Uphold federalism

Abraham Lincoln’s assertion that the U.S. federal government is “of the people, by the people, for the people” is true in the sense that all adult citizens (except felons) may vote for, obtain and administer a federal office. However, more accurately phrased, the federal government is of the states, by the states, for the states.

When independence was won, there was no federal government, no offices of federal authority and no administrators of federal law. By the Constitution Convention, the states’ representatives conceived and drafted the construct of the federal government. The states then established the federal government by ratifying the Constitution.

By their construct, the states have authority to manage all critical aspects of federal power. The states elect the president via the Electoral College. Senators represent their states in determining the federal courts and the placement of federal judges, and in ratifying treaties. Amendments to the Constitution can only occur if three out of four states give their consent.

The states created the federal government “in order to form a more perfect union” between them, not to be overshadowed and dominated by it. Let us understand and uphold the principles of our federalism, even the Electoral College.

Duncan Bean

Spokane Valley