"The extreme example counter response is never far behind in political discourse. Civil rights / human rights issues are a different ballgame and those absolutely are things that need to be resolved at the federal level. There's a whole host of other policies that don't though."
The problem isn't whether you allow some things to be decided at the state level and some things to be decided at the federal level. The problem is this: WHO gets to decide what level is correct?
There's a very large portion of the US that feels that voting rights issues should be decided at the state level. Same with abortion rights. Same with firearm ownership/possession. Same with gay marriage (and reciprocity is a big one there). I'd lay odds that if not for that pesky meddling Federal Government there's at least one state with a legislature that would be willing to ban miscegenation again, and refuse to recognize marriages that wouldn't be legal in their state.
The problem isn't whether you allow some things to be decided at the state level and some things to be decided at the federal level. The problem is this: WHO gets to decide what level is correct?
There's a very large portion of the US that feels that voting rights issues should be decided at the state level. Same with abortion rights. Same with firearm ownership/possession. Same with gay marriage (and reciprocity is a big one there). I'd lay odds that if not for that pesky meddling Federal Government there's at least one state with a legislature that would be willing to ban miscegenation again, and refuse to recognize marriages that wouldn't be legal in their state.