how much power does the federal goverment have over states?

[robert9712000]

when arizona passed the immigration law the feds forced them to remove it.
when california voters voted to not allow gay marriage the fed courts over ruled it
now im reading that if california passes the leagalization of marijuana the feds will not allow it

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/13/california.marijuana/index.html

Do the states have to get the fed approval on everything they do and how much power should the Federal government have over the states.

i know the civil war changed alot in the relationship between the federal government and the states but if they have complete power over the states,why even allow states to make there own laws why not just have the federal government set laws for all the states to abide by and save money for the states so they dont have to pay for a state legislature (sarcasm)

[robert9712000]

guess the federal gov. overriding the states power isnt a issue that interests people =(

How about those reds!! =P

[Acala]

Not sure I understand your question. Are you asking what SHOULD the relationship be? What does the Constitution say about it? What is the real situation?

[robert9712000]

My question was , put another way Does the federal government have the constitutional right to override every time any state law they want too?

[Acala]

My question was , put another way Does the federal government have the constitutional right to override every time any state law they want too?

Only state laws that conflict with federal laws properly enacted under the Federal government's strictly limited powers.

[newyearsrevolution08]

I would actually look into how many states the federal government either owns or partially owns due to giving money to them.

they are supposed to have limited control but that sure did change in the last 40+ years.

[LibertyVox]

I think most Americans identify with the National Identity, symbols, anthem, etc. then with their local state. I think this is partly due to the fact that there has been an increasing mobility of people who relocate from state to another including Dr. Paul. This includes yung, old, students, people looking for work etc.

I think familial roots and constancy in one particular place is important to develop a sense of deep belonging an identification with one place (in this case state). I don't think it is a coincidence that agrarian societies which depend on family ties and legacy have more of this sense of local identification than individuals living in the more robust, cosmopolitan and mobile centers. Even in our history it was not the North but the South which had more sense of statehoodiness during the civil war (mostly due to reasons incidentally related to agrarian culture).
But then again, we have cultural terms like Californication etc... so I could be wrong. But I think in case of the more commercial, industrialized, cosmopolitan areas, the "local pride and identity" thingy is restricted to much smaller historic centers such as cities as opposed to state (the proud New Yorkers, Los Angelenos, New Orleans etc etc).

[FunkBuddha]

Bottom line is that fed.gov can do whatever the Hell it wants unless states start telling them to fuck off. We're living in the world that opponents of anarchism fear, a lawless society ruled by armed thugs who do whatever they want.

[DamianTV]

I think the Fed should only have as much powers granted to it as in the Constitution. Too many of the issues I believe the Fed should not have ANY power to try to come down and say jack shit about, unless it is a Court Case to be heard by the Supreme Court. The Feds really shouldnt get ANY say about whether or not drugs, gay marriage, or abortion are legal. They never bothered to try to tell Nevada that prostitution should not be legal because it has been legal in Nevada for quite a while, and to try to immediately come down and tell the State of Nevada that they are going to make it illegal, or else, would provoke a very strong anti government response in a LOT of people.

Now, abortion and video games have both made it up to Supreme Court level, where what they rule becomes the law of the land, but they get to the Supreme Court based on the Constitutionality of the law. Abortion is touchy for a lot of people so I'll leave that one alone and go to the whole California Anti Violent Video Game law, where the Supreme Court said the law was Unconstitutional and Schwarzenegger can kiss their asses, but for the Feds to try to come down on everything they do, they have a lot of ways, other than just ignoring their resetrictions to punish states. Much like the relatively recent drunk driving mandate they issued. Lower your legal limit to 0.08 or we are going to cut your state funding for things that we fund. Essencially, its blackmail, and that is exactly the way a power hungry monster behaves.

At the same time, the States have become hopelessly dependant on the Fed, but this is mostly due to the fact that the Federal Government has more influence (not control, just influence) on the Central Bank as a source of money, on which the States have become enslaved in order to support their Socialistic Services. Here, we can print up money out of nothing, but you cant, and you need it, so youre going to do what the fuck I tell you to do, or else. What can a State say to that? No? They cant, and they know it. So they pass earmarked laws that comply with what the Federal Government "wants", whether it is legal or constitutional or not has nothing to do with the point, and the States get their crack money from its Pimp Daddy, essencially making every State the Federal Governments Whore.

The basis of a Sound and Honest Money System would have restricted a lot of these events from having ever taken place because the Federal Government would not have had the undue amount of influence that it now has. It isnt the only way the Federal Government and the Central Federal Reserve Bank has made cities, counties, states, and countries bend to its will, but it has a lot to do with it.