Rick Perry did have a good line during his campaign for the GOP nomination.  He repeatedly said that his goal as president would be to make Washington as inconsequential in your lives as possible.  Looks like he was on to something …

A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows that only one third of Americans have a favorable view of our federal government.  In fact, the favorability of our federal government has fallen ten points since Obama took office.  Meanwhile, over half of Americans hold a favorable view of their local and state governments. 

Federalism, the balance between our federal and local/state governments, is a cherished characteristic of our government in the United States.  Over time, Americans have allowed our imperial federal government to harness more power.  As responsibility is removed to Washington, government waste, fraud and abuse has grown exponentially and Americans become less satisfied.  And yet when conservatives suggest the return of power to the states, this is labeled as “radical” or even “racist.”  When conservatives suggest block-granting programs like Medicare and returning it to the states, videos are made showing Republicans pushing granny off a cliff.  As our imperial federal government has gotten involved in education, there has been little improvement in its quality and yet billions have been spent in the name of “investment” in our children.