The State of the States: Time for a Bush Federalism


 

Publication Date: November 1989

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Dana Joel

Research Area: Government

Keywords: Government reform

Type: Report

Abstract:

The debt-laden federal government cannot continue its generous and poorly targeted grants-in-aid program for states. With the exception of a few states, the country is fiscally strong, and states do not need federal aid that, in any case, comes from taxpayers living in the states. Benefitting enormously from the economic policies of the 1980s, state and local economies are stronger today than ever, and revenue continues to grow faster than even state budget officers had anticipated. Federal “assistance” only impedes state and local government action by subjecting aid to costly regulations and unnecessary mandates.