There is nothing that says the federal government cannot make funding state issues conditional. ....

Nothing says the federal government cannot review the national performance of the country's schools.

You're looking at it backwards. There's nothing that says the Federal government cannot require me to fill out my income tax forms whilst a butt plug adorned with tassels is firmly seated in my arse either.

That doesn't mean they have the authority to do it.

We've got a constitutionally limited federal republic on our hands. That means that if the Federal government wasn't granted power over something they can't meddle in it unless an amendment is passed. It's pretty simple, and until about 1937 we were pretty much OK with it.

The abuse of the "general welfare clause" to mean that the Federal government can do whatever it wants is a fairly recent perversion of the Constitution, and blame for that can be laid at the feet of FDR, probably the worst president we ever had. Just about every mess we're in can be tied back to his bullshit.

The original intent is that Congress can spend money on things that we need to fulfill their duties under the enumerated powers. It wasn't meant to give the Federal government carte blanche to do whatever it wanted to provided they thought it was in our best interests. To assume that the "general welfare clause" grants the Federal government any power that it deems good would mean that the enumerated powers, and the 10th amendment, have no real meaning.

Why in the Hell would the framers of the Constitution spend so much time on the Constitution only to provide an easy "out" for any expansion that the Federal government wanted? It's madness to assume that that was their intent, and to presume that education falls under their power requires one to assume that they either:

a) Thought it was so obvious that they didn't need to mention it.
a.1) Congress missed this "obvious" power until 1979 when they created the Department of Education
-or-
b) Didn't think education was a good thing.

I find 'b' highly unlikely, and 'a' is just plain absurd. To state that the general welfare clause grants the Federal government any control of education is just as absurd as the claim (supported by SCOTUS) that growing a plant in my own back yard for my own consumption falls under Federal control via the "commerce clause."

Last time it worked, you had a Civil War.

You really don't know how things work in the US, do you? Your arguments read like you never made it beyond a 5th grade civics class or something.

Let's just take this federalism thing "not working" for example. You're in California. I'm in Michigan.

California gets to set it's own emission standards for cars, and they require annual testing, yes? Michigan does not. That's federalism in action.

I've got a permit to carry a pistol in Michigan. California does not honor this permit, so I can't carry a gun around California. That's federalism in action.

California did, and will again once Prop 8 is rightfully struck down by the courts, honor homosexual marriages. Michigan does not. That's federalism in action.

Just a few examples.

As a Californian that's obviously in favor of large governments and central planning I find it highly doubtful that you'd like to see that whole "states rights" issues simple fade from existence. Your world would change, and you'd suffer, for lack of a better term, to the whims of us cousin humping rednecks clinging to our guns and religion in fly-over country.

I never knew laying cable could be so interesting.

I start telling them about how great Indian food is. Which it is, and that works in my favor.

Indeed.

The only way I could ever go vegetarian would be to include a LOT of Indian food in my diet. I don't mind it when the meat's missing in Indian food, and I know that the lentils, garbonzo beans, tofu (I use it instead of paneer), etc. are giving me the protein I need.

It's low fat, low calorie, gives you what you need, and you can cook a dish with a single skillet. I really wish it was more popular here in the USA.

And, if you eat it the right way, no forks or spoons to clean up!