States vs. The United States

The rumblings of a civil war began when some southern states disagreed with the country's decisions and secceeded. There was, however, a lot of argument about the validity of this secession. President Abraham Lincoln denied the secession, claiming it was unconstitutional. It was the states rights vs. federal rights.The Civil War may appear distant and far-fetched, but underneath the layers it is simply a more radical version of what is occurring before our very own eyes.

Recently, President Obama passed the controversial health care reform bill that would spend 940 billion over ten years to expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured. And yet, like during the Civil War, many states disagree with reform and find it to be unconstitutional. States like Virginia, Florida, and others have deemed the bill unconstitutional. But only the federal government has the ability to repeal the bill. And while I highly doubt these states will want to secede because of this issue, it still seems unfair that state governments, who more directly represent the people, are losing their voices.

It is a difficult subject. How can state governments have more of a say in federal politics, without undermining the unity of America. How can we better balance the state and federal governments, to ensure that nobody's voice is going unheard?