Point Counterpoint: Should Power Be Transferred To The States?
             The question is should power be transferred from the federal government to the states? The opinion of yes will be covered by Kirk Cox, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and for the opinion of no, John G. Kester, a Washington attorney.
             One of the main points in this argument is that the Federal Government is not close enough to the people; where as the state governments are much closer to the people and the issues that they are concerned about. Kirk Cox's opinion is that the state government is much closer to the people than the Federal Government is, and that this fact is very important. The fact that they are close, says Cox, lets the state government reflect the ideals of the people and it also makes it so that the state government will spend the taxpayer's money more effectively. Cox also says that it is easier for the citizens to make changes to their government. It also makes the government more accountable for their actions and laws when they are more tied to the people. John Kester had no real points on the issue of being close to the people, except for his comments about the federal government being much more responsible than the state governments, and that the people in the state would rather have the federal government in control than the state. Kirk Cox definitely had better points when it came to this subject.
             Another point that should be considered is what criteria should be used in deciding whether a policy area should belong to the state government or the federal government. Kirk Cox had a process that he thought should be used to determine whether a policy should belong to which government. He stated that each program should be examined as to whether or not it should be under the authority of the Federal Government as stated in the Constitution. It should also be looked at as to "whether the Federal Government is ...