I hate to be old fashioned and think that constitutional constraints limiting the size and scope of government are essential to sound government, but still, has anyone seen the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? It seems to be missing.
The Obama administration will propose that the federal government take over safety regulation of the nation's subway and light-rail systems, responding to what it says is haphazard and ineffective oversight by state agencies.
Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Transportation would do for transit what it does for airlines and Amtrak: set and enforce federal regulations to ensure that millions of passengers get to their destinations safely. Administration officials said the plan will be presented in coming weeks to Congress, which must approve a change in the law.
The proposal would affect every subway and light-rail system in the country, including large systems in Washington, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Unfortunately, only the DC Metro system of Washington, DC crosses state borders, giving the federal government any constitutional authority to regulate that system. The rest are states' issues.
I mean, does anyone really believe the federal government can do a better job taking over something that should be left to the states?
We can take control of the House of Representatives to restore the 10th Amendment in the next election cycle. To see how, visit:
http://laboratoryofthestates.org/call_to_action_story
Posted by: James Bowery | November 26, 2009 at 05:26 PM