In August, we saw state House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli abandon her home state’s interests by supporting a federal law that would make New Hampshire-based online retailers collect and remit sales taxes for other states. Now we have Sen. Jeanne Shaheen getting the federal government to override the New Hampshire Executive Council’s decision not to fund Planned Parenthood with taxpayer money.

The state used to contract with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England to provide family medical services. But citing the organization’s practice of performing abortions, the elected council voted this summer not to renew the contract.

Shaheen thought this was unacceptable, so she urged the federal Department of Health and Human Services to bypass the state’s elected officials and award Planned Parenthood the contract anyway. The contract was and is funded with federal money. The will of the state’s elected council has been overridden.

No matter what one thinks of the council’s decision, it’s the council’s to make, not Washington’s. Otherwise, what’s the point of sending this money to the states?

In related news, Manchester’s school board voted this week to give immigrants who don’t speak English two-year exemptions from national standardized tests. This violates No Child Left Behind, but the board was tired of waiting for the waiver Manchester had requested. The students are being made to take tests they can’t pass because they can’t read them. Will Shaheen ask the feds to bypass this decision, too?

Why not just ignore the states entirely and have Washington control all initiatives funded with federal taxpayer money? Given the left’s complete disdain for states’ rights, what would be the liberal objection to that switch?