Utahns prefer state, local governments. Here’s the evidence:
Pignanelli & Webb
The federal government is deep in debt, Congress is dysfunctional and new survey research shows that Utah voters don’t much like or trust the national government. We explore why.
A poll from UtahPolicy.com conducted by Y2 Analytics shows that about 8 in 10 Utah voters say they trust their state and local governments more than the federal government. Why is this?
Pignanelli: “If the Tenth Amendment was taken seriously, most of the federal government’s present activities would not exist. That’s why no one in Washington ever mentions it.” —Thomas Woods
Italian Americans and Latter-day Saints have much in common, including food-centric family activities, intense tribal loyalty and affection for ancestors who suffered persecution while enduring legalistic issues (I’m being kind) with the “Feds.” For over half a century, the federal government pursued hostile tactics towards Utahns, including stationing troops, imprisoning leaders and seizing assets. These good faithful patriotic Americans did not deserve such ruthless bellicosity. Therefore, history influences attitudes of their descendants toward Washington, D.C.
Because this legacy still percolates in our culture, the poll reflects a high level of distrust with the national government. Even today, there are remembrances of family members whisked to jail or who shrewdly avoided capture. (At reunions my family recalls with pride the manufacture of “refreshments” during Prohibition, while dodging the law.)
Such emotions do not — and should not — quickly dissipate. Additional reasons exist for anger towards the nation’s capital, but the outrageous treatment of Utahns in the 19th century justifies current subtle antipathies.
Although the objectives of church members were much more noble (saving souls) than of my ethnic heritage (slaking a specific thirst), I am honored of a nominal common inheritance.
Webb: Utahns are smart enough to know that government close to home is better than government in faraway Washington. Each level of government has important roles to perform. But while the U.S. Congress wallows in dysfunction, acrimony, crushing debt and partisanship, Utah’s state and local governments effectively serve citizens by solving tough problems and working collaboratively.
Some 82% of Utah voters agree with this statement: “The federal government should run only those things that cannot be run at the local level.” And 71% disagree with this statement: “The federal government provides a better return on my tax dollars than state and local governments.” Do Utahns recognize a fundamental imbalance in the federal/state relationship?
Pignanelli: The poll also highlights that 83% of Utahns believe either the state or local government, not the Feds, should make key decisions that impact them.
Although millions of Utahns benefit from federal programs, there is a doubt of effective administration. Further, they trust their neighbors serving in the city council or the legislature to truly understand their needs. Thus, our culture — which treasures quality organization and efficient management — possesses little confidence with the national government.
Webb: Clearly, Utahns and people across the country believe the federal government has become too large and unwieldy. I believe this matter is critically important because restoring a proper federal-state balance is really the only solution to federal dysfunction, ominous debt and the pending bankruptcy of entitlement programs.
The only way to make Washington work the way it should (and was intended) is by disrupting it through a devolution process so states and local governments take over many of the functions that have been centralized in Washington. We’d see flexible and customized solutions, better performance and lower costs. Let the laboratories of democracy work as intended.
The nation’s founders never meant for the federal government to take care of every citizen from cradle to grave and regulate nearly every aspect of our lives. The federal government is dysfunctional and broke precisely because it is trying to do too much. It ought to do less. Local and state governments (along with individuals, families and nonprofits) ought to do more.
The federal government needs to be disrupted so it can successfully focus on its truly national responsibilities as identified in the Constitution.
Balanced federalism ought to become a crusade for Utah’s congressional delegation, gubernatorial candidates, state and local leaders, and public policy organizations.
When it comes to spending tax dollars wisely, a healthy 61% of Utah voters most trust local government, compared to 34% who most trust state government and only 5% who most trust the federal government. Why does local government come out ahead?
Pignanelli: No wonder here. On a regular basis, Americans hear reports about state and local government trimming programs and other actions which successfully “balance the budget.” They never hear any such results from the federal government.
Webb: Local governments are the most responsive governments. They take care of the day-to-day services that citizens need. City and county leaders, and their policymaking meetings, are accessible and responsive. For the most part, our local and state governments are well managed. They get things done and solve problems.