There's been a lot of talk about reducing federal regulation and letting states take over. This will never happen of course -- mostly because large corporations and their Republican minions don't want it to.
The last thing big business wants to deal with is fifty states with fifty sets of regulation. At least a third of the states would likely enact regulations that are stiffer than present federal regulations (and this group includes big or important states business cannot ignore or write off like New York, California, Massachusetts, and Washington).
When states try to offer their citizens more protection than offered under federal law corporations make a bee line for protection under the Supremacy Clause. When California enacted legislation protecting borrowers banks sued claiming federal preemption. When California enacted greenhouse gas regulation automakers sued claiming federal preemption also.
Republicans may throw Tea People a bone or two -- but if they're expecting wholesale deregulation they're sure to be disappointed. Fortune 500 companies are the true masters of the Republican Party.
The last thing big business wants to deal with is fifty states with fifty sets of regulation. At least a third of the states would likely enact regulations that are stiffer than present federal regulations (and this group includes big or important states business cannot ignore or write off like New York, California, Massachusetts, and Washington).
When states try to offer their citizens more protection than offered under federal law corporations make a bee line for protection under the Supremacy Clause. When California enacted legislation protecting borrowers banks sued claiming federal preemption. When California enacted greenhouse gas regulation automakers sued claiming federal preemption also.
Republicans may throw Tea People a bone or two -- but if they're expecting wholesale deregulation they're sure to be disappointed. Fortune 500 companies are the true masters of the Republican Party.
