study help

Notes for political science

· Well, greetings again. We're back at it today. We're going to talk about the subject of Federalism, which is the topic and module three in the first unit, and it is also, of course, the subject matter in

· 00:16magleby textbook Chapter three. So i'm going to jump right into my

· 00:21lecture by doing a shared screen, and we'll get

· 00:24we get going with it. Uh,

· 00:27yeah, just like

·

Unknown Speaker

00:29it is

·

Eugene Goss

00:32there we go,

· 00:36You know. I like to start when I talk about Federalism just to remind you we're talking about the structure of our government, having both a central government based in Washington, D. C. Which is jurisdiction over the entire country,

· 00:49and then having fifty separate subsidiary governments,

· 00:53each having jurisdiction,

· 00:56a separate jurisdiction from the Federal government,

· 00:59having separate jurisdiction within the boundaries of their states over the

· 01:03You're in California next door, and we have no uh

· 01:06Arizona and and

· 01:08an organ, and they all have their own State governments. And so this relationship that has been existed since the beginning of the

· 01:16the Constitution. This relationship between the Federal Government, the United States Government and the State governments

· 01:25that has been one of conflict. Where there we've had different agendas and gone different directions,

· 01:31and also cooperation. Thankfully it's mostly cooperation.

· 01:35The worst of all those conflicts took place it from one thousand eight hundred and sixty, one to one thousand eight hundred and sixty five. That was called the Civil War, the

· 01:44where the United States Government fought thirteen Confederate States of America,

· 01:50and defeated them, and kept the country from splitting into two

· 01:55more on that later. So we know that the conflict has been there, and there have been plenty of other conflicts

· 02:00that didn't reach the point of war.

· 02:03And certainly there's been a lot of cooperation. So that's the theme of this lecture. Federalism, conflict and cooperation.

· 02:12Americans all fall within the jurisdiction of both the Us. Government and their State Government

· 02:17and of course, within your state, complicate things, you fall within the jurisdiction of local governments. You,

· 02:23If you're living in Long Beach, you fall within the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County, which is one of fifty eight counties in California you sit in, and just inside the jurisdiction of the city of Ah Long Beach. You are in within the jurisdiction of the Long Beach unified school district, the Long Beach community, college district,

· 02:41Metropolitan, the water district. There are many school, many districts and municipalities in the State of California and every other State.

· 02:50So citizens have to keep track of a lot of government in the Federal system,

· 02:54not just the central government in Washington, but our State government, and a variety of local governments that we also are a part of, because they provide services for us.

· 03:06How are the state level of the fifty Government serves to check the power of the national Government and vice versa. So we just got through talking about separation of powers, checks, and balances. This is a very important separation of power. I like to use the term vertical versus horizontal separation of power, and checks

· 03:23vertical meaning. Here's Washington. The Us. Government up here in the fifty States below it,

· 03:28vertically up and down the States check the Federal Government and the Federal Government check the State, So that's vertical separation of powers and checks and balances. What is horizontal

· 03:39separation of powers and checks and balances? Well, that would be within the United States Government. That is what we just talked about. The different powers given to the House, the Senate Supreme Court courts,

· 03:51the President of bureaucracy, which are all separate, which allow them to check each other inside the Us. Government.

· 03:57And let's not forget that every single State government within the State Government has horizontal checks and balances billed into their State legislative. So the State Government active activity, so California has it,

· 04:08checks and balances within the State Government. Those are horizontal within the government horizontal within the Us. Government, horizontal with a new State government. Vertical checks and balances are the checks and balances

· 04:21and separation between the us Government and the fifty States.

· 04:25I hope that makes sense, I hope that helps you kind of conceptualize all this

· 04:31most of the day-to-day governing, however, of activities that we just take for granted take place at the state and local levels I have. It looks like I have a type of that should reach state and local level

· 04:44meaning. You don't have a lot of interaction with the Federal Government in Long Beach,

· 04:49but you certainly have a lot of interaction with the local government, which maybe you have One beach. Pd: Go by your house today. Maybe you saw a fire trying to ride, but maybe you've been to the Park today or buy it every. Maybe you need to have a a pothole prepared in front of your house. Maybe there's some graffiti down the street.

· 05:07These are all things local government. Does the water that comes into your home, your sewer system, the trash being picked up? Those are all local government activities. So most government government in America is local government.

· 05:21The Us. Government does important things, but the States and local governments pretty much do most of the govern. The

· 05:30The National Government, however, has been growing inexorably over the last half century. Its budget gets bigger each year. It fixes on more and more powers and responsibilities, regulations, rules, taxes.

·

Unknown Speaker

05:42That just seems to be where things are headed right now, and it has been for some time

·

Eugene Goss

05:49many features of Federalism. Well, The first most important point, of course, is the idea that it divides power between the two separate authorities, the Us. Government and the fifty State Government. So you have fifty governors who have executive authority

· 06:03and a President's executive for national level, and they're kind of in competition with each other. They they've learned over time to work together and try to cooperate to do things where both the State and Federal Government have,

· 06:14you know, overlap right

·

Unknown Speaker

06:16an intersection

·

Eugene Goss

06:17that is, if that is way, we'd like to think it will happen. Unfortunately, in recent years, when we get the

· 06:22a president of one political party and governors and other political parties in other States. Then we start to see tension and see that President Biden and the Republican Governor of Texas and Florida. We saw that with President Trump and the Democratic governors of Northern California.

· 06:38That so partisan politics can pin ups, can can aggravate these these relationships.

· 06:44Clearly it's in the interest of the Federal Government in the interest of the State governments, to cooperate as much as possible

· 06:51our Constitution, remember. There's a Us. Constitution which lays out the powers in the United States Government, and all the subsidiary governments like the States. And then, once the State has been granted a charter and been allowed to be a State.

· 07:08Each State has to have its own constitutional, lays out its structure of government, and lays out all the local governments, and how it's all supposed to work.

· 07:16California Constitution has thirty five articles.

· 07:21It is one of the longest constitutions in America. It's very complicated,

· 07:26and we're not going to go over that now the last unit of the course is California, State and local government, and we will review the constitution of the California State Government at that time,

· 07:38However, just to give you a sense,

· 07:41this is the actual preamble you'll find when you go to the California Constitution online it says, we, the people of State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, nor to secure, perpetuates, blessings, do establish this constitution.

· 07:54So back in one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, that's what they said. They wrote all that down. Then they started laying out the groundwork for the government, and you know what we've gone in so many times, and changed that over here to amendments.

· 08:04It hardly looks today like a look back then, but the preamble is still there which gives the State Government direction in terms of what it should be doing,

· 08:16and that's going to be reviewed in the California Government module.

· 08:21Each government enforces its laws directly on its citizens. So the United States government has laws. The

· 08:27The State governments have laws and state that when the State pulls you over and for a traffic violation that's under State law.

· 08:36When a Federal de a drug Enforcement administration officer pulls you over and arrest you for a drug possession

· 08:45that's under Federal law That's under Federal law he's peace, enforcing Federal law in the State. The highway patrolman is enforcing State law, and

· 08:53both systems are in operation in all States. Our Federal Government enforcement authorities in California and State government enforcement authorities in California.

· 09:03Each American participates in is and governed by those two sets of rules and rulers.

· 09:09You that? Well, no, the Us. Government can't come in and tell me what to do on my State can. No,

· 09:14Us. Government has all sorts of

· 09:16activities going on in California, where enforcement rules in the law are necessary where there are law enforcement officials present to do that

· 09:25representing the Federal Government.

· 09:28Each American, of course, participates in the selection of the two sets of rules for a separate election. So this fall in one election you're going to get to the line. You're going to get to elect six separate elections. Sometimes they're severed most of the time. They're fine

· 09:45rookie mistake there.

· 09:47Then, on vibrate

· 09:49um.

· 09:50It is true

· 09:53There

· 09:54the

· 09:58I've lost my train of thought. Sorry about that.

· 10:03Guess I need more coffee. It's early in the morning.

· 10:06We participate in elections for this fall November of two thousand and twenty two. I may be seeing this afterwards, but

· 10:15um! Many of you will be saying before that election

· 10:19fall two thousand and twenty two. You're going to have an election for

· 10:23Congress which is Federal Government and Congressman,

· 10:27Us. Senate Federal Government. But you'll also have election from Governor, which is State State Assembly and State Center City Council Things like that. So you're going to be going to one place to vote. You're going to have both Federal and State officials on that ballot.

· 10:42But technically those are separate because they are going to different levels of governments to participate in governing

· 10:50both the Federal Government, Federal and State governments,

· 10:54past laws. So they all. So the Federal Government passes laws, and they're put in the statute books and those doing the statutes of the United States Government.

· 11:04The State government passes law statues, and those are the statutes of the laws of the State of California. We'll find we'll find the laws of the State of California, these big leather-bound books. And when we're looking at a local library, we'll see the laws of the Federal Government and big leather bound books in your local library as well,

· 11:20and there are lots of them. There are lots of plus we have to live under from both authorities.

· 11:25They impose taxes. Of course both impose taxes on you

· 11:29Feds and the State.

· 11:32They spend money on us and on things. You know Federal Government spending more today than it ever has on all sorts of things. And now the State is spending more than it ever has on all sorts of things.

· 11:43They maintain their own court system. So there's a federal court system in this country, and there are Federal courts right here in the United States, California. That will process law Federal law that has been violated here in California. And then there are State courts here in California. That handle State law which is most of the long

· 12:03two governments. Can you tell me what your Federal taxes are? Because most of you work? Some of you are not, which is fine. But if you're working, you're paying taxes. You're having money taken out of your paycheck and repay period it's sent to Washington, Dc. And send a set.

·

Unknown Speaker

12:18It's. A

·

Eugene Goss

12:20So if you don't know what you're paying, take a look at your paycheck. You're paying two taxes to the Federal Government. You're paying Federal income tax with hell. That's one box

· 12:30and the other box is Fiica F. Ica. That is your social security. T:

· 12:35You can. You can. So you can answer this question: What are your Federal taxes by taking those two amounts and adding together, And that's what you're paying. Once you can feature your pay period. You're gonna find that you're paying more social security than you are Federal income tax, and more on that later.

· 12:53What are your taxes? The State of California on that paycheck? Same paycheck stuff. You'll see State income tax with health.

· 13:00Now there are others taxes you pay to both levels of government. For instance, you're you're probably paying. If you're not, you don't own a property, and you're renting You're actually paying property taxes, and directly, because your landlord is including your share of property taxes on your apartment in your rent.

·

Unknown Speaker

13:17So you're paying property texts indirectly, and you're also paying

·

Eugene Goss

13:20gas tax when you go to the pump sales tax when you buy things excise tax on things like

· 13:25uh your cell phone booze Ted tax on booze tax on cigarettes. You name lots of taxes at the Federal and state level.

· 13:38You know your taxes, Aren't, the the Kennedy of Los Angeles. If you own a property, you'll know because they send you a bill every year on your property tax, Bill. If you don't, you take a look at the rent you're paying, and you can ask your landlord what percentage of my rent is actually going to property taxes for this problem.

· 13:54Some of them will tell you some of them. Well, but you can always ask.

· 13:59They don't have to answer that. By the way,

· 14:02what are your taxes to the city of Long Beach? Well, if you're paying sales tax on anything you buy within the city, one that goes to.

· 14:11They're all sorts of taxes that they go to local government, that you're probably not aware of.

· 14:21The Federal Government Is the Federal budget balanced. How about the State of California,

·

Unknown Speaker

14:27The county, the city city of Long Beach?

·

Eugene Goss

14:31That's a good question. If if these budgets are balanced, then we don't have to worry about any of them because the Federal Government budget is in. Let me put it to you this way. If a budget is balanced, it means this. There's the same amount of money coming into the budget is going out. Same amount of money coming in is being spent. It's balanced

· 14:50the state of California's budget by our constitution has to be balanced,

· 14:54as are all the local governments in California, so the city I help govern the city, Mr. Moderate, just like the city of Long Beach. Every you're asked to submit a balanced budget. We are spending equal money coming in. The Federal Government, however, is different, because it is not balanced and Hasn't been balanced for most of my life.

· 15:13They are in deficit. They're spending far more than they're taking in which means they're borrowing the difference at interest and adding to the national debt each year. National Debt right now is approaching thirty, one trillion dollars, and we should be adding about a trillion dollars of debt

· 15:27this year alone to that national debt, because the budget is out of balance more on that later

· 15:46more on the Federal as the main features of Federalism schemes. I'm. Going to have a little bit of coffee here,

· 15:53So we had these two governments, one one in Washington and then fifty State governments that I should say two levels.

· 16:00You have two governments to be concerned about the State of California and the Federal Government. Neither level can dissolve the Union

·

Unknown Speaker

16:08or amend the Constitution without the consent of the other.

·

Eugene Goss

16:12So the California cannot leave the Union. California cannot

· 16:17in the United States Constitution, it has to have the consent of Congress as well.

· 16:23Congress can't do this kind of Congress can't ah separate itself, or resolve the Union without the without the permission of the States. So the truth of the matter is that there's a kind of balance of power achieved constitutionally between the States and the Federal government.

· 16:42The national Constitution is the ultimate legal source of authority. So you might ask yourself what gives us what gives any or any office, hold,

· 16:51federal, State or local, Ultimately their right to

· 16:55run for elective office, hold the office, hold the official face of power, and that answer is in the United States Constitution that we just learned about.

· 17:05That is the ultimately the legal source of authority for the entire country at all levels.

· 17:10All political power in America is regulated by the United States Constitution. The

· 17:30Us. Constitution is ultimately under the control of we, the people, I guess I don't really need to say that, do I.

· 17:36The truth of the matter is the word Lords. We that people begin the Constitution so ultimately speaking, if we wanted to exercise the ultimate authority, we have under the Constitution altogether. That's in that. That's changing all the political power relationships in the country.

· 17:55It is certainly, and we have that capability. And you already learn about that. It's an article five of the Constitution in the amendment process,

· 18:04and if you don't, remember, go back to your notes on my lecture on them

· 18:14structures of government. Well,

· 18:16this is a graph showing you three basic types of government that exist in the world. There is a federal system like we have

· 18:24where you have. The people have a direct relationship with the Federal government, but also a direct relationship with the State government. So we elect the leaders hold them accountable, and those governments act directly on us.

· 18:35In a confederation. You elect your State leader and your State leaders elect a national leader. That's kind of like what they have of the European Union. So the people themselves don't have a direct relationship with the national or the

· 18:49central government. They only have a relationship with their State.

· 18:52A unitary system is a system like they have in Great Britain. They

· 18:56there are a number of these around the world where the national government you have a relationship to. For instance, they elect the members of Parliament and Parliament makes all the laws and rules for the country, so the local levels of government simply exist to carry out the worlds of Parliament not true in America. In a federal system the local levels of government make law.

· 19:17The city I govern, I help make law. We pass ordinances that we live under in our moderate, so very different approach to things

· 19:26Federal, Confederate, and unitary

· 19:31Those That's my written explanation after I just gave it to you verbally in Federal systems place central government voting

· 19:38in the hands of the people selected by the States, not the people in the States. Federal systems have a final decision-making authority, all levels of the government accountable to levels.

· 19:47So

· 19:49a federal system. Another example of a very not, for the Federal system is the nation of Germany. They have a federal system similar to ours;

· 19:57in fact, they they they don't have states, but they they they they the same thing. Regional jurisdictions. They call their the equivalent of our states. They call them landers in Germany. So

· 20:09of If you're living in a lander, it's like living in a state here in the United States.

· 20:17Text talks about the supremacy clause, and that's very important supremacy Clause prevents states from enacting laws in conflict with national law. So there are always there are always going to be laws

· 20:28at the State level that are are possibly in conflict with the Federal government.

· 20:33Those those those laws exist. But when they're challenged in Federal court the

· 20:39Oh, well, we have a law here in California that's at odds with the law in the Us. Government. Well, we've been

· 20:44getting away with It was no one challenging. Now it's challenging the Federal courts. When it gets up to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court is going to say No, no, on the State of California

· 20:53does not have authority over the Federal law. The Federal law is supreme.

· 20:57So when in conflict the national law is supreme supreme over the State law,

· 21:04preemption is the idea the right of national law. Regulations preclude enforcement of state or local law or local regulation.

· 21:12So preemption simply gives the Federal Government the ability to keep the state or localities from enforcing laws which are against the Federal law.

· 21:25Excuse me,

· 21:27having fewer and fewer problems with the cough and my throat, I'm getting better and better, but

· 21:33it is still something I'm dealing with. So occasionally, when I do these take lectures, you're gonna have to see me sipping on coffee or water,

· 21:40so on, and so forth.

· 21:44Where we go, division and powers in the Us. Constitution

· 21:47there are different types of powers you're going to find in the constitution, and there's a There's a couple of good pages in the Magal B text that kind of lay these out in some ways of them for you. But let me just give you the general categories.

· 22:01Delegated or enumerated powers would be powers that are actually listed,

· 22:06numbered, listed. So, for instance, article, one of the Constitution lays out the powers of Congress article. One

· 22:16has sections, and in article one's in in sections, then they'll list specific powers. So those are all a delegated enumerated powers that are listed in the Constitution.

· 22:29Implied powers be, for instance,

· 22:33excuse me, imply Powers would be powers that are not listed in the Constitution, but but are implied by the language of the Constitution.

· 22:42The necessary and proper clause which I mentioned in the last election of the Constitution, is the most obvious example as well what is necessary, What is implied there is that a lot of things can be necessary and proper constitution kind of left it to future governments to evaluate.

· 23:00There are other implied powers in the Constitution as well. Your text talks about

· 23:04reserve powers to be powers reserved just for one level of government

· 23:11concurrent power. Again, for for example, the Tenth Amendment reserves powers to the State government. The powers have not been given to the Federal Government in the Us. Constitution, or if they have not been denied to the State government, and they are reserved for the State

· 23:27Concurrent powers be powers like taxation. Us, Government has the right to to collect an income tax, and so does the State of California. So those laws are concurrent. They're happening at the same time differently in the different levels of government. Excuse me,

· 23:43our tonight. In the National Government there are all sorts of powers denied in the National Government. We then, look, you can start by taking a look at the Federal Constitution's Bill of Rights, which which denied the Federal Government from doing all sorts of things, and from the very first

· 23:59amendment to the Constitution. The very first clause keeps the Government from creating a establishing a

·

Unknown Speaker

24:06a national religion, for instance.

·

Eugene Goss

24:08So there are all sorts of powers denied in the National Government

· 24:12and to the State Government now, because it's the constitute the Constitution's Bill of rights in the early part of the twentieth century was applied to the States as well. That's a good place to look for. Powers denied to all governments as the right

· 24:25powers denied both the national State governments. It's precisely

· 24:30what are categorical grants

· 24:33Radical. Remember, this is now we're talking about the Us. Government's budget.

· 24:38They spent all a fortune on all sorts of things. Trillions of dollars every year.

· 24:43One category of spending they have is called a categorical rant. Then a categorical brand is a Grant, where they lay out a specific category, and then they allocate money to the various states based on whether they need those categorical requirements.

· 25:01A lot of the formula around you is, you have to meet a formula. So, for instance, uh, some of the welfare programs that are part of Federal Federal government are based on formulas. How many people do you have at a certain income levels? Blah! Blah, blah blah! Once that formula has been calculated, some some parts of the State will get

· 25:21those grants and some won't based on the Forum

· 25:24project Grant. Same thing, and it's been sent to the States based on some kind of project application. For instance, a dam or sewage treatment plan,

·

Unknown Speaker

25:34a road or something of that nature.

·

Eugene Goss

25:37Grants can be the biggest grants right now. The one of the biggest grants that are sent to the States is part of the

· 25:44Ta and have temporary and assistance for needing family welfare system program.

·

Unknown Speaker

25:49Here the Federal Government sends a huge block of money to each State, and then the State decides how to spend that money.

·

Eugene Goss

25:56Give me just a second.

·

Unknown Speaker

26:05What is he mandate.

·

Eugene Goss

26:07Well, a mandate is when you know you're growing up with your family in a mandate is when your mom tells you you gotta make you bad

· 26:14right a mandate. When somebody tells you you have to do some.

· 26:18The mandates come from the Federal Government. They are basically requirements set forth by some Us. Government law requiring a State to perform some specified function.

· 26:27No people working in State and local government do not like to get candidates from the Federal government, that is, to be sure,

· 26:34but the Federal Government does it anyway.

· 26:38Also, it's a requirement set forth by the State Government requiring lower levels of government for some specified function. Some, for instance, the Federal Government will require you to

· 26:49the Federal Government will require the States to

· 26:53heaven didn't. I

· 26:54do all sorts of things with their um environmental regulations, and if they don't the Federal Government would withhold funding for other things they give you. State of California requires all the lower levels of government to do all sorts of things that they probably wouldn't do otherwise. For instance,

· 27:11state is requiring the cities now to allow for people to build, split their lots and build two pro houses on their on their residential lots. That was a mandate. They came from the State Government that the cities have to perform.

· 27:26An unfunded manning is the one that we hate the most in local government, because that's when the Us. Government doesn't send any funds to pay for man any directions at the State level or in here at local government in California. It's when the State fails to send funding to the lower level.

· 27:41That's when the Government Literates telling you from Washington you've got to do this. We're not going to send you any money, so you're going to go. Tell your citizens you're going to have to raise their taxes to pay for what we're telling you to do.

· 27:53That's not popular with politicians, because It's not popular with the people.

· 27:57Um, but unfunded mandates. There are many that exist uh, and it existed for a very long time.

· 28:10These are examples of mandates that have come down from the Federal Government over the years age. Discrimination Act asbestos, Hazard emergency Acts and Drinking Water Act Clean Air Act Americans with disabilities at National Voter Registration Head,

· 28:24the Floridal Care Act in two thousand and nine. That was the last major Federal mandate. The last major national welfare program created in this country, and that was under President Barack, Obama, Um. In two thousand and nine, which created all sorts of mandates in the health care system that had to be followed by people at the State and local levels,

· 28:45presumably to make health insurance more

· 28:49affordable and more available for people who need it. It's help. It's been a mixed bag. It's helped some, but it Hasn't helped most people

· 28:56more on that later

· 28:59public opinion. Well, the public generally trusts and supports state and local government considerably more than they do in the national Government.

· 29:08That probably makes sense. I mean, if you think about it, you know the state. I mean, if you live in a fairly small town like I do small city, or maybe you just know your neighborhood and mommy's really well, you probably know who the Council person is at the Nancy, or maybe the person represents you on the school,

· 29:25or at least you've heard of them, you know, and you see what they do in your. You see what the city does on your streets. You see the policing you see parks you nearby. You see the results of state and local government more closely, and you feel more connected to them because you, you're so physically closer

· 29:42that you understand it, because you see it more and you feel closer to it.

· 29:46But watching Washington here in California, we're almost three thousand miles away from Washington, Dc. We don't know

· 29:52we don't watch what they're doing back there.

· 29:54They're representatives out here in California that we don't interact with them very often.

· 29:59So it seems to me that that distance. It explains a lot of this,

· 30:03but there's just a historical cultural pattern in America that remember this country was founded. Our constitution was created to allow for the cities and the counties in the States to govern themselves primarily, which is what they have been doing under King George Iii. And what they were doing after we freed ourselves from King George the Third.

· 30:22So in one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven, when we wrote the Constitution, we voted to create a new central power. We left most of the governing authority to the local level, reflecting the political culture of the people. That's kind of why they wanted it in over two hundred years. That's the way it stayed.

· 30:38So it's part of distance, but it's also part of the the political fabric that we're made of people just seem to trust state and local government more than the Federal Government.

· 30:50Here's an idea that's interesting devolution. The whole idea of devolution is to reverse. What's been going on since the New deal Years of the one thousand nine hundred and thirtys? We've seen us Government in Washington grow very considerably,

· 31:04and That's a reflection of the fact that the politicians have been coming to us and offering us things that we've been voting for them like social security and Medicare

· 31:14Government regulations and all sorts of things, and

· 31:17and as a consequence, power has been grading some greater and greater and greater in Washington,

· 31:22so you could say, powers evolved slowly but surely, from State and local government to Washington over that period of time. Well, people who are in favor of devil, you should want to see that reverse. They want to see the power in Washington

· 31:35go back slowly but surely, to the States and little calories where they think it used more appropriately, more fairly and more efficient.

· 31:44Um.

· 31:47The text talks about centralists versus decentralists. A centralist in America today believes it.

· 31:53Power is about right in the central government. If anything, we should, we should give this Washington or the Us. Government more power to do things to fix imbalances and inequities between States.

· 32:05Now where decentralists tend to believe just the opposite, they would say, the Us. Government has more power. It's causing problems between the States. It's impeding our economies that if it just laid off and gave more power to the States, things would be better.

· 32:21Should we do this? Should we distribute powers back to the States from the Federal Government. I don't think you're in a position to evaluate that now. Maybe by the end of the semester you will be. Maybe you'll come and take Polysi three from me

· 32:33in the fall of two thousand,

·

Unknown Speaker

32:35or the spring of two thousand and twenty three, because then we that's what we look at. We look at

·

Eugene Goss

32:40many different policy issues, and some some of the some of the policy proposals are out there right now to solve problems like Social Security and Medicare and the National Debt hinge on this idea of maybe setting some of the responsibilities of the Federal Government back to the States.

· 32:56Could the States do a better job in the Us. Some some States would probably do a much better job.

· 33:00Some States might not be able to do as good job. You know they're fifty different states, and they all do things differently

· 33:07affordable. Care actually send that down to the State. So we said so. Security down the States, Medicare down to the States. The

· 33:14these are all things that you can't really answer. Now you need to do a lot of investigation on. Just be aware that this is an ongoing conversation, political conversation

· 33:24among many people, and particularly among the policy scholars, and maybe we can solve some of the problems in the country. If we give the States more power

· 33:32and not, and take some away from the Federal Government

· 33:38pros and cons of federalism or prose federalism. By the way, this is coming right out of your text. The

· 33:45Federalism protects the nation against tyranny

· 33:48because it helps keep any one power getting control over all of us, since there are fifty governors and fifty State legislatures and hundreds of thousands of electing office workers like myself. It's very hard for one room for one person to get control of all, to tyrannize it. So certainly it protects us from tyranny.

· 34:07It allows unity without uniformity. So we can have a unified country when we need to, for instance, when we're fighting wars,

· 34:14but it also allows diversity within the States to. I submit to you that Oklahoma is a very different place in California.

· 34:22Maine is a very different place than New York,

· 34:25and that's a good thing.

· 34:26It's a good thing that we're different.

· 34:28We should embrace that. And Federalism allows us to do that.

· 34:35Federalism encourages innovation. So we call Federalism the laboratory of democracy. Because if California we innovate and solve a problem here

· 34:44kind of experimenting with solving a problem in Nevada and Utah. They find out about it. They try and solve their problem.

· 34:50Then the innovation that you've been experimenting with in the States can can be utilized and copied elsewhere. And sometimes, when we innovate things in the States, the Federal Government ends up copies. So federalism does, in fact, encourage experimentation. Implementation

· 35:07that wouldn't exist if the whole country was governed, or one big omnipotent central authority,

· 35:15it promotes government by the people. Why? Because it offers so many opportunities for the people who participated in. I've already told you there are half a million

· 35:24elective office holders in this country,

· 35:27most, all of them, except for the five hundred and thirty five Congressmen, and the one President and Vice President,

· 35:34five hundred and thirty-seven people.

· 35:36All the rest of them are staying local officials.

· 35:39So it provides. And then that gives us all a lot of

· 35:43opportunity to participate in government and be closer to our elected.

· 35:48So Federals and promotes government by the people

· 35:52pawns. Well, first, it's very confusing. There's so many governments with so many elected officials, so many rules, so many laws,

· 36:00no one, not even a political science, professor. He's been studying this for thirty years, and he's worked in government for eight years, almost nine years knows everything. In fact, I can say. I know a very small percentage of all the awesome rules that we live under.

· 36:13It's very confusing oftentimes to people. It's one reason why they turn away from politics altogether.

· 36:20It weakens accountability because we're not sure who should get accountability. Right. If there's a problem in California? Is it because of the Federal government? Or is it because of the State? Sometimes it's not clear

· 36:31The Federal government in the States will argue about that, and we, as people get caught in in the whiplash between the two,

· 36:41it creates inequality. Yes, it'll. I wouldn't say it creates any problem

· 36:46allows for inequality, because Mississippi, although it has wonderful parts of it. It has wonderful places in Mississippi.

· 36:54Mississippi has a lot of poor people,

· 36:57dirt poor people.

· 36:58And ah! You know other states, don't don't have near as many poor people, so you would say, Well, gosh! If we had a uniform country where there were no States, then the National Government would make sure that there was more equality across all peoples. That is possible. That is very possible.

· 37:15But remember that freedom that allows us to innovate and be closer to the Government

· 37:20also has that downside. It allows us one.

· 37:22It allows some States to, you know, just not be as

· 37:26aggressive, but promoting the interests of people at the bottom.

· 37:33I could go on and on. I work at the local level in government,

· 37:37and I interact with people at the higher levels of State government. Um, And I've interacted with people at the Federal level as well, and I can tell you that in my experience most of the days of the week, State county and local and Federal officials, when they have issues that they have to deal with

· 37:57that are the same typically work, together with each other, and cooperate to solve those problems across the jurisdictions of those governments. I gave you an example, a drug task force here in Los Angeles County to try to

· 38:12ah to try to enter your seed and and stop fentanyl distribution. A drug task force might include the Federal Dea might include the County Sheriff's Department with the State Police might include your City column, beach, city of Long Beach police department,

· 38:29all working together in unison in a coordinated fashion to try to

· 38:35can't catch and arrest people who are distributing fentanyl. Excuse me so

·

Unknown Speaker

38:41well, that's just one example.

·

Eugene Goss

38:44Here in California is another good example, the Sacramento Baked Delta, The

· 38:49He is a source for a Federal water project which puts water on farms in California and a statewater project which trucks water all the way down here for us to use.

· 38:58And when we're in a drought like we're in Now, the Federal Government and the States have to work very closely together to make sure that the water levels don't go down too fast, so that we have enough water over time until

· 39:10we get we get out of the drought. We get enough rains, and so everything goes back to normal.

· 39:16Those are just two very obvious examples. But

· 39:19but if you look at it, the Federal Government and the State governments cooperate with each other on a daily

·

Unknown Speaker

39:23base, I give you another example. I live up in Sierra Montrey.

·

Eugene Goss

39:27We are on the border of the Angeles National Forest That's a Federal government-owned and controlled, force The Us. Forest Service runs it.

· 39:34But the county of La also works in there. Even the Save won't. See, our lottery has functions inside that forest where it's near our land

· 39:42and State of the State Department of Forestry and the State Department. A while there are many different State and Federal agencies that work and cooperate

· 39:51inside the Federal for us.

· 39:54The upshot of that is the Federal force, a function, even though there are many different levels of government that actually play a role in cooperating.

· 40:05Technically, it's being run by the Forest Service, but they're very good at cooperating with me

· 40:10levels of government at the State and county and city level.

· 40:13There are plenty of other examples by one

· 40:15the winter I'm. Going to try to make my lectures

· 40:18brief and as compact it's possible for you. Next time I see it. We'll be going over a module for lecture, and which will mean pretty much the stuff of Chapter four and back over.

· 40:27So let me stop this screen share

· 40:31he's the

· 40:35and I will see you next time.