During the last 20 years, the federal government has continually forced more laws and regulations on states, and constitutionalists would argue that the feds have overstepped their bounds.

We were encouraged to see Georgia officials recently stand up to the federal government and refuse to acquiesce to something Georgians see as unfair.

The federal government has demanded that private sector seasonal employees, such as contracted bus drivers and cafeteria workers and private school teachers, be paid unemployment benefits during the months that they are not employed, even though they fully understood the longevity of the job when they accepted it.

We commend Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler for taking a stand and refusing to restart those unemployment benefits, even as the federal government threatens to pull all unemployment funding.

According to reports, the state of Georgia already has borrowed $740 million dollars during past years to maintain such programs. Any future dollars need to go to those who truly are jobless, not those whose jobs simply have a summer break. Furthermore, Butler has argued the benefits are unfair because public school employees are not eligible to receive such benefits.

The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was written specifically to protect states against a potentially, oppressive federal government.

We urge the state of Georgia officials to continue to stand their ground, and if federal officials try to force Georgia’s hand by cutting millions in federal aid, so be it.

Despite the economy, we think many Georgians would be receptive to pay a few more tax dollars to insure the federal government doesn’t control how our state is run. That responsibility belongs to the citizens of Georgia, not some distant Washington bureaucrats.