Federalism a la Ashcroft
The New York Times is running a story today about a church’s zoning fight in Hawaii. Local authorities there are opposed to a church’s proposed expansion plans on the grounds that it would increase traffic in the rural area.
The Ashcroft Justice Department has taken the unusual step of writing a letter to the local authorities saying they are prepared to file a lawsuit unless the church is allowed to build a new sanctuary. The charge: religious discrimination. As the article points out:
“That’s very activist,” Professor Hamilton said of the letter to the county. “The Ashcroft Justice Department is just dramatically pro-religion. I assessed the Clinton administration as the most religious administration since Grant, and now the Bush administration is outstripping Clinton.”
Republicans from an early age are taught that the federal government should be limited in its powers and that the business of government should be conducted at the state or local level (Federalism). Republicans, however, gladly use Federal power when it can be used to promote their causes. This religious “discrimination” case is one example. Another is the election fiasco in 2000 when Republicans used the Federal courts to intervene in the state of Florida’s election process.
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