It has occurred to me in in the past few days while listening to these lectures and thinking about the content in the context of current events, that one of the biggest issues with our current situation is the completely skewed understanding of Federalism that people have and the impact it has on their expectations of the Federal and State governments.
Ok, so that is the obvious part (I think). Here is the contentious supposition that I want to throw out there about where that may have its originations from. Could it be that President Lincoln created in our citizens an unhealthy fascination with “The Republic”, the absolute need to preserve the single entity of political and democratic representation by demanding such a huge sacrifice for its preservation? Not only did he demand such an incredible sacrifice to preserve the Union, but did he establish in peoples conscience some unhealthy obsession that has resulted, long-term, in looking to the Federal government for answers After all, why not, if it doesn’t have them, why would it be worth giving up so much?
My apologies if my lack of an ability to articulate myself muddies my ability to convey my thoughts. This is a unique and probably not very popular idea I would guess, given President Lincoln’s popularity and place in our history. I am not disputing his leadership or good intentions, only suggesting that the unintended consequences of those decisions 100-150 years later may be providing us with some unexpected challenges.
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