gov

United Nations Information Center
www.unicwash.org

V

Voice of America (VOA)
www.voa.gov

W

Walter Reed Army Medical Center
www.wramc.amedd.army.mil

White House Fellows
www.whitehousefellows.gov

White House Commission on Remembrance
www.remember.gov

Women's History Commission
www.gsa.gov/staff/pa/whc.htm

----------------------------------------------

NO private corporation would tolerate the performance of any department equal to the best of these.. they'd be fired out of hand. Toss the Feds.  Buncha damn bananas....

[Chalenge]

No there are a lot more people that share this view; most of them call themselves Conservatives but not Republicans because the Republican party is half filled with Democrats that call themselves Republicans to get elected. Take a close look at McCain or Crist for example. They both follow the party line of the opposition. Most people in the country are too stupid to keep track of the way things really are.

Democrats have been striving for a true Democracy (not the Republic the framers intended) since the nation was created. The name of the party itself has changed but not the agenda. They wont be satisfied until the U.S. economy supports the entire world (not far from that now) and anyone in the world can vote in our elections.

The current process we have of two parties and a national vote for President is a bastardization of the original intent of the Constitution. I believe its intent is to remove more power from the people by robbing the States of the intended electoral process and all the power it represented. Everytime another generation comes along they pass more power to Government and vote power away from themselves.

[Nilsen]

     I got a ticket from the city for not cutting my grass in a timely manner…$150. 

 

They wont be satisfied until the U.S. economy supports the entire world (not far from that now) and anyone in the world can vote in our elections.

 

[Jackal1]

I think we don't need the US. ROT, baby!

Let the games begin!!!!!!!!

[Urchin]

I think at some point in the future, maybe not the near term future, but probably not too far off, much of the concept of a 'state' will fade away.  The powers that they currently wield will fall to corporations.  The concept of citizenship might still exist, but it won't be a primary identifier for most people. 

I think that most people will even be all for it.

[Rich46yo]

See Rules #4, #5

[storch]

someone has been watching rollerball and soylent green

[Jackal1]

someone has been watching rollerball and soylent green

 

[Urchin]

Rich - what he wrote did make sense.. 

The US was first a confederation under the Articles of Confederation, IIRC.  It didn't work out very well.

[Rolex]

The nation was founded by men who resisted a government that may have treated people better than what you get today from Washington DC, your state capital or even your local city council. The tax that sparked the revolution was a whopping 1% or so.

Imagine that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were being magically transported to present day, and you have been selected to be their tour guide, answering all their questions. Lucky you.

You start by meeting them at JFK airport in New York to check in for your flight to Washington DC. Would they endure the humiliation of the security line? What would they say as they surveyed Washington, Congress, the media and their tax obligations? What would they say about the presidential candidates?

Would you be embarrassed? 

[lasersailor184]

The nation was founded by men who resisted a government that may have treated people better than what you get today from Washington DC, your state capital or even your local city council. The tax that sparked the revolution was a whopping 1% or so.

Imagine that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were being magically transported to present day, and you have been selected to be their tour guide, answering all their questions. Lucky you.

You start by meeting them at JFK airport in New York to check in for your flight to Washington DC. Would they endure the humiliation of the security line? What would they say as they surveyed Washington, Congress, the media and their tax obligations? What would they say about the presidential candidates?

Would you be embarrassed? 

Here's the thing.  Even if you were to assume perfect implementation of the Constitution and US Government post revolution, we'd be worse off than what we had with a King in england.

Because of this, logic then shows that this country wasn't founded for our freedom, but their power.