States’ Rights…Progressive Style

Say states’ rights, and progressives are likely to look the other way.

Since the Civil War, the term was associated with … the South’s push-back against proposals to end slavery … with a rationale for the South’s seceding from the Union … and, more recently, opposing federal efforts to enforce desegregation.

Not any longer. In these times, states’ rights are being asserted toward wholly different ends. Some include…..

Immigration: Refusing to support the president’s zero tolerance policy.

Recently, several state governors including those from California, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington, and Delaware refused to send National Guard troops to the border when requested.

Governor John Carney of Delaware said, “Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t hesitate to answer the call. But given what we know about the policies currently in effect at the border, I can’t in good conscience send Delawareans to help with that mission.”

DREAMERs: Suing to keep DACA alive.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have filed suit against the Trump regime to prevent it from ending DACA protections. (Six states, including Texas, are suing to strike down DACA as unconstitutional.)

Education: Cracking down on for-profit universities, colleges, and loan-service companies that allegedly cheated their students.

Attorney General Josh Stein of North Carolina shut down Charlotte School of Law, a for-profit institution, and turned back the Department of Education’s attempt to limit how many students would be allowed to have their loans forgiven. Eighteen other states and the District of Columbia have also sued the DOE with the same goal.

Census: Suing to prevent the census from including a question about citizenship.

Seventeen states, including Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, aim to keep the question — not seen in 70 years — off the 2020 census form. Their reasoning puts forward that such a question would have a chilling effect on immigrants willing to participate in the census, cause inaccurate results, and reduce the number of congressional seats from states with high immigrant populations.

For now, the dark Trump regime controls the federal government. But the heartbeat of our democracy is with the states. Who would have thought?

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Days children and parents have been separated at the border: 91 as of 7/19/18

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