by F.R. Duplantier
Don't be frustrated by the slow pace of political reform in our nation's capital. Take heart in the rapid progress being made by our sovereign states.
"In 1995, while Republicans in Congress were debating a $500-per-child tax credit and cutting the capital-gains tax in half, 17 states with Republican governors cut taxes," reports Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. Writing in the June issue of Policy Review, Norquist notes that, last year, "12 Republican governors took on one of the fiercest Democratic special-interest groups -- the trial lawyers -- and won. While Congress was only able to enact a very limited reform of frivolous stockholder lawsuits, Republican governors made significant strides."
Tax reform and tort reform are just two of the myriad historic changes now occurring throughout these United States. "The latest Republican anti-crime agenda has made little headway in Washington, where the Senate has failed to act on a package of bills passed by the House," says Norquist. "Meanwhile, Republican governors led the way in enacting 'truth-in-sentencing' laws that require violent criminals to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences." A majority of states have also passed legislation allowing for the carrying of concealed handguns.
The states are not waiting for Washington to reform welfare and health care, either. "Although Bill Clinton has vetoed the Republican welfare-reform bill," says Norquist, "Republican governors continue to experiment with efforts to free individuals from the dependency of welfare." Clinton may have vetoed Medicare reform as well, but five Republican governors "shepherded Medical Savings Accounts through their state legislatures. These forays into market-based health care will have a significant effect on overall medical costs and insurance premiums," says Norquist, "contributing substantially to the debate in Washington, and perhaps eventually ending the impasse. And, when Congress does finally enact reforms in Medicare, the states will already have in place the mechanisms to take full advantage of it."
The states are also outpacing Congress in providing protection for private property rights. "In March 1995, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation recognizing that the Takings Clause of the Constitution is invoked when government actions destroy or reduce the value of private property, not just when the property is physically occupied by government. That legislation has not seen final action, of course," notes Norquist, but that hasn't stopped the states from pushing ahead. "Beginning in 1992, the states began passing legislation protecting the property rights of their citizens. To date, 23 states have enacted legislation of varying strength, and more efforts are under way."
Our sovereign states seem to be asserting themselves once again. This bodes well for America. "All the Republican governors are traveling in the same direction and showing real courage in tackling the special interests of the old establishment order," says Grover Norquist. They've declared war on the welfare state, and they're not taking any prisoners.
7800 Bonhomme