Subsidiarity Quotes

I happen to be one who believes very strongly that state and local governments have their proper roles.

In my eight years as governor, I did everything I could to resist federal control of issues that belong to the states.

Strengthening the system and spirit of cooperative federalism, my government is taking the states along to achieve national goals.

as a barrier between the central government and the respective states and their citizens.

My party is committed to a federation.

Decentralization is always a passion of those in opposition

Throughout my political career, I've believed in the concept of home rule. Some call it local control. Whichever phrase you use, the concept is the same - the best decisions are those made closest to those who will be impacted by the decisions.

That's what the founding fathers intended, that most decisions be made at the state level, not at the federal level.

It is a fundamental principle of American law that the regulation of the local police of all the domestic affairs of a State belong to the State itself, and not to the Federal Government.

Quite as serious an error [of the French] is the failure to provide for local self-government. As this lies at the bottom of republican institutions, and should be, moreover, the first concern of democracy

When the federal government imposes a mandate on the states or supersedes a state policy, conservatives often rise in protest.

Those of us who were part of creating the Scottish parliament believe we must always test constitutional arrangements. The real test is where do the powers lie? Is it in the best interests of Scotland?

When we look at the situation in the EU, we need to honestly admit that it desperately needs to develop further, that we need to strengthen it when it comes to the bigger questions - and allow member nations to make more decisions about the smaller questions themselves.

Crucial to understanding federalism in modern day America is the concept of mobility, or 'the ability to vote with your feet.' If you don't support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol - don't come to Texas. If you don't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage, don't move to California.

Because with courage and conviction I believe we can deliver a more flexible, adaptable and open European Union in which the interests and ambitions of all its members can be met.

States should have enormous input into the decisions that affect them.

Accepting federal funding undermines state sovereignty as states become beholden to federal requirements in order to keep the money flowing.

We have to allow people in the states to make their own decisions, to get government agencies out of the way and let local people make decisions about what's best for them.

I think it is time for a radical federalism in this country, where people trust innovation coming from the local level and ramp that up.

That's what I think regions are about, making central government more accountable and fairer.

Europe has shown how government can be organised in a network. Its institutions both compete and co-operate and include a directly elected parliament that does not appoint the executive, independent judiciaries and a complex set of relationships between the Commission, the Council of Ministers and the Parliament.

We have found, in our country, that when people have the right to make decisions as close to home as possible, they usually make the right decisions.

States know better than the federal government how to allocate and manage resources to address the needs of their people.

We are looking at how you change the relationship between central and local government and how to use public resources to the best effect at the local level.

I'm a strong supporter of states' rights to do what they need.