Point 1- National and subnational governments
Units of local governments such as states, provinces, regions, cities, counties, towns, villages
Exercise separate and autonomous authorities
Elect own officials
Tax own citizens
Point 2- Governments in the United States
More than 90,000 separate governments
Includes states, counties, municipalities, and special districts
Local governments are subdivisions of states
States may create, alter, or abolish local governments
5.2.1: Protection Against Tyranny
Point 1- Republican principles
Insufficient to protect individuals and minorities
Responsive to popular concerns
Point 2- Auxiliary Precautions
Federalism
Notion of "opposite and rival interests"
5.2.2: Policy Diversity
Point 1- Federalism
Permits policy diversity
No uniform policy
Point 2- States and local governments
Deals better with specific problems
Example: Washington bureaucrats might not solve issues in Commerce, Texas
5.2.3: Conflict Management
Point 1- Policies
Federalism helps manage policy conflicts
States to pursue own policies
Point 2- Decision making
Citizens permitted to make decisions at state and local levels
Helps avoid battling over single national policies
5.2.4: Dispersal of Power
Point 1- Power distribution
Added protection against tyranny
Political base for opposition party
Point 2- Pluralism
Widespread in the United States
Contributed to state and local government success
5.2.5: Increased Participation
Point 1- Political participation
Increase in political offices
Separate offices in counties, townships, and districts
Point 2- Local leaders
Closer to public
More responsive
5.2.6: Improved Efficiency
Point 1- Governing from Washington
Results in inefficient governance
Leads to bureaucracy and red tape
Point 2- Government activities from Washington
Delay and confusions
Uncontrollable activities such as garbage collection, sewage disposal, and roads
5.2.7: Ensuring Policy Responsiveness
Point 1- Multiple governments
More sensitive to citizens' views
Different package of benefits
Point 2- Policy preferences
Help people and businesses to relocate
Encourage competition amongst states to offer improved services at lower cost
5.2.8: Encouraging Policy Innovation
Point 1- Federalism
Encourages policy experimentation and innovation
Instrument of progressivism
Point 2- Progressivism
Groundwork for New Deal
Federal programs such as income tax and social security had antecedents at state level
Current liberal policy agendas
5.3.1: Ensuring Policy Responsiveness
Point 1- Policy levels
Decide the level of government in enacting policies
Intergovernmental policies
Point 2- Centralizing policy
Policies preferences of national elites extended to state and local
Goal and priorities should prevail throughout nation
5.3.2: Concentrating Benefits to Organized Interests
Point 1- Policy preferences
Biased to nation's strongest and best-organized states
Rent seeking costs are smaller in strong nations
Point 2- Rent seeking
Special subsidies, privileges, protections by government
Disadvantageous for a single national capital
5.3.3: Dispersing Costs to Unorganized Taxpayers
Point 1- Cost dispersal
Key to interest group success
Better accommodates strategies of special interest groups
Point 2- Taxpayers
State and local governments increase the burden of individual taxpayers
Leads to concentrated benefits
5.4.1: State-Centered Federalism (1787–1865)
Point 1- State units
Most important units in American federal system
Resolution of policy questions
Provision of public services
Slavery issues
Point 2- Supremacy of national government
Frequently questioned by Antifederalists
Also by defenders of slavery and secession
5.4.2: Dual Federalism (1865–1913)
Point 1- Dual federalism
Government functions divided between state and nation
States decided most policy issues
Point 2- National government
Concentrated its attention on delegated powers
Examples: National defense, foreign affairs, tariffs, and post offices
Point 3- State government
Dealt with domestic policy issues
Examples: Education, welfare, health, crime justice
Point 4- Layer cake
Separation of policy responsibilities
Base as local government
State as middle level
National at the top
5.4.3: Cooperative Federalism (1913–1964)
Point 1- Cooperative federalism
Nation and state together exercise responsibilities
Marble cake
Point 2- National government on shared goals
Emphasized cooperation to achieve common national and state goals
Relied on tax to provide financial assistance
5.4.4: Centralized Federalism (1964–1980)
Point 1- Centralized government
Problems such as solid waste disposal and pollution, declared as national problems
Reserved powers of states no longer concern of Supreme Court
Point 2- States' role
Responding to policy initiatives and regulations
Implement federal policies in welfare, housing, and environmental protection
5.4.5: New Federalism (1980–1985)
Point 1- New federalism by President Richard M. Nixon
General revenue sharing
Sharing tax revenues with state and local governments
Point 2- New federalism by President Ronald Reagan
Reduced federal involvement in domestic programs
Encouraged policy responsibility
5.4.6: Coercive Federalism (1985–1995)
Point 1- Challenges faced by Congress before 1985
Performing traditional functions
No direct orders to states
Point 2- Garcia decision
Removed all barriers on Congress
Directly legislate state and local government concerns
Representational federalism
5.4.7: Representational Federalism
Point 1- Representational federalism
No constitutional division of powers between state and nation
Role of state in electing members of congress and the president
Point 2- Supreme Court
Endorsed a federal system in Garcia decision
Justice Lewis Powell argued for federalism to be retained
5.5.1: Welfare Reform and “Devolution”
Point 1- Welfare reform and devolution
Key to devolution
Devolution: Responsibilities passed on from national to state governments
Point 2- AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)
Reformed AFDC welfare bill with amended eligibilities
Two-year limit on cash benefits
Five-year lifetime limit added
5.5.2: Supreme Court Revival of Federalism (1995–?)
Point 1- Supreme Court decision (1995)
Limit on Congress's power over interstate commerce
Gun-Free School Zones Act
Powers delegated by Constitution and states
Point 2- Supreme Court decision from 1997
The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act
Interstate commerce clause
Congress's Violence Against Women Act (2000)
Point 1- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Mandatory health care insurance for Americans
Penalty for noncompliance
Point 2- Supreme Court case, 2012 (Chief Justice-John Roberts)
Individual mandate interpreted as tax
Suggested voluntary acceptance of the program by states
5.7.1: Grants-in-Aid
Point 1- Welfare reform and devolution
1957: National defense highway program
(1965–1968): President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs
1980: All revenue came from the federal government
Point 2- AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)
Ended general revenue sharing
Succeeded in consolidating many categorical grant programs
Control on revenue allocation
Block grants
5.7.2: Federal Grant Purposes
Point 1- Health and welfare
Accounts for two-thirds of federal aid money
Includes Medicaid for poor
Family cash aid and food stamps
Point 2- Others
Preservation of historic buildings
Aid to foreign refugees, riot control, school milk, and so forth
Medicaid is the largest category of federal grant money
Followed by welfare, which includes cash aid and food stamps
Next major part goes to education and transport
5.8.1: Federal Mandates
Point 1- Preemption
Total
Partial
Standard partial
Point 2- Examples of federal mandates
Age Discrimination Act, 1986
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Act, 1986
Safe Drinking Water Act, 1986
Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990
No Child Left Behind Act, 2001
5.8.2: "Unfunded" Mandates
Point 1- Unfunded mandates
Federal mandates impose heavy costs
Unfunded mandates: no federal money to cover costs
Point 2- Challenges
State and local officials urge the imposition of unfunded mandates
Private industries also suffer
Point 1- Conflicts between federal and state laws
Federal government prohibited marijuana for any purpose
States legalized marijuana for medical use
Point 2- Marijuana laws in states
Colorado and Washington legalized recreational use
Alaska, Arizona, California, and other states legalized medical use
Point 1- Proposed reforms by Republican Governor Scott Walker
More contributions to pension and health care benefits by state workers
Limiting collective bargaining to wages
Wisconsin budget repair bill
Point 2- Public employee unions
More secure job than private sector
Percentage of private workforce in union decreased
Unions for government employees increased
Ranked among top political campaign contributors
Demonstrates the initiatives for constitutional amendments in the states
Arizona and Arkansas stands first with 15 percent and 10 percent respectively
Next in place are California, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois
5.11.1: Initiative
Point 1- Definition of initiative
Percentage of voters propose policy changes
Constitutional amendments or state law
Point 2- Advantages
Bypass legislature
Allow citizens to propose law and constitutional amendments
5.11.2: Referendum
Point 1- Proponents of direct democracy
Enhances government responsiveness and accountability
Places concern on public agenda
Secure constitutional amendments and laws ignored or rejected
Point 2- Opponents of direct democracy
Protection for individual liberty
Rights of minorities
Protect against tyranny
5.11.3: Politics of State Initiatives and Referenda
Point 1- Marijuana, 2012
Colorado's constitutional amendment on legalizing and regulating growth and sale of marijuana
Massachusetts's law on medical use of marijuana
Montana's law on medical use of marijuana
Oregon's law on personal use of marijuana (failed to pass)
Washington's law on legalizing and regulating production, distribution, and possession of marijuana
Point 2- Labor union elections, 2010–2012
Secret ballot for union election by voters in Alabama, Arizona, South Carolina, Utah
To overcome "card check"
Point 3- Income tax, 2010
Washington voters (35–66%) rejected a proposal
Enact a state income tax on individual earning more than $200,00
Point 4- Same-sex marriage, 2012
Voters in Maine approved
Voters in Maryland approved
Voters in Minnesota rejected and banned
Point 5- Obamacare, 2012
Prohibition of mandatory health care coverage
Florida rejected proposal
5.12.1: Variations in State Tax Policy
Point 1- Sales tax
States rely on sales tax for funds
Sales tax 5–9%
Groceries, rent, and medicines usually exempted
Point 2- Income tax
States rely on income tax for funds
States tax individual income
Some states have margin exceeding 10%
Others adopt flat income taxes
5.12.2: Variations in State Educational Spending
Point 1- States spending more on education
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut stand in first place
Followed by Massachusetts and Maryland
Point 2- Others
Spend less on education
Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma
