Rick Perry and the Problems of State Power

    Just watched the interview with Rick Perry on the Daily Show and must say that I am glad I don't live in the state of Texas and that guy has a tenuous grasp on the kinds of powers that states should have with relation to the Federal government.  Initially, he completely brushes off the question of whether the Federal government has the power to regulate the amount of dangerous chemicals in products, because to admit that they do would mean admitting that the Federal government has greater powers than the states.  He also opts to not pay attention to the fact that the Federal Government actually dictates certain policies for state colleges as well as provide a great deal of funding for the institutions and the students.  Individuals who support the notion of greater state power still want the Federal Government to pay for these things, they just don't want the Federal Government to have any say in how the money is spent after they've given it to them.  This belief is supported by Perry's acceptance of stimulus funds while planning other was to spend it.
    Another question that Stewart should have asked that would have been insightful, as well as demonstrated the limits of this State powers argument, would have been to ask Perry what he thought about the incorporation of the Bill of Rights.  Prior to the Slaughter House Cases states did not have to comply with the Bill of Rights, does Perry really believe that a state would have the power to deny a citizen the right to bear arms?  I would have picked freedom of speech or religion, but I think he might have agreed with a state denying those rights. 
    I also disagree with Perry's take on the environmental issues that he thinks states are better equipped to handle.  For one thing, it completely disregards the reality of the situation that many states could have lax environmental standards and those lower standards might not only impact them but states surrounding them.  If coal mining operations dump their chemicals in the Ohio River in Appalachia it can have a serious impact on the quality of water in areas down river.  The state of Kentucky might be fine but Tennessee might be punished and have no say in the matter.  I firmly believe that there should national standards for a variety of issues and then if states want to go above and beyond, because often times they have a closer look at the issue, more power to them.  I think there should be a national minimum wage, if Texas wants to offer a larger one to entice more workers and better protect them, that's fantastic.  I don't think Texas has the power to offer a lower minimum wage though, just like I don't think Texas has the power to opt out of environmental protection or the 2nd Amendment.
    As a final statement, I want to point out how frustrated I am with Perry and other conservative leaders making the argument that the New Deal didn't work.  First off, Perry got his degree in Animal Science and I'm pretty sure his grasp of history is tenuous at best.  Secondly, he likely associates the New Deal with only the WPA which is incredibly limited.  The New Deal encompassed a variety of programs including the Tennessee Valley Authority which brought electricity and power to regions that were considered too rural and expensive for private companies to come to.  In addition, whenever anyone says that WWII got us out of the Depression and not the New Deal, I want to yell and scream and at them.  The New Deal was instrumental in financing the construction of all of these new factories that were meant to build the armaments for the war.  These people who claim that WWII got them out of the Depression have obviously never read anything about the Reconstruction Finance Corporation which built factories, railroads, refineries, and other industrial necessities and then leased them to private companies to run.  Then, at the end of the war these properties were sold back to the private companies at a heavily reduced price.  If that's not government working to solve an economic crisis I don't what is.  It is a perfect example of Keynesian  stimulus and demonstrates how the New Deal was instrumental to the war effort.  They don't know about this because they haven't read my undergraduate thesis and they're not history students.