Having a National Character

The problem with the current Republican position on the Federal government --- which is a position that would reduce the Federal government to something quite minor --- is the question of whether we have "national interests" or not. The Federal government is how we come together as a national people to address our national interests. If we accept the idea of reducing the Federal government to nothing, or at least to something quite small and impotent, then it seems to me that we are claiming that there are no essential national interests. Protecting the boundaries and perhaps collecting tariffs seem to be the only interests that Republicans respect.

For example, it is appropriate to ask whether civil rights is a national interest, something that defines us as a people and, hence, something that does not vary from region to region, or state to state. If Federal oversight on civili rights is eliminated or hog-tied by budget cuts, then local interests and prejudices can take control. Civil rights would become a regional disposition and we can only imagine the regions in which conditions would change radically. Respect for civil rights would no longer be a matter of national character.

Another example we might consider is the Food and Drug Administration. Is it a matter a nation interest to oversee the commercial distribution of foods and drugs? If we declare this as a regional responsibility, will the states pursue oversight with similar standards or will regional producers successfully avoid true oversight? If protecting one's health becomes an individual responsibility, what resources will be available, especially if only regional standards are maintained and interstate commerce is unrestricted?

The fact of the matter, it seems to me, is that we have a great many national interests today and, consequently, we need a Federal government through which we function as a nation to address these issues. These are not issues that we can afford to be decided on regional bases; and they are issues that define a national character --- that is, what it means to be an American.