Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMoss
That is definitely how they brand it, but I don't see red states running up a bunch of cases to overturn cannabis laws, gay marriage or assisted suicide laws. States rights is the calling card people use when they want to do some unsavoury (see the racial segregation battles in 50s/60s)
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But as you point out, states rights is what enabled Oregon and Colorado to legalize cannabis long before it would have been politically viable to do so federally. Same with gay marriage. It’s not obvious to me that states being able to enact legislation to suit the preferences of local voters is a bad thing. And there’s reason to believe the nationalization of politics - the trend over the last few decades for public dialogue to focus on national issues in a country where the governance and policies that affect people the most are at the state or municipal level - has been unhealthy for democracy.
https://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2018/5...ion-federalism