On the one hand, it seems impossible.  On the other hand, how long before the wall came down was that considered feasible.? (Note to infant readers, I mean the Berlin Wall.  Google it.).  Another hand in that direction: have we not seen an unprecedented power grab by the Federal Government by the Bush Administration via TARP, which the Obama Administration promises to perpetuate and increase?  I was frustrated by the way everyone pretended what happened was legal and constitutional.  I was frustrated that there was no real blowback.  Well maybe this is it:

So far, eight states have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, including Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington.

Fair warning about the source, but you can check out the resolutions yourselves.  Will they go anywhere?  Are the predictions that more will follow based on anything.

But even if nothing comes of this, there is another issue:

California counties are considering forms of tax revolt after the state imposed a 30-day payment delay that could potentially become much longer under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to preserve cash.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has authorized staff to file a lawsuit, while elected officials in Colusa County decided to impose a 30-day delay on sending any taxes and fees it collects to the state after the state controller announced a delay in refunds to taxpayers, money for college tuition-assistance programs and payments to state vendors starting Feb. 1.

Schwarzenegger has proposed delaying the payments by as long as seven months, which Jim Wiltshire, deputy director of the California State Association of Counties, said could result in $3.5 billion in deferment to the state’s 58 counties.

“I just think we need to look at all our options,” said Don Knabe, a supervisor of Los Angeles County, which is also considering payment delays. “When they say deferred payments, they don’t say you can defer the services.”

The rift between state and county government comes amid growing frustration over the inability of Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers to reach a midyear budget agreement. The state is facing a budget deficit of $42 billion by June 2010, and the governor is battling state lawmakers who oppose possible tax hikes and labor leaders who have sued over imposed state worker furloughs in efforts to save money.

And here:

Counties in California say they’ve had enough – and they aren’t going to take it anymore.

In what amounts to a Boston Tea Party-style revolt against the state Capitol, they’re threatening to withhold money.

Los Angeles is considering such an option. And Colusa County supervisors said they authorized payment delays for February.

“We didn’t vote on it, because I don’t think anybody wants to go to jail,” Colusa County Supervisor Kim Vann said.

Pretty interesting stuff.  Even if it this is “only” a state v. counties struggle, the principles can’t be restricted to California.

Ultimately, it seems to me that the more we hear about what is “too big to fail” it becomes evident to people that nothing is too big the fail.  The failure just passes up the food chain.  “The buck stops here” takes on new meaning.