Federalism is the system of government in which the United States and many other countries operate. . Federalism a system that involves compromising between the two extremes of Centralization and Decentralization. The system always has opposing sides pushing to get the balance more to their side of the spectrum. In the United States these forces are usually seen as Democrats and Republicans. I see the U.S. located on the spectrum of federalism much closer to Centralization than Decentralization. Currently, the Republican party has a majority in congress and a Republican President. Therefore, we have already seen those forces trying to put more power into the state's hands. Although it may seem cut and dry in the eyes of most Americans, it…show more content…
The Federal Government flows money to the state and local governments through a program called Grants in Aid. They use a system of Categorical and Block grants. Categorical has more strings attached and Block grants have little to no strings attached. In this process we see another aspect of Federalism called Intergovernmental Federalism. This is the ranking of how power flows through our government. It starts with the Federal Government following with the state government, then breaking down into smaller forms of local government. This is also how we see money flow throughout the government; there is specific grants for those lower on the power ranks such as school district grants. These systems show how it is important to have a strong Federal Government, as well as strong decentralized governments. The Federal Government has a major influence on what the states can do but, in some situations, they interact with each other to solve certain issues. This is called Horizontal Federalism and used when states make interactions with other states for the benefit of each state. Sometimes, the Federal Government has to intervene in certain interstate compacts to protect other states. An example of this would be federal guidelines for work on the Mississippi River, the upper states sometimes do work on the river at the same time which can lead to flooding at the lower parts of the river. To
The Federal Government flows money to the state and local governments through a program called Grants in Aid. They use a system of Categorical and Block grants. Categorical has more strings attached and Block grants have little to no strings attached. In this process we see another aspect of Federalism called Intergovernmental Federalism. This is the ranking of how power flows through our government. It starts with the Federal Government following with the state government, then breaking down into smaller forms of local government. This is also how we see money flow throughout the government; there is specific grants for those lower on the power ranks such as school district grants. These systems show how it is important to have a strong Federal Government, as well as strong decentralized governments. The Federal Government has a major influence on what the states can do but, in some situations, they interact with each other to solve certain issues. This is called Horizontal Federalism and used when states make interactions with other states for the benefit of each state. Sometimes, the Federal Government has to intervene in certain interstate compacts to protect other states. An example of this would be federal guidelines for work on the Mississippi River, the upper states sometimes do work on the river at the same time which can lead to flooding at the lower parts of the river. To
Related
- Better Essays
The Underlying Consequence of Separation of Power
- 2126 Words
- 9 Pages
In retrospect, the monarch of Britain had authorial powers to singlehandedly control a nation. Because of the reasonable fear that the president of the United States could evolve into monarchical rule overtime, it contributed to arguments against federalism. During the American Civil War, Southerners argued the central disputes were over the issue of slavery and states’ rights. During the 1850s, Southerners offered arguments stating that banning slavery in territories was discriminatory to states that
- 2126 Words
- 9 Pages
Better Essays