10-20-2016, 10:04 AM
Federalism in its most simple description is simply the division of power between local, regional/state, and nation states. What I always get a kick out of is how people like to think of federalism. We were certainly all taught in our civics classes that federalism looks like this nice little layer cakes where each level has their responsibilities. But it's a lot messier than that in reality. It's one of the key components of our country's structure, but it is very misunderstood.
For years we went along with the idea of dual federalism, really up until about a century ago, where national and state had their own responsibilities and never the two shall meet. And then it started getting messy, to the point where today it is hard to tell where the lines are drawn in which areas. A lot of this has to do with the ease with which things cross state boundaries today causing need for coordination. Today, I see federalism more representative of the cooperation between the levels rather than a dividing line between them.
For years we went along with the idea of dual federalism, really up until about a century ago, where national and state had their own responsibilities and never the two shall meet. And then it started getting messy, to the point where today it is hard to tell where the lines are drawn in which areas. A lot of this has to do with the ease with which things cross state boundaries today causing need for coordination. Today, I see federalism more representative of the cooperation between the levels rather than a dividing line between them.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
