Attack of the federalistas

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

So much for States' rights

Neal Peirce / Syndicated columnist

Is it true that Washington is now ruled by a legion of "federalistas" — officials either in thrall to special interests, or anxious to pre-empt state laws and rules to stop experimentation and shrink the overall size of government?

James Tierney, former Maine attorney general, a Democrat and director of the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School, asserts that's precisely what's happening in George W. Bush's executive branch. A major investigative report by the Los Angeles Times cites a raft of cases one can read to support the point. The State PIRGs (public interest research groups) have just issued a "Preemption Alert" listing a broad array of federal actions now threatening state powers to protect consumers and the environment.

Once upon a time, Republican leaders championed states' rights and limited federal power. The new wave of preemption actions suggests that's no longer the case. "This is the most aggressive federal government in the history of the United States," asserts California's Democratic Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

The issues on which the federal agencies have already moved, or are currently considering a move against state powers, include a ban on state actions to address perhaps the most critical issue of our time: cutting global warming, in this instance by limiting vehicle emissions. But many are directly consumer-based: looming federal actions to stop states from securing the safety of prescription drugs for their citizens; from protecting consumer credit-card rights; from lawsuits to curb alleged racial bias in banks' lending practices; and from authorizing suits against automakers in roof-crush injury cases.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002831180_peirce27.html