IT is easy to sympathise with Kevin Chinnock (The Border Mail, January 10) in feeling over governed, but to dispense with the states would be a serious inroad into the form of democracy that has served us well, even if not perfectly.
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The idea of regional administration areas, he suggests sounds like a bun fight to me.
Imagine 100 or so administration areas clamouring for federal funding, vying with each other for money to support schools, police, transport and medical facilities.
Imagine the infrastructure that will build up to secure, distribute and service those funds. Imagine which areas will miss out.
Imagine the difficulty of influencing a regional administration for local and specific issues.
If you think it is too expensive to support a state system, imagine the cost of supporting a 100 or so “mini states”, each seeking to protect and advance its own patch.
The cost of two licenses for the fishing and tradespeople which is of concern to Kevin Chinnock may well blow out to five or six of them.
Devolving decision making among federal and state upper and lower houses and local government provides for a range of representatives.
One of the problems of being over governed, is the intrusion of federal governments into state affairs.
Federal governments use the tax collected from the population and industry to push their own agendas by tying funds to specific projects and undermining the autonomy of states.
If you want to make cuts, start with the federal government.
— SUE WILTON,
Howlong
