Fifty experiments in dysfunction

One of the arguments for federalism — shifting more power to states and away from the Federal government — is that we create 50 different experiments in democracy.

It’s a great notion that has served us well: 50 different laboratories, all trying new things, making mistakes, cleaning up messes, and slowly crawling toward reform.

(Yes, with the occasional nudge from Uncle Sam…)

Readers of this blog know my general take on American democracy:

By any reasonable measure — from openness and accountability to fairness and a lack of corruption — our system works better now than it did a century ago.

In large part, that’s due to experiments at the state level. Franklin Roosevelt first tinkered with his big ideas here in New York state, including the North Country’s St. Lawrence Seaway.

Ronald Reagan test-drove his vision of America in California.

But these days, the laboratories seem to be breaking down. The political cultures in New York and California are gridlocked.

Alaska — where I grew up — is a banana republic without the bananas, unless you count members of Governor Sarah Palin’s extended family.

South Carolina? Don’t get me started.

What troubles me most about these failures is that state government is — compared with our Federal system — extremely responsive to the public will.

For all our groaning and complaining, we’re getting the government we want and deserve.

Most of us now see our elected officials primarily as conduits of pork.

We want more and more services, more government jobs, and big cash payments to fund our local projects — and we’re outraged at the idea that we should pay for any of it.

But when times are hard, we need leadership not patronage.

We need thoughtful, creative politicians, willing to try new things and take risks.

Maybe in next year’s election, more voters will go looking for fresh faces, fresh minds, people willing to renew the experiment.

-Brian in Westport