Federalism Returning Government Power to the States

An ongoing battle rages over the proper size and role of the federal government, especially as it relates to conflicts with state governments over legislative authority. Conservatives believe that state and local governments should be empowered to handle issues such as health care, education, immigration, and many other social and economic laws. This concept is known as federalism, and it begs the question: Why do conservatives value a return to a decentralized government? Original Constitutional Roles There is little question that the current role of the federal government far exceeds anything ever imagined by the Founders. It has clearly taken over many roles originally designated to individual states. Through the U.S. Constitution, the Founding Fathers sought to limit the possibility of a strong centralized government and, in fact, they gave the federal government a very limited list of responsibilities. They felt the federal government should handle issues that it would be difficult or unreasonable for states to deal with, such as maintenance of the military and defense operations, negotiating treaties with foreign countries, creating currency, and regulating commerce with foreign countries. Ideally, individual states would then handle most matters that they reasonably could. The Founders even went further in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, specifically in the 10th Amendment, to prevent the federal government from grabbing too much power. Benefits of Stronger State Governments One of the clear benefits of a weaker federal government and stronger state governments is that the needs of each state are more easily managed. Alaska, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Florida, for example, are all very different states with very different needs, populations, and values. A law that may make sense in New York might make little sense in Alabama. For example, some states have determined that its necessary to prohibit the use of fireworks due to an environment that is highly susceptible to wildfires. Some allow them only around July 4th, and others allow those that dont fly in the air. Other states allow fireworks. It would not be valuable for the federal government to make one standardized law for all states prohibiting fireworks when only a handful of states want such a law in place. State control also empowers states to make tough decisions for their own well-being rather than hope that the federal government will see the states’ problem as a priority. A strong state government empowers citizens in two ways. First, state governments are far more responsive to the needs of the residents of their state. If important issues are not addressed, voters can hold elections and vote for candidates they feel are better suited to handle the problems. If an issue is important to only one state and the federal government has authority over that issue, then local voters have little influence to get the change they seek; theyre just a small part of a larger electorate. Second, empowered state governments also allow individuals to choose to live in a state that best fits their personal values. Families and individuals can choose to live in states that have no or low income taxes or states with higher ones. They can opt for states with weak or strong gun laws. Some people may prefer to live in a state that offers a wide range of government programs and services while others may not. Just as the free market allows individuals to pick and choose products or services they like, so can they choose a state that best fits their lifestyle. Over-reaching federal government limits this ability. State-Federal Conflicts Conflicts between state and federal governments are becoming more common. States have begun to fight back and have either passed their own laws or have taken the federal government to court in protest. On some issues, though, it has backfired when states take matters into their own hands. The result has been a hodgepodge of inconsistent regulations. Federal laws are then passed to decide the issue for the whole country. While there are many examples of federal-state conflicts, here are a few key battle issues: The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act   The federal government passed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act in 2010 (which made some changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed a few days earlier), inflicting what conservatives say are burdensome regulations on individuals, corporations, and individual states. The passage of the law prompted 26 states to file a lawsuit seeking to overturn the law, and they argued that there were several thousand new laws that were nearly impossible to implement. However, the act prevailed, as the federal government, it was ruled, can legislate interstate commerce. Conservative lawmakers argue that states should have the most authority to determine laws regarding health care. 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney passed a statewide health care law when he was governor of Massachusetts that was not popular with conservatives, but the bill was popular with the people of Massachusetts. (It was the model for the Affordable Care Act.) Romney argued that this is why state governments should have the power to implement laws that are right for their states.   Illegal Immigration   Many border states such as Texas and Arizona have been on the front lines on the issue of illegal immigration. Although tough federal laws exist dealing with illegal immigration, both Republican and Democratic administrations have refused to enforce many of them. This has prompted some states to pass their own laws to battle the issue. One such example is Arizona, which passed SB 1070 in 2010 and was then sued by the Obama U.S. Department of Justice over certain provisions in the law. The state argues that its laws mimic those of the federal government that are not being enforced. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that certain provisions of SB 1070 were prohibited by federal law. Police officers are allowed but not required to ask for proof of citizenship when pulling someone over, and they cannot arrest someone without a warrant if they believe the person is deportable. Voting Fraud There have been alleged instances of voting fraud, with votes being cast in the names of individuals who were recently deceased, allegations of double registrations, and absentee voter fraud. In many states, you can be allowed to vote without photographic proof of your identity, such as by bringing a bank statement with your address or verification of your signature as compared with whats on file with the registrar. Some states have sought to make it a requirement to show a government-issued ID to vote. One such state is South Carolina, which passed legislation that would have required voters to present an official government-issued photo ID. The law doesn’t seem unreasonable to many people, given that there are laws requiring IDs for all sorts of other things, including driving, purchasing alcohol or tobacco, and flying on an airplane. The Department of Justice tried to prevent  South Carolina from enacting the law as written. Ultimately, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it with changes. It still stands, but now ID is no longer necessary if the would-be voter has a good reason for not having it.  For example, voters who are disabled or blind and cant drive dont often have government-issued IDs, or an elderly person may not have an ID because they never had a birth certificate. In North Dakota, which has a similar law, members of Native American tribes who live on reservations may not have photo IDs because their residences dont have street addresses. The Goal of Conservatives It remains highly unlikely that the largess of the federal government will return to the role that was originally intended: weak so that it didnt feel like a return to an oppressive monarchy. The writer Ayn Rand once noted that it took more than 100 years for the federal government to get as large as it has, and reversing the trend would take equally as long. Conservatives, who want to reduce the size and scope of the federal government and restore power to the states, seek to focus on electing candidates who have the power to stop the trend of an ever-increasing federal government.

World Religion s Project Of Buddhism - 1003 Words

World Religion’s Project Almost 6 percent of the world s population or 350 million people follow Buddhism. Although among them are varying controversies over whether or not Buddhism is a religion or a followed pathway. Buddhism, founded in the late 6th -century B.C.E , and practices the ideas of varying traditions, spiritual practices, and all beliefs focused on the ideas of Gautama or the Buddha. Gautama valued the beliefs and teachings of The Universal Truths and Four Noble Truths and successfully shared them for the last 45 years of his life as a founder of a group called the Sramanas. He lived in what we now call Nepal and northern India and throughout his journey became known as â€Å"the awakened one† or â€Å"Buddha† as he found himself searching for enlightenment through having realizations on his entire existence. Buddhism really began to spread when roads were used for missionary uses and the Buddhist and merchants would cross paths resulting in the popularity and the spread o f these teachings increasing drastically within Asia. However, people are still contemplating on whether or not Buddhism is a religion or a way of life. People argue that it contains aspects of a religion and others say it doesn’t and should be considered a pathway that someone can value as their way of life. Some claim that Buddhism is indeed a religion and that it holds all the elements of faith, beliefs, and self-transformation while others believe it is a way of life because it doesn’tShow MoreRelatedAnnotated Bibliography Of Buddhist Ethics Online1669 Words   |  7 PagesPrebish, Charles S., and Damien Keown. Buddhism the Ebook : An Online Introduction. 4th ed. State College: Journal of Buddhist Ethics Online, 2010. PDF. , $27.75, ISBN 978-0-9801633-6-0 Background Information Charles S. 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High School and College Life Free Essays

There are many students who attended college an it changed them both physically and mentally. I am one of those students. Since I began college it started to change me into a better person on many occasions. We will write a custom essay sample on High School and College Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now I have learned to become more responsible, and get the work done. In addition I have to change my attitude or else I will fail my courses; for example my classmate start skipping classes and misbehaves with the professor, which lead him to fail the course. Moving from high school to college is a huge step in everyone’s life. If you don’t change your lifestyle for the better reason then you might not reach your goal in college. Once you reach college it’s the time that you start being an adult. The college life has changed me for the better. I am much more responsible in many different ways. I had to change my study habits, or, should I say, I had to get engaged in study habits. In high school I never studied because everything came so easy to me and I could just do the work, even end up with passing grades. When I reached college I tried to do the same thing and it didn’t work. I had to start studying on a daily basis and it was hard for a student like me to change from not doing any work to studying every night and also on the weekends. I wasn’t used to doing it at the beginning, but I had to make it a habit or I was not going to reach my goal. Since I began attending college it made me more responsible to make the right decisions. In college you have to make decisions that are very hard. Pressure comes in hard when you get to college; for example you could have a test that you need to study for and there is a party that you want to go to. If you do go to the party then you will fail the test because you did not have any time to study. This is just one example, and there are many more. Another reason that college is a big step is because you are on your own, and you don’t have anybody to tell you what to do. Before, in middle and high, school parents wake you up to go to school, but when you are in ollege you get up early in the morning to go to class by yourself. College is a life-changing experience for me. I never felt stress in my entire life as I feel as now in college . College is a big source of stress for a variety of reasons, and poor planning often leads to crisis situations. The stress of everyday life in college shows itself in different ways: the expectations of making an A in every course, the fear of doing poorly on tests, and getting worried or nervous over the work. However, it made me realize that you have to go through stress in order to reach you goal because stress is a way of living. College is the most important decision I ever made in my life. It made me realize that without education you won’t be successful. Since I began attending college, it showed me that how life is fast and short you have to be something or else you will feel miserable. The courses in the college are quite stressful for every student, but this is to make us focus and have motive in our work. Attending college also showed me that reality is not like a fairy tale. How to cite High School and College Life, Papers