Conservatives are big on local control, the idea that government closest to the people is best able to reflect the desires and attitudes of the governed. They particularly like this idea when liberals try to impose new controls at the federal level.

But as recent events show, there appears to be a limit to how much control conservatives are willing to give local governments. For example, when the city of Birmingham decided to raise the minimum wage, the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature passed a bill taking away that power away from cities and counties.

Now, the Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly has passed a law barring the city of Charlotte from enforcing its own anti-discrimination ordinance, a law that also stops other cities and counties from passing protections based on sexual orientation and gender identify. Georgia has enacted similar legislation.

At least conservatives are consistent in their hypocrisy. It was fascinating to hear GOP congressmen who hate the regulatory powers of the Environmental Protection Agency berating the EPA for not doing more to prevent the lead water fiasco in Flint, Mich. Then there’s the Republican senators who thought Merrick Garland was a fine choice for the federal appeals court, but is a woeful selection for the Supreme Court.

Keep this in mind the next time you hear more nonsense about principled conservatives.