“Federalism makes no sense anymore because most important problems are either national or international in cope. State and local governments should only serve administrative purposes; they should not be independent policy-makers.”
For quote…There are many problems that arise under federalist government. Federalism makes national unity difficult to achieve and maintain. State governments may try to resist national policies. When slavery was first abolished it took over 100 years for it to actually take effect because the states found loopholes around the new amendments that abolished slavery such as grandfather clauses and literacy tests. Federalism may permit economic inequality and racial discrimination. States are not all equally wealthy. The quality of public education, roads, and welfare and many other state government provided services varies from state to state. Law enforcement and justice are uneven. Smaller units of government lack funding. Many mayors say states are receiving too large a share of federal revenues at a time when the cities are desperate for funds. Although there is more access for political participation it is not necessarily a good thing. This also means it’s easier to acquire politically influential positions which may result in people forming public policies who lack necessary expertise to make decisions. It may also result in local dominance by special interests. In addition, the quality of services provided by the states varies greatly. Another problem that will need to be addressed soon is that the revenues going to state and local governments are not growing as quickly as the revenues going to the federal government, so proportionally the state and local governments are getting less and less. The complexity of the federalist government causes duplication and inefficiency. It’s also causing an increase in legal disputes between the different levels of government. States can set different tax rates to lure investors. Then the country’s total revenue collection could drop as states compete with each other to lower their taxes.
Against quote… Federalism is an effective system for several reasons. It permits diversity and diffusion of power. It allows innovation and experimentation. For example California has the highest standards for vehicle admissions. This compels automobile companies to meet these standards so they don’t lose a chunk of their market. As more companies do so it will make it easier to pass similar legislation in other states. People unhappy with the laws in their current states or localities can move to locations better suiting them. Certain areas may be more supportive in regard to religious, sexual, cultural or a variety of other preferences. Also, a number of governments dealing directly with local problems and accountable to local voters may perform better than a single remote bureaucracy. Public goods are delivered more efficiently. The local and states governments have a better idea of how to deal with the problems within their representative areas. The state and local governments are kept in check by the national government’s legislation, aka the constitution and its amendments. At the same time, the state governments sometimes can keep the federal government in check. For example many people feel the Electoral College is an unfair, undemocratic system. If enough states wanted to they could work together and make an interstate compact that would give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the winner of the state. It is also good that we have lower government at the state and local levels because it is more democratic than the system of the Electoral College. Finally, the wide range of governments helps to assure the protection of individual rights and helps to ensure due process.
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a. Please don't post ten zillion posts at once. It's annoying, and it also guarentees that less people will read them.
b. Paragraphs!