Do You Just Want to Hear Gov. Burgum Say the Words “Shelter-in-Place”?
MINOT, N.D. — As I’ve watched critics gripe about our national and state-level response to the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been struck by how often the things people are complaining about are actually good.
Nationally, President Donald Trump is under fire for an approach that emphasizes state leadership.
“Trump administration tells states to step up as governors plead for aid,” Politico reports.
“10 times presidents led on national crises instead of blaming the states as Trump is doing,” a USA Today headline reads.
How Trump expects our multi-tiered system of government to work is how it’s designed to work. The states are supposed to be responsible for governing within their borders, with the federal government’s role being mostly international policy and coordinating domestic policy.
This is called federalism, and it works wonderfully in a country as geographically and socially diverse as ours is.
When we allow it to work.
