Assessing federalism 97and local elections. Turnout at the local level is often ridiculously low. If people support
local government so strongly, why aren’t they more interested?
The resource problem becomes more acute when dealing with national-level
problems that affect different areas differently. For example, pollution spills across
state lines, and the deteriorating public infrastructure, like the highway system,
crosses state boundaries. In fact, one study estimated that 26 percent of U.S. bridges
are structurally deficient or obsolete, 15 percent of highways are in need of repair, and
25 percent of mass transit needs to be updated. Solving these and other infrastructure
problems will cost $2.2 trillion, vastly outstripping the resources of state and local
governments, particularly a small number of localities that have a disproportionate
number of bridges and roads needing repairs.
Another problem, unequal civil rights protection, is evident in various federalism
cases that have passed before the Supreme Court. These clearly show that states are
not uniformly willing to protect the civil liberties and civil rights of their citizens. This
was critically important during the 1950s and 1960s when the national government
forced southern states to end segregation and passed laws outlawing discrimination
in housing, employment, transportation, and voting. The Supreme Court recently
stepped in to provide equal rights to marry, but states still vary a great deal in terms of
antidiscrimination laws based on sexual orientation. Without national laws, there will
be large differences in the levels of protection against discrimination based on age,
disability, and sexual orientation.
And last, competitive federalism can create a “race to the bottom” as states attempt
to lure businesses by keeping taxes and social spending low. This can place an unfair
burden on states that take a more generous position toward the poor or provide services
(low college tuition, for example) that others do not. Thus, overall, there is no clear
“winner” in determining the appropriate balance of national and state power. The
advantages and disadvantages of our federal system ensure that federalism will always
remain a central source of conflict in the policy-making process as the various levels of
government fight it out.State Spending
per PersonSpending per person varies
dramatically by state. What are some
of the advantages and disadvantages
of living in a low-spending state or in
a high-spending state? What type of
state would you rather live in? Why?
Source: State and Local Government
Finance Data Query System, http://slfdqs.
taxpolicycenter.org (accessed 3/19/18).FIGURE
$7,000–$7,999 3.1
$6,000–$6,999$5,000–$5,999
$4,000–$4,999
$8,000 and aboveMT
AK
HI
AZ
NM
TX
OK
LA
AR
MS
NC
SC
GA
FL
OR
CA NV
ID
NH
WA VT
WY
NE
SD
ND
MO WV
AL
TN
KY
IL IN OH
PA
VA
NY
ME
WI
MI
IA
MN
KS
CO
UT NJ
DE
MD
CT
RI
MA
Full_04_APT_64431_ch03_070-101.indd 97 16/11/18 1:31 PM