(Spiro Agnew - the 1972 concept of Federalism would roll eyes now)

(Gordon Skene: My apologies for not posting the past week. Due to circumstances beyond my control - namely a very dead computer, it was impossible to post anything during a crucial period in our history. Timing is never perfect and I suppose there is no such thing as the perfect time for a computer to crash. My thanks to all of those who hung in there and dug around the site. Hopefully you found something you missed the first time around. We're back and glad to be back. Gordon)

I wonder just what our Tea Party friends would have to say about this Spiro Agnew address from October of 1972. The subject being The New Federalism and the concept of Revenue Sharing on the State and Local level. I imagine had George McGovern (the Democratic candidate for President) offered the same concept, screams of Socialism would have erupted. How the world has changed since 1972.

Spiro Agnew: “The new Federalism, as you City and County officials well realize is not a label, it’s a philosophy. It’s a belief that’s deeply held by Richard Nixon and by those of us associated with him that for too long, power has flowed from State and Local governments. It’s a determination to reverse that flow and send power back into the grassroots of America from whence come our tax dollars. It’s a decision to work, to bring Government closer to the people and to make it more quickly responsive to the citizenry. We’ll be witnessing in a few days Congressional enactment of the cornerstone of that philosophy, that which we call Revenue Sharing.”

Of course, in the midst of a heated campaign, lots of glowing promises are made but never kept. And as was the case with Nixon's second term, it was overshadowed by Watergate and Vietnam. But its interesting to consider when Republicans discuss Social issues it's called Compassionate Conservatism but when Democrats discuss Social Issues it's called Socialism. Funny, that.