Something's wrong with today's government.

[kathyp]

the only thing in all those lists that the federal government (ours) is mandated by the constitution  to do, is provide for the common defense.  everything else should be left to the states. 
it is not the feds job to educate your kids, build your roads, or post your speed limits, yet they do all these things.  it is not their job to pull you off your roof in a flood, or rebuild your city after a hurricane, yet we have come to expect that they will.

jerrymac is right.  we have gotten what we asked for........

imagine how quickly government would shrink if states had to decide what was important and what was not, and had to do it with their own money!

[Bee Happy]

weren't there some governors who refused the recent rounds of Federal monies? if I got the story straight they were essentially 'forced' to accept the funds, and the mandates that come with them. There's a very old saying about taking the devils money, but I honestly can't remember it.
The bottom line is I think those governors who tried to refuse the money believed that accepting the funds was a consent to the usurpation of states rights.

[kathyp]

funds was a consent to the usurpation of states rights.

the federal funds came with strings.  the money was to be used to support and expand certain programs.  one of the big problems was that the states would be forced to take over the added expenses when the federal money ran out...or reduce those programs again when the federal money ran out.  it is a short sighted "fix" that will leave the states in worse money trouble when it ends.  hate to sound cynical, but i don't think this coming problem is an oversight on the part of the feds.  when the state can't support the expanded programs, it gives the feds another excuse to step in a further erode state autonomy.

in states like mine, there will be no protest.  better to hand it all to the feds than to actually govern your own state and spending.