The New Push for States' Rights

By David Davenport

"After decades when power moved from state and local governments to Washington, suddenly states are asserting more control on everything from global warming to gay marriage.

Now California not only has its own auto emission standards, but also a global warming policy, which Governor Schwarzenegger recently promoted at the United Nations.

Republicans debate whether there should be a federal Constitutional amendment about marriage or whether, as Fred Thompson and John McCain have said, that should be a matter of state policy.

Can we have 50 state global warming policies, or 50 approaches to marriage? That's one of the big issues in next year's election. My vote would be that we need national regulation of our national economy, but we should allow wider state variation on social issues.

But that's your choice to make since the candidates have staked out very different positions on the new states' rights."