Comments on: On America’s Constitutions http://blog.oup.com/2012/05/on-americas-constitutions/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Fri, 17 May 2013 12:26:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Sanford Levinson on 51 Constitutions - 92YMedia http://blog.oup.com/2012/05/on-americas-constitutions/#comment-356104 Sanford Levinson on 51 Constitutions - 92YMedia Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:03:53 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=25220#comment-356104 [...] and the Crisis of Governance, explains the bigger constitutional picture by looking at the 51 different constitutions that rule our states and how each of them are collectively more democratic than the original U.S [...] [...] and the Crisis of Governance, explains the bigger constitutional picture by looking at the 51 different constitutions that rule our states and how each of them are collectively more democratic than the original U.S [...]

]]> By: Sanford Levinson on 51 Constitutions | Campaign for the American Conversation http://blog.oup.com/2012/05/on-americas-constitutions/#comment-278217 Sanford Levinson on 51 Constitutions | Campaign for the American Conversation Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:36:16 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=25220#comment-278217 [...] and the Crisis of Governance, explains the bigger constitutional picture by looking at the 51 different constitutions that rule our states and how each of them are collectively more democratic than the original U.S [...] [...] and the Crisis of Governance, explains the bigger constitutional picture by looking at the 51 different constitutions that rule our states and how each of them are collectively more democratic than the original U.S [...]

]]> By: S. Banshee http://blog.oup.com/2012/05/on-americas-constitutions/#comment-277751 S. Banshee Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:05:47 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=25220#comment-277751 Quirks of law are a function, not a bug. Having drastically different state laws is the whole point of federalism. We live in fifty different states, shaped by dramatically different climates, geographical features, histories, settlement groups, ideals, and so on. As it is, federalism is mostly threatened by people bending to the laws of the US in areas they have no business legislating (powers reserved to the states in the US constitution), or by the stupid laws of big or influential states being followed by those who shouldn't be affected. For example, my dishwasher doesn't clean as well as it used to, because idiots in Oregon demanded that the phosphates be removed from detergent, and manufacturers decided it was easier to go along in every state rather than just pull their detergents from that market and let people lump it. That's anti-federalism, if you like. It's also one of the points of that lil' ol' American Revolution. Suffice it to say that if I wanted to live solely by the laws of Washington, DC, I'd go live there. Quirks of law are a function, not a bug. Having drastically different state laws is the whole point of federalism. We live in fifty different states, shaped by dramatically different climates, geographical features, histories, settlement groups, ideals, and so on.

As it is, federalism is mostly threatened by people bending to the laws of the US in areas they have no business legislating (powers reserved to the states in the US constitution), or by the stupid laws of big or influential states being followed by those who shouldn’t be affected. For example, my dishwasher doesn’t clean as well as it used to, because idiots in Oregon demanded that the phosphates be removed from detergent, and manufacturers decided it was easier to go along in every state rather than just pull their detergents from that market and let people lump it. That’s anti-federalism, if you like.

It’s also one of the points of that lil’ ol’ American Revolution. Suffice it to say that if I wanted to live solely by the laws of Washington, DC, I’d go live there.

]]> By: RonF http://blog.oup.com/2012/05/on-americas-constitutions/#comment-277674 RonF Thu, 31 May 2012 19:03:42 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=25220#comment-277674 I don't think the Electoral College is absurd. It's a great way to preserve partial State sovereignty. We are a Federal republic of sovereign States, not a direct democracy with 50 districts to help simplify things a bit. I don’t think the Electoral College is absurd. It’s a great way to preserve partial State sovereignty. We are a Federal republic of sovereign States, not a direct democracy with 50 districts to help simplify things a bit.

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