Federal v. Unitary Structure What is a unitary structure?

1. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? Federal v. Unitary Structure • What is a unitary structure? • How is it different from a federal structure? • What is a confederal structure?

2. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? NEGATIVE EFFECTS • Didn’t federalism contribute to the perpetuation of racial discrimination? • …allow environmental problems to worsen? • Doesn’t a federal form of government inhibit quick responses to serious problem? • Have the American states become outmoded? • Why should Delaware or Alaska possess as much power constitutionally as California?

3. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? DO NOW: • Take out reading on the merits and demerits of federalism. • What is the difference between a unitary and a federal system of government?

4. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? • PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS FEDERALISM (Public opinion poll) • MERITS/DEMERITS OF FEDERALISM (reading excerpt) • Which arguments in favor of federalism are strongest?…weakest? • Which arguments against federalism are strongest?…weakest? • Do the merits outweigh the demerits?

5. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? HAMILTONIAN V. JEFFERSONIAN VIEW OF DEMOCRACY • What is the difference? • Which view prevailed early on in our history? What is nullification? What “settled” that question? What is dual federalism? Does it exist?

6. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? DO NOW: • Take out your chapter outline and the McCulloch v. Maryland summary. • HAMILTONIAN V. JEFFERSONIAN VIEW OF DEMOCRACY : What is the difference? • What is meant by “dual federalism”?

7. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? 10TH AMENDMENT AND THE ELASTIC CLAUSE • How are the 10th Amendment and elastic language of Article I, Section 8 at odds?

8. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? • What two Constitutional questions did the Supreme Court answer in McCulloch v. Maryland? • How was each question answered? • How did the Supreme Court decision in McCulloch v. Maryland influence the status of the 10th Amendment?

9. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? • Why doesn’t the federal government always intervene when states defy its authority? • For example, • Nevada permits prostitution • Some states allow medicinal use of marijuana • Physician assisted suicide • Could the federal government intervene?

10. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? • What are grants-in-aid and why have they grown over the years? • What is the difference between categorical grants and block grants or general revenue sharing? • Explain why, despite repeated attempts to reverse the trend, categorical grants have continued to grow more rapidly than block grants.

11. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? • Distinguish between mandates and conditions–in-aid with respect to federal grant programs to states and localities. • To what extent have federal grants to the states succeeded in creating uniform national policies comparable to those of centralized governments.

12. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? • Why have grants-in-aid grown enormously since the 1960s? • Why have conditions-in-aid grown in recent decades? • Who is more likely to favor block grants over categorical grants– a liberal or a conservative? Explain. • Despite the devolution revolution, why have categorical grants increased at a much faster rate than block grants?

13. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? (summary) • How did the Supreme court decision in McCulloch v. Maryland influence the status of the 10th Amendment? • What is the distinction between categorical grants and block grants? (purpose, funding, conditions-in-aid) • Why do states (governors/Mayors) say they prefer block grants over categorical grants? • Why do conservatives prefer block grants? • Why do liberals prefer categorical grants?

14. Aim: FEDERALISM – How has this system of government influenced American government and politics? (summary) • Why have grants-in-aid grown dramatically over the course of our nation’s history? (state perspective and federal government perspective) • What is meant by “devolution”? Why did Ronald Reagan support it? Are we in the midst of a “devolution revolution”? Explain. • Distinguish between “mandates” and “conditions-in-aid”. • Do interest groups produce grants-in-aid or do grants–in-aid produce interest groups? • Doesn’t the system of grants-in-aid upset the balance of power of federalism? (bribe into compliance)

15. Federalism Panel Discussion • Agree/Disagree: Federalism is troublesome in that the diversity of state laws and procedures creates inequities from a national perspective. • Agree/Disagree: Federalism is troublesome in that it can promote unequal educational opportunities (wealthier states can provide better services) • Agree/Disagree: Grants-in-aid have disrupted the balance of power that the framers intended federalism to provide. • Example of Devolution: Welfare Reform Act 1996 (AFDC to TANF) • Oregon’s Physician Assisted Suicide Law: Can states make it legal for doctor’s to help end a terminally ill patient’s life? • State medicinal marijuana laws?