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In your own words, please briefly define FEDERALISM: Federalism has advantages and disadvantages

In your own words, please briefly define FEDERALISM: Federalism has advantages and disadvantages

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1. In your own words, please briefly define FEDERALISM: Federalism has advantages and disadvantages. According to the textbook authors: “Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion.” p. 99 “Federalism also comes with drawbacks. Chief among them are economic disparities across states, race-to-the bottom dynamics, and the difficulty of taking action on issues of national importance.” p. 102 2. Please discuss (2-4 sentences) the different responses of state governments to the Covid-19 pandemic. Be specific. 3. Please discuss (2-4 sentences) the response of the national government to the Covid-19 pandemic. Be specific. 4. Are you satisfied with the ways in which state governments and the national governments are responding to the pandemic? Why or why not? 5. Do you believe federalism is working? Is this the best system for the United States? Why or why not?
distribution of alcohol, gun control, and social welfare benefits, for example. THE DRAWBACKS OF FEDERALISM Federalism also comes with drawbacks. Chief among them are economic disparities across states, race-to- the-bottom dynamics (i.e., states compete to attract business by lowering taxes and regulations), and the difficulty of taking action on issues of national importance. Stark economic differences across states have a profound effect on the well-being of citizens. For example, in 2017, Maryland had the highest median household income ($80,776), while West Virginia had the lowest ($43,469).73 There are also huge disparities in school funding across states. In 2016, New York spent $22,366 per student for elementary and secondary education, while Utah spent $6,953.74 Furthermore, health-care access, costs, and quality vary greatly across states.75 Proponents of social justice contend that federalism has tended to obstruct national efforts to effectively even out these disparities. Link to Learning The National Education Association discusses the problem of inequality in the educational system of the United States. Read its proposed solution (https://www.openstax.org/l/29equalityedu) and decide whether you agree. The economic strategy of using race-to-the-bottom tactics in order to compete with other states in attracting new business growth also carries a social cost. For example, workers' safety and pay can suffer as workplace regulations are lifted, and the reduction in payroll taxes for employers has led a number of states to end up with underfunded unemployment insurance programs.76 As of January 2019, fourteen states have also opted not to expand Medicaid, as encouraged by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, for fear it will raise state public spending and increase employers' cost of employee benefits, despite provisions that the federal government will pick up nearly all cost of the expansion." More than half of these states are in the South. The federal design of our Constitution and the system of checks and balances has jeopardized or outright blocked federal responses to important national issues. President Roosevelt's efforts to combat the scourge of the Great Depression were initially struck down by the Supreme Court. More recently, President Obama's effort to make health insurance accessible to more Americans under the Affordable Care Act immediately ran into legal challenges78 from some states, but it has been supported by the Supreme Court so far. However, the federal government's ability to defend the voting rights of citizens suffered a major setback when the Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.79 No longer are the nine states with histories of racial discrimination in their voting processes required to submit plans for changes to the federal government for approval.
Transcribed Image Text:distribution of alcohol, gun control, and social welfare benefits, for example. THE DRAWBACKS OF FEDERALISM Federalism also comes with drawbacks. Chief among them are economic disparities across states, race-to- the-bottom dynamics (i.e., states compete to attract business by lowering taxes and regulations), and the difficulty of taking action on issues of national importance. Stark economic differences across states have a profound effect on the well-being of citizens. For example, in 2017, Maryland had the highest median household income ($80,776), while West Virginia had the lowest ($43,469).73 There are also huge disparities in school funding across states. In 2016, New York spent $22,366 per student for elementary and secondary education, while Utah spent $6,953.74 Furthermore, health-care access, costs, and quality vary greatly across states.75 Proponents of social justice contend that federalism has tended to obstruct national efforts to effectively even out these disparities. Link to Learning The National Education Association discusses the problem of inequality in the educational system of the United States. Read its proposed solution (https://www.openstax.org/l/29equalityedu) and decide whether you agree. The economic strategy of using race-to-the-bottom tactics in order to compete with other states in attracting new business growth also carries a social cost. For example, workers' safety and pay can suffer as workplace regulations are lifted, and the reduction in payroll taxes for employers has led a number of states to end up with underfunded unemployment insurance programs.76 As of January 2019, fourteen states have also opted not to expand Medicaid, as encouraged by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, for fear it will raise state public spending and increase employers' cost of employee benefits, despite provisions that the federal government will pick up nearly all cost of the expansion." More than half of these states are in the South. The federal design of our Constitution and the system of checks and balances has jeopardized or outright blocked federal responses to important national issues. President Roosevelt's efforts to combat the scourge of the Great Depression were initially struck down by the Supreme Court. More recently, President Obama's effort to make health insurance accessible to more Americans under the Affordable Care Act immediately ran into legal challenges78 from some states, but it has been supported by the Supreme Court so far. However, the federal government's ability to defend the voting rights of citizens suffered a major setback when the Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.79 No longer are the nine states with histories of racial discrimination in their voting processes required to submit plans for changes to the federal government for approval.
their attempts to limit abortion rights in the wake of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision making abortion legal nationwide, anti-abortion advocates initially targeted Congress in hopes of obtaining restrictive legislation." Lack of progress at the national level prompted them to shift their focus to state legislators, where their advocacy efforts have been more successful. By 2015, for example, thirty-eight states required some form of parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion, forty-six states allowed individual health-care providers to refuse to participate in abortions, and thirty-two states prohibited the use of public funds to carry out an abortion except when the woman's life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. While 31 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age resided in one of the thirteen states that had passed restrictive abortion laws in 2000, by 2013, about 56 percent of such women resided in one of the twenty-seven states where abortion is restricted. 3.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: • Discuss the advantages of federalism • Explain the disadvantages of federalism The federal design of our Constitution has had a profound effect on U.S. politics. Several positive and negative attributes of federalism have manifested themselves in the US. political system. THE BENEFITS OF FEDERALISM Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion. On the subject of policy innovation, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis observed in 1932 that "a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."69 What Brandeis meant was that states could harness their constitutional authority to engage in policy innovations that might eventually be diffused to other states and at the national level. For example, a number of New Deal breakthroughs, such as child labor laws, were inspired by state policies. Prior to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, several states had already granted women the right to vote. California has led the way in establishing standards for fuel emissions and other environmental policies (Figure 3.18). Recently, the health insurance exchanges run by Connecticut, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Washington have served as models for other states seeking to improve the performance of their exchanges.0
Transcribed Image Text:their attempts to limit abortion rights in the wake of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision making abortion legal nationwide, anti-abortion advocates initially targeted Congress in hopes of obtaining restrictive legislation." Lack of progress at the national level prompted them to shift their focus to state legislators, where their advocacy efforts have been more successful. By 2015, for example, thirty-eight states required some form of parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion, forty-six states allowed individual health-care providers to refuse to participate in abortions, and thirty-two states prohibited the use of public funds to carry out an abortion except when the woman's life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. While 31 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age resided in one of the thirteen states that had passed restrictive abortion laws in 2000, by 2013, about 56 percent of such women resided in one of the twenty-seven states where abortion is restricted. 3.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: • Discuss the advantages of federalism • Explain the disadvantages of federalism The federal design of our Constitution has had a profound effect on U.S. politics. Several positive and negative attributes of federalism have manifested themselves in the US. political system. THE BENEFITS OF FEDERALISM Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion. On the subject of policy innovation, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis observed in 1932 that "a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."69 What Brandeis meant was that states could harness their constitutional authority to engage in policy innovations that might eventually be diffused to other states and at the national level. For example, a number of New Deal breakthroughs, such as child labor laws, were inspired by state policies. Prior to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, several states had already granted women the right to vote. California has led the way in establishing standards for fuel emissions and other environmental policies (Figure 3.18). Recently, the health insurance exchanges run by Connecticut, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Washington have served as models for other states seeking to improve the performance of their exchanges.0
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