Federalism In Modern Day America

In today’s society, when the average-day American is asked to describe the country in one word, more likely than not, that word will be freedom. This answer is understandable. The early colonists separated and liberated themselves from King George’s tyrannical rule. Over the past approximately 240 years as a country, the United States of America has continued to show this persistence of freedom. We have certain freedoms and rights granted to us by the Constitution and states’ laws and policies. One of them is federalism which is defined as “a form of government that divides sovereign power across at least two political units” (Bianco and Canon 69). Within the realm of federalism, citizens have the availability to move to a different state …show more content…
' If you don 't support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol - don 't come to Texas. If you don 't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage, don 't move to California” (BrainyQuote). With this take on competitive federalism, there are many reasons why people would move to a different state because of current laws and policies in place in the residing state. For example, if a person is a devout Republican is living in a strong Democrat state then logically he would be upset about the majority of the policies being passed pleasing the Democrats of the state. Therefore, due to his political allegiance he or she can relocate to a strong Republican state. Competitive federalism has its strengths and weaknesses. Yet one disadvantage towers them all. States use competitive federalism to bring in businesses and jobs but by doing so they decrease taxes which lead to cuts in funding to major programs such as Medicaid and welfare (Bianco and Canon …show more content…
Some people may feel social and political pressures to staying where they are. For example, a person may face political pressures if he or she is a strong Democrat living in a strong Republican state, and may feel pressures to conform, become Republican, and vote for Republican policies. He or she may also be worried about being treated as an outcast from his or her peers if he or she decided to move to a strong Democrat state. Additionally, people may feel discouraged to move based on the new state’s overall opinion or discrimination on certain topics such as race and sexual orientation. According to a survey conducted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 42% of LGBT youth say their community is discriminatory of their sexual orientation and very few states offer policies and laws for the LGBT community. Only 30% of states have school non-discrimination laws and policies in place and only about 60% of states have LGBT hate crime laws in effect (Human Rights Campaign). This is an excellent abstract example as to why some people may not be able to simply vote with their feet. If a LGBT citizen wanted to move to a different state with different policies but that state did not have any LGBT laws in place they might feel discriminated and most likely end up not moving to that state. In summation, competitive federalism showcases