America: from Cooperative to Coercive Federalism

Well, cooperative federalism response to specific policy challenges that took place in the past. Also, reigning conception of American federalism took place between nineteen fifty-four to nineteen seventy eight. It was a political response to the policy challenges of market failure. Social equity is its primary objective, cooperative federalism significantly transformed American society. During the nineteen seventies conditions changed and the pressure to expand national power inherent in cooperative federalism. Federalism also gave rise to coercive federalism, in which the federal government reduced its reliance. Also, the state and local governments may not possess sufficient constitutional. It could be political leverage to alter the system. The federal regulatory power in the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties has produced a more coercive system of federal preemption of state and local authority. It also funded mandates on state and local governments. When it comes to challenges, it varies depending on the circumstance.

The relationship between federalism, the study and practice of European integration, is complex and composite. Therefore, cooperative federalism has not been replaced by a new consensus on federalism. Threw time the system has evolved. One of the most important points of federalism in dividing the power between the national government and state governments. The protections we have in our system against a tyrannical, runaway government are one of the most important points to why the system was designed the way it was. The federal government is also separated into three branches. It serves as a means to make sure that all power is not centralized into a single person or group of people, since excessive power among a single group tends to be corrupting.

Our federalist form of government has several advantages, such as protecting us from tyranny, dispersing power, increasing citizen participation, and increasing effectiveness. It also has its disadvantages, such as supposedly protecting slavery and segregation, increasing inequalities between states, states blocking national policies.

I personally agree and support the system of federalism, agreeing with the benefits. I think our system is superior even to the parliamentary and cabinet system found in different places threw out the world. For example, like the United Kingdom and the confederation system found in Canada, as well as the one preceding our present system. When it comes to time its a race, there is a competition between states that drive them to lower taxes as much as possible, and give as many tax breaks to businesses. The competition can also be seen as a means to keep the taxes low, much like competition in the free market helps to keep prices low. Also, some states have more of than others that tend to drive up tax costs, like welfare and government programs.

These programs tend to be higher in states where politicians have had more chance to use surplus tax revenues. We can see that even today as we watch states challenging the health care reform laws passed by the federal government when we were under President Obama and the formerly Democratic controlled legislative branch. I would argue that this is not a bad thing, I think its a good thing and a benefit of our system of federalism. Some people might not know this but, special interest groups have had a history of challenging laws they don’t like. I don’t see states blocking national policies as a negative, but as a positive. As another hurdle that laws have to go through to determine whether they are good laws or not. It doesn’t matter whether it is a conservative state challenging liberal federal laws, or liberal states challenging conservative federal laws.

There are also going to be inequalities between states. For example, you may have a state full of people that are hard-working and self-sufficient. They may also have citizens who have a philosophy of approaching their closely tied family members when in trouble. They don’t want to become slaves of their government, and so welfare benefits and tax policy will tend to be lower in that state. I personally believe that federalism changed many policy that happened I the past and is still changing.