DEVOLVE AND CONQUER

NO LONGER SUPPLICANTS, GOVERNORS ARE FAST BECOMING THE HEROES OF THE NEW POLITICAL ORDER

On any other day, the obscenely long list unwinding from Michigan Governor John Engler's hands would not be one he would be eager to display. It seemed to extend forever. Aid to Families with Dependent Children was one entry; food stamps was another. In all, it contained 335 items, each a federal program. To Engler and his gubernatorial colleagues, each also represented a different federal bureaucracy to which he had to kowtow; a different process in which he had no say; and a specific amount of money he had to pay out of his state's treasury, whether he liked it or...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!