which issues is the national government well suited to serve the people’s interests? Which issues are the states better suited to handle?

Question

On which issues is the national government particularly well suited to serve the people’s interests? Which issues are the states better suited to handle? Explain the reasons for your choices.

I have to write a 6-8 page paper and I NEED HELP!!!

Answer 1

There are some issues where it just makes sense for the national government to take the lead—like national defense, foreign policy, and regulating the economy. These are areas that affect the entire country and need a unified approach. You can’t have 50 different states running their own armies or setting their own trade policies. On the other hand, states are better suited to handle more local, community-based issues like education, law enforcement, and public transportation. What works in a big city like New York isn’t always going to work in a small town in Nebraska, and state governments are closer to the people they serve. Federalism works best when both levels of government focus on what they’re good at—big-picture stuff for the feds, and local problem-solving for the states.

Answer 2

If you consider the original intent of the Constitution, the federal government was responsible for the following, declaring war, U.S. postage service, printing money, maintaining a military, regulating interstate and international trade. And anything else, according to the 10th Amendment was reserved to the States', now with that said you have the "necessary and proper" clause in the Constitution, which as been used to expand that, with such as consolidating the States' debts in 1790s and establishing the Bank of the United States. But as various Founding Fathers and candidates for Presidents would say, the needs for one state, are not the needs for another state, therefore they must decide. Most notably, education is power/right that is reserved and exercised by the States.

Answer 3

The conventional wisdom is that the national government is best suited to serve national needs, particularly when states either lack the resources to provide those services or when a state might not be able to financially provide those services. One example is national defense. It's applicable to the entire nation and it's something that no single (or group of) state(s) could do on their own. Another example is the interstate highway system--which, interestingly, is the Interstate and Defense Highway System.

 

On the other hand, state governments are better suited to serve the needs of their own citizens, especially when those needs might differ from other states. (In addition, of course, the Constitution says that those powers not specifically given to the federal government are reserved for the states.) Education is a service that generally is considered primarily a state issue.

 

Today, a lot of major programs are blended, or are essentially a federal-state partnership. The funding of Medicaid, for instance, is one. (Look up some of the debate about Obamacare and the reluctance of some states to fully participate.)

 

But read the Constitution to see which powers are clearly federal powers.

 

Hope that helps.