Indiana Governor Lauds States' Rights

The Federalists' debate is back on the agenda.

The relationship between the state and federal government drew a substantial crowd last night at the John F. Kennedy School of Government's ARCO Forum.

Evan Bayh, former Democratic governor of Indiana and currently a candidate for the Senate, focused mainly on education and the economy as examples of areas where fewer federal mandates could benefit the nation in the long run.

As governor for eight years, Bayh saw the complications of national programs as solutions to local problems.

In a utopian future he called an "exciting time for state governments," Bayh described a federal government that sets standards, provides resources and follows the progress of programs.

In turn, he said, this shift away from unfunded mandates would allow local governments to experiment, innovate and tailor national ideas to better fit their state's character.

Bayh began by dealing with education and the benefits of "voluntary national education standards in core subjects."

Calling for an improvement at the local level with more flexibility for state governments, Bayh said the quality of education could soon become class-based.

Discussing welfare reform on the state level, Bayh cited the "ability to try different things" in Indiana as a main cause of the state's drop in welfare recipients.

In response to what critics have called "the race to the bottom," Bayh said the country is "not going to see a dramatical slash in welfare benefits."

Asked about states abusing welfare reform for their own financial interests, Bayh cited the social contract and the responsibility of national government to care for its citizens as a possible safeguard against such problems.

Michael J. Passante '99, president of the College Democrats, said he agreed with all of Bayh's points.

"He's very intelligent and congenial," Passante said. "I think his priorities are in the right place with education and healthcare."

For Bayh, last night's speech was part of a long campaign trail that is just beginning.

Whether he ends up in the Senate will depend on Indiana's voters, but he has at least one vote at Harvard.

"If this guy gets elected to the Senate, the nation will be better off," said Brian A. Chernoff '01.