Balanced Federalism

Federalism is a system of government in which power, by mutual consent, is divided between a central authority and constituent political units. Under such a system, a constitution defines the relationships and allocates the power among the national and local governments.

American federalism means “a proper respect for state functions, a recognition of the fact that the entire country is made up of a Union of separate State governments, and a continuance of the belief that the National Government will fare best if the States and their institutions are left free to perform their separate functions in their separate ways.” (Justice Hugo L. Black, Supreme Court of the United States)

For years, Congress, the national executive branch (particularly the agencies), and the Supreme Court have diminished the role of the states and thus diminished the people’s most fundamental liberty: the right of self-governance.

The U.S. Constitution established a “balanced” federalism which allocates power between the national and state governments. 

The protection of individual liberty and state sovereignty requires adherence to the principle of federalism as established in the original Constitution and reiterated by the Tenth Amendment.