"Federalism" is no outdated concept. The founding fathers of the American Republic are the authors of a brilliant design of the distribution of political power between the national government andthe states. Under the Constitution, the federal government isresponsible for the general concerns of the republic; the stategovernments are the custodians of the people's trusts and areauthorized to address their particular concerns. This is theessence of federalism and precisely what is under attack in themassive health care bills currently under consideration inCongress.