The Anti-Federalists of the pre-Civil War era staked their claim to the idea of “states’ rights“. This means that the powers expressly reserved to the states are for the states and the states alone. Anti-Federalists or decentralists base their arguments around the 10th Amendment. Some have referred to this amendment as the “States’ Rights Amendment”. The decentralist belief is that the state and local governments are closer to the people.
Name an issue that you see being handled by the federal government. Then explain why you believe that issue would be served by state and local government. (You can also look at from this point of view: name an issue being handled by the federal government, but you believe it would not be handled very well by the states or local governments.)
As many political scientists point out, the debate regarding federalism still exists today in the form of centralists and decentralists arguing about the size and scope of government. Those who are centralists favor more national action in regards to solving problems. Those on the decentralist side of the debate believe in more state/local action in solving problems.
Which direction do you think the United States is headed in terms of federalism and the centralism vs. decentralism debate? Why do believe your opinion to be true?
Federalism is the sharing and distribution of power and resources between the federal government and the states. You can also add “…and the local governments” when you discuss the separation of powers between the levels of government. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s examine two different views. The first view, the decentralist view contends that the Constitution is a compact among the sovereign states which gave the central government a limited framework to work from. Those who oppose such a framework would be centralists. Centralists see the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and that the states are not the representative of the people. Centralists claim that the representative of the people is the national government.
In late 2007, a call amongst conservatives rang out for a Fred Thompson for President candidacy. Thompson, a former Republican United States Senator from Tennessee and character actor from such television and movie ventures as Law & Order and Die Hard 2, answered that call and ran for the Republican nomination for President in earnest in late 2007. Despite the ballyhoo surrounding his entrance into the race, Thompson’s campaign sputtered along and by the end of January 2008, his campaign ended.
The following video is one of a series of talking point vignettes that were designed to introduce Thompson to the public who might have been unfamiliar with his political views. This video deals with the topic of federalism. Federalism is the sharing and distribution of power and resources between the federal government and the states. You can also add “…and the local governments” when you discuss the separation of powers between the levels of government. In the video, Thompson speaks from a decentralist point of view. This view contends that the Constitution is a compact among the sovereign states which gave the central government a limited framework to work from. Those who oppose such a framework would be centralists. Centralists see the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and that the states are not the representative of the people. Centralists claim that the representative of the people is the national government. Take a listen to what Senator Fred Thompson has to say on the matter of federalism.
Where do you stand on the idea of federalism? What are thoughts on what Fred Thompson had to say in 2007 about federalism? How do they relate to what is happening in the United States today?
In late 2007, a call amongst conservatives rang out for a Fred Thompson for President candidacy. Thompson, a former Republican United States Senator from Tennessee and character actor from such television and movie ventures as Law & Order and Die Hard 2, answered that call and ran for the Republican nomination for President in earnest in late 2007. Despite the ballyhoo surrounding his entrance into the race, Thompson’s campaign sputtered along and by the end of January 2008, his campaign ended. The following video is one of a series of talking point vignettes that were designed to introduce Thompson to the public who were unfamiliar with his political views. This video deals with federalism. Federalism is the sharing and distribution of power and resources between the federal government and the states. You can also add “…and the local governments” when you discuss the separation of powers between the levels of government. In the video, Thompson speaks from a decentralist point of view. This view contends that the Constitution is a compact among the sovereign states which gave the central government a limited framework to work from. Those who oppose such a framework would be centralists. Centralists see the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and that the states are not the representative of the people. Centralists claim that the representative of the people is the national government. Take a listen to what Senator Fred Thompson has to say on the matter of federalism.
Where do you stand on the idea of federalism? What are thoughts on what Fred Thompson had to say in 2007 about federalism?
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