Watchdog.org Podcast

By Ben Yount | Watchdog Radio This is “In Our Backyards,” Watchdog.org’s podcast that examines local government — because the government that is the closest to you often can be the most important, even if you don’t hear much about it. We’ll look at city councils, school boards and even water treatment authorities, because your tax dollars can be wasted by local officials just as easily as they can be wasted by member of Congress. This week, host Ben Yount looks at a growing trend in American politics: states are making more important policy decisions than Washington, D.C.  That's either because the federal government is failing to act on some issues or because it is over-acting on others, forcing states to amend, adjust or challenge federal policy in order to make it work. But that's not a bad thing.  As the laboratories of democracy, the states should be making more decisions instead of forcing everyone to accept one-size-fits-all federal rules.