Tag: States’ Rights

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Opinion: For Trump, States’ Rights are OK for Racism and Sexism, but not Saving the Planet

Last Thursday the Trump administration announced its intention to revoke California’s right to set its own auto emissions standards.

The state’s special authority to set its own standards, stricter than federal regulations, dates back to the 1960s when California was battling particularly severe air pollution. Since then, however, California has been influential in encouraging other states to follow suit in acting more urgently to protect our environment. Twelve states have adopted California’s standards, effectively establishing a near nation-wide standard. read more

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As Simple As Black and White: The GOP’s Secessionist Dream

It has been 150 years since the Confederacy of Southern States seceded from the United States of America starting the deadliest war in American history. It should be a time to reflect on the disastrous turn of events that ripped America apart with a view toward never taking that terrible path again, but instead, some southern states are celebrating secession with balls and celebrations. As if celebrating America's darkest times wasn't bad enough, new talk of secession and nullification signals a long standing hatred of the United States of America by racists in the South, and the hate is spreading across the country.