American Federal System

Federalism exists if two levels of government have authority over the same geographic area. The Constitution set up the American federal system and has been amended twenty seven times. Powers of state government were never listed in the original constitution. The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution grants states all powers not specifically granted to the federal government, nor forbidden to them by the Constitution. The Federal Government should be the only body to make and enforce laws since so many states differ with on controversial topics facing our legal system such as legalizing marijuana, abortion, and same-sex marriages.

If Federal government retained all of the power, there would not be so much fighting in the states about decision making. If our nation had to wait for every state to agree unanimously on policies, outcomes might have been far worse. We must have a decision making body that can make decisions timely. When power is given to the federal government, it encourages efficient allocation of national resources, it requires political participation, and helps protect freedoms. Although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, it has been legalized in many states. Abortion is legal in all U.S. states, but individual states can regulate it. The US Supreme Court has ruled that same- sex marriage is a legal right across the US, even though many states had bans. There has been so much controversy among law makers, social media, families, and businesses with these controversial matters.

Federal government should make the decisions so there are not so many people and opinions involved. Since the federal government officials are elected by each state, representation is there to make the best decisions for the entire country. Position B: The states should retain the most power because they are closer to the people, better informed on local issues, and best positioned to exercise authority for their residents. Since states make up the federal system, if most of the power was given to the states, people would have better representation. Under the system where the federal government maintains most of the power, every community does not have direct representation. Federal government cannot resolve the local issues. There would not be enough people. There must be a smaller governing body for smaller issues. A smaller governing body requires us to have more voices heard on issues.

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