Lecture 4: Federalism

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Lecture 4 Federalism

• Concept of Federalism
• Advantages and Disadvantages of federalism
• History of federal power

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Concept of Federalism

• Federal vs Unitary

Concurrent powers
Fed
State
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Division of powers

• What areas are exclusively federal
  responsibilities?
• coin money, wage war, make foreign treaties,
  regulate immigration and citizenship, regulate
  interstate commerce
• What areas are exclusively or mostly state
  responsibilities?
• establish local governments, ratify
  constitutional amendments, education
• What areas are concurrent?
• Tax, borrow money, set up courts

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Advantages of a decentralized federal system?

• Better reflects local or regional differences
• example speed limits
• minimum wage
• allows for experimentation
• example Oregons assisted suicide?

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Disadvantages of federalism

• can inhibit trade and mobility
• example state tuition
• can promote a race to the bottom
• example lower state taxes, lax environmental
  laws

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For 200 years federal govt expanded with respect
to

• Power over the states
• regulation and control in economy and society
• programs and services provided to citizens
• employment
• revenue and spending

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Post Civil War Era

• Growth of big business and national economy

• necessary action by fed govt
• starting with regulating railroads, and
  monopolies

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Great Depression and New Deal (1929-41)

• Works Project Administration
• Social Security
• and much more--eventually with USSC approval
• Wickard v Filburn (1942)
• digression--Raich v Gonzalez (2005)

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Civil Rights and Integration (1954-74)

• Federal laws and federal troops integrating
  schools and public accommodations
• Heart of Atlanta Motel v United States (1964)

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Great Society (1963-69)

• War On Poverty
• Medicare
• Medicaid

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Reagan revolution and devolution

• Less strings on reduced federal funding for
  state programs--from categorical to block grants
• Example of Welfare reform in 1990s
• Conservative Supreme Ct reducing federal controls
  over states
• Examples
• US v Lopez (1995)
• US v Morrison (2000)
• Roberts hapless toad

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California--a donor state--why?

• high income
• young population
• end of cold war funding
• diverse Congressional delegation

The Collectonator or Flabulator?