DISCUSSION DUE TODAY

Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion question, read Chapters 3 and 4 in American Government and review the Week Two Instructor Guidance In addition, watch the videos provided on federalism: Quick Study of Federalism Part 1, Quick Study of Federalism Part 2, and Quick Study of Federalism Part 3

Reflect: The U.S. government's expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl of conflicting crosscurrents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government's responsibility to solve problems often exceed the capacity of state and local authorities to respond effectively. On the other hand, policies developed at the national level may not sufficiently reflect the great diversity of interests across the U.S. to be effective at the local level. Moreover, the search for effective policy is further complicated by theoretical debates about the constitutional framework of federalism, that is, what limits on national power can be derived from the Tenth Amendment?

Write: Select a policy or piece of legislation that directly impacts your current or future profession (i.e., your major). In your initial post, identify your profession or future profession, define federalism, and then select a specific piece of legislation (Click here for examples) that will directly impact it. Discuss the federalism challenges that the policy you have selected is creating or facing. For example:

• If you are an education major, how are local, state, and federal government policies affected by the Every Student Succeeds Actor some other piece of education-related legislation?
• If you are a criminal justice major, how does recent legalization of marijuana in some states affect local, state, and federal marijuana laws?
• If you are a business major, how does the insurance mandate in the Affordable Care Act affect local, state, and national businesses and their employees?
• If you are a political science major, how has the recent Citizen’s United ruling affected the amount of money available for campaigns at the local, state, or federal levels?

Fully respond to all parts of the prompt and write your response in your own words. Your initial must be at least 300 words. Support your position with at least two of the assigned resources required for this discussion, and/or peer reviewed scholarly sources obtained through the AU Library databases. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly in-text and in a references list at the end of the post.