Federalism, the binding together loosely of the several states, would serve to prevent the concentration of power in a central government and was a crucial element in the new Republic. The authors of the Constitution wrote strict limits on the national government and strove to protect the rights and powers of the states and the people.
When small governments become too oppressive, citizens can vote with their feet, moving to a “competing” jurisdiction. If, for example, one state has a high income tax which the residents feel is inappropriate, they can move to Texas (as many have done) to keep more of their earnings. But as government becomes more centralized, it becomes more difficult to vote with one’s feet. There must be ample opportunity for citizen mobility: to proper governments and away from those which tend to be oppressive.
Imagine a return to federalism. What works in one state could be adopted by another. What doesn’t work could be avoided. Currently, we have a “one-size-fits-all”-style of governance that forces all states to endure bad policies. If California wants certain energy standards, then they should be able to pass them and see what happens, not enact those standards on a national level and force every other state to adopt the same.
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