American Politics and Government - Essay Example

What is Federalism? Federalism is a principle of governance which allows power to be shared by two or more governments in the same geographical area. Power is divided between the central and regional or local government in a way that each has a portion of authority on the affairs of the nation. However, the way that power is shared in one federalism is not the same in a different country. Two examples of federalism are Canada and the United States of America.

Explain the meaning of the term Dual and cooperative federalism and give a historical example of each. Dual federalism is a state in which the sovereignty of a nation is divided between state and federal government with the precise definition of how each exercises its powers without interfering with the other. Federalism originated within the Jacksonian democracy in the 1820s, until the central government expanded its powers after the civil war in 1930s (Kadlec). On the other hand, cooperative federalism emerged in the 1930s, and it acknowledges the need for cooperation between the state and national government. Power in this form of federalism is divided among the states, and they are required to run the affairs of a nation in collaboration (Kadlec). An example of Grants in Aid for Minnesota from the federal government is the Minnesota's Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Trails Assistance Program which was first authorized in the year 1984 ("Off-Highway Vehicle Grants-In-Aid: Minnesota DNR"). This program is a cost sharing between the federal government and the state government. In other words, the grant is a shared responsibility between the state government and the federal government.

Would the founders have believed that the federal government could control the intrastate regulation of the minimum drinking age? The founders of national cooperative federalism could not have thought that the state government could have changed the minimum drinking age for all countries ("About The U.S. Government System Of Federalism And How It Works"). The reason for not believing this is that the state governments have the mandate to control their laws and regulations. The federal government changed this law in the year 1984.

Blood alcohol content standard in all the states in the US are set to a standard 08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC), and for the under 21 years there is zero tolerance of the alcohol level in blood. In Minnesota, had its minimum age limit for drinking at the age of nineteen years (Rothstein). However, the federal government increased the number to 21 years, which meant that all the state governments would follow suit. The government in the state of Minnesota cannot be able to fund its operation fully. Thus, it requires funding from the federal government. This means that Minnesota should not have rejected state funding and control its laws on alcohol consumptions.

State government requires being supported by the federal government in running its affairs and dealing with critical matters such as security, education, and health. For this reason, therefore, the state government cannot afford to stand on its own without federal support.

I would want to know more about this topic and understand the how different states run their affairs in the and at the same time exercise some powers over the state government. Specifically, I would want to know how the state government funds their important and critical businesses such as education and defense.

Work cited

"About The U.S. Government System Of Federalism And How It Works." ThoughtCo. N.p., 2017. Web. 10 Sept. 2017.

Kadlec, Kevin. National Minimum Drinking Age Act Of 1984: Once Again Congress Mails Home Another Fist. Cleveland State University, 1986. Print.

"Off-Highway Vehicle Grants-In-Aid: Minnesota DNR." Dnr.state.mn.us. N.p., 2017. Web. 10 Sept. 2017.

Rothstein, Richard. The Color Of Law. Liveright, 2017. Print.