Term Paper on "Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations"

Term Paper 4 pages (1133 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

THE BETTER OPTION

State and Local Government

Americans interact almost daily with their state and local governments than with the federal government (the White House, 2013). Every state or local government has its own written Constitution, law enforcement, schools and libraries and offices. The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that powers not granted to the federal government are reserved for the states and the people. Like the federal government, state governments consist of the three branches of government. These are the executive, legislative and judicial branches. As mandated by the Constitution, all states take on a republic form of government (the White House).

Federal Police Power in the States

The Constitution does not give the federal government authority over local and ordinary crimes (CATO, 2001). Crime-fighting is the sole responsibility of the state and local government. However, the lack of any constitutional provision or authorization has not stopped federal policymakers from involving themselves in local crime-fighting. The federal control of local crimes exposes the public and constitutional liberty at risk in a number of ways. One, the duplication of federal offense creates double jeopardy and in violation of the Fifth Amendment's clause on double jeopardy. It is unfortunate that federal courts refuse to stop this practice. Two, an overall federal law in all the 51 states eliminates the states' ideal capacity to legislate based on their local conditions. Three, local police departments operate from local taxes and are directly accountable to them as local voters. In contrast, federal law enforcement draws funds from a large and diverse pool of funding sources. And fourth and last, the federalization of policing undesirably leads to the militarization of policing (CATO).

This growing threat can be neutralized by Congress through certain actions (CATO, 2001). One is by rejecting all new proposals to convert state crimes into federal crimes. Another is to repeal all federal laws, which control conduct in only one State. And three, Congress should adopt the proposed five-year sunset review of all new and existing federal criminal laws (CATO).

The Federal Role and Control of Education

Education is mainly a State and local affair and responsibility in the United States (ED.gov, 2012). States and their communities, along with public and private organizations within them, do the works. They set up schools and colleges, develop and create curricula, and decide on requirements for enrollment and graduation. The very structure of education finance demonstrates that it is a predominantly State and local function and role. A majority of the nationwide expenses on education at all levels for every school year comes from the State, local and private sources. Expenses in the elementary and secondary levels, in particular, come from non-federal sources at a large 87.7%. The federal contribution to state elementary and secondary education is confined to roughly 10.8%. This comes from funds not only from the Department of Education but also from other federal agencies. These agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture (ED.gov).

The Federal Government's Takeover of Public Projects

A series of high-profile accidents in the Washington area metro system resulted in a proposed legislation to move the supervision of the transit rail safety from the state to the federal government (Caruso, 2009). At present, the Federal Transit Administration is not allowed to directly regulate the nation's transit systems but only through the FTA's… READ MORE

How to Reference "Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Thesis

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Ever since the creation of the United States, there has been a constant tremendous debate between the federalists and the anti-federalists, about the division of labor… read more

Thesis 5 pages (1496 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA Topic: Government / Politics

---

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Essay

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Federal system of governance has largely been associated with the United States of America. This is a system where the governance structure of nation comprises of… read more

Essay 3 pages (910 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Government / Politics

---

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Essay

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Do definitions, perceptions, and understandings of the proper and legitimate role for federal government change in the U.S. system? How? Explain.

"Federalism is a system of… read more

Essay 3 pages (1060 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Government / Politics

---

Intergovernmental Relations: Issues in Public Policies Research Proposal

Intergovernmental Relations: Issues in Public Policies

This objective of this work is to examine intergovernmental relations specifically as related to issues in public policy and to answer the question of… read more

Research Proposal 11 pages (3046 words) Sources: 15 Style: APA Topic: Government / Politics

---

Intergovernmental Relations Thesis

Intergovernmental Relations

Unfunded Federal Mandates: Implications for Intergovernmental Relations

What are Unfunded Federal Mandates?

While the relationship between the federal and state governments was created in order to protect the… read more

Thesis 6 pages (1955 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Government / Politics

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>