Posted by Dinah on November 7, 2006, at 15:33:53 [reposted on November 7, 2006, at 15:34:47 | original URL]
In reply to Americans still using telegrams for votes? ;-), posted by Jay on November 7, 2006, at 15:14:05
You must recall that states rights used to be pretty big in this country in the days before people relocated so easily. The original states were quite ambivilant about handing power over to the federal government and the provisions for elections reflect that. It once really as a "United States", a set of individual former colonies turned states who united together where it served the common good but considered themselves relatively independent.
It leads to a few idiosyncracies that don't make seem as intuitively easy to understand as they used to be. But I think I honor the original reasons behind them.
I still am not sure how I feel about states rights as opposed to a strong federal government. Well, I'm sure how I feel about states' rights in regard to slavery of course. And perhaps the end of the Civil War was the beginning of the end for a group of united but separate states? And the beginning of the supremacy of the federal government? I'm not sure there... Daddy would know.
poster:Dinah
thread:701320
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20061009/msgs/701327.html