Federal laws and regulations requiring specific action from state and local governments without providing federal funding to pay for it are called “ unfounded mandates.”
The Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970, which established nationwide standards for air quality, is one such “unfounded mandate.” Although it is a federal law, states must pay the cost of implementation and enforcement.
For years, state and local governments have lobbied Congress to end the practice of federal mandates without funds for implementation. In 1995, Congress passed the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, which attempts to lighten the economic burden imposed by federal mandates on individual states.
When deciding what to do about federal mandates that are not funded, one must consider both sides. With federal mandates such as the Clean Air Act, Superfund cleanup and the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. government sets national standards that states and local governments don’t necessarily want. If the laws are necessary, taxpayers at the local level should approve them. Otherwise, the federal government should be expected to pay for the mandates they regulate. Unfunded mandates are one more way for Washington bureaucrats to transfer responsibility for their actions onto the backs of local taxpayers.
Considering other points of view, federal mandates defend the well-being of all Americans by setting nationwide environmental and economic standards. The minimum wage, clean air standards, and workplace safety have all been defined by various federal mandates. These mandates are the most effective way of ensuring that these minimum requirements are met on the local level. Local authorities, if left to their own devices, might not always respect these standards. Different states, for instance, might compete for business by adopting lesser minimum wage standards and triggering a “race to the bottom.” The 1995 Unfunded Mandates Reform Act prevents abuses of this system by providing financial assistance when necessary to state and local governments.
When states try to find ways to restrain from non-essential areas, unfunded federal mandates are at the top of the list. These mandates often force state and local governments to spend much more than necessary on everything from medical care to welfare to road building. A complex web of federal programs bind together the tree treasuries of the local, state, and federal government. As much as 25 percent of state budgets now comes from the federal government, and up to 60 percent of some state budgets is spent on joint federal-state programs.
In general, an increase in government spending and decrease in the collection of government taxes and other receipts, increases the debt held by the local government. Government taxes and receipts fluctuate annually, and are frequently less than government spending. In the past, the U.S. public debt has increased for the duration of wars and recessions. When the government consumes more than what it accumulates in taxes, there is a budget deficit and the government then borrows from the private sector or from foreign governments to protect their spending. The compilation of historical borrowing is what materializes the government debt.
To define the terminology of federalism to a simplistic way is the sharing of sovereignty between the national government and the local government. It is often described as the dual sovereignty of governments between the national and the local to exert power in the political system. In the US it is often been justified as one of the first to introduce federalism by the ‘founding fathers’ which were developed in order to escape from the overpowered central government. However, federalism in the United States is hitherto uncertain where the power lies in the contemporary political system. In this essay I will outline and explain how power relationship alternates between states and federal government. Moreover I will also discuss my perspective by weighing the evidence based upon resources. Based on these resources, it will aid me to evaluate the recent development in the federal-state relationship.
The quality of air we intake on a daily basis is essential to our health, therefore, the EPA’s Clean Air Act provides the groundwork to support the quality of the air which we breathe. One of the goals of the Act was to set and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975 to address the public health and welfare risks posed by certain air pollutants. The setting of these pollutant standards was coupled with directing the states to develop state implementation plans (SIPs), applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the stat...
Discussion surrounding the role of the government in health care has become an American past time. The government is responsible for improving health care quality and safety in the United States which should enhance access to care. Many goals have been sought after since the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Little achievement has been made in regards to which level of government is ultimately responsible for the continued support of health care. This essay will discuss both the state and federal level of government in health care, along with insight into the current happenings of both levels.
states are obligated to comply with. Despite the role of the federal government, there has
A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The first minimum wage was just 25 cents an hour in 1938. Can you imagine surviving off of 25 cents an hour? Now just over 70 years later the federal minimum wage is now 7.25. The question at hand is the federal minimum wage enough to meet the minimum requirement for a good, happy and healthy life? Some states and cities say no. While a select few states and cities have mirrored the federal minimum wage of 7.25, some states have placed their state or city/county minimum wage marginally higher than the federal minimum wage. So why would some states prefer to have a higher level than required by the federal minimum wage when some state have decided to match or even go below the federal minimum wage level. The answer to this question lies within each state city and county and how they perceive the cost of living in the presiding area. Minimum wage needs a makeover in America despite some of the negative effects that may come along with it. This paper will explore the reasons behind federal and state minimum wages and why some of them differ among states counties and cities across America.
One of the biggest controversies in schools today is the debate between Evolutionism and Creationism and which should be taught in the United State's science classes. Many Christians believe that Creationism should be given equal time in schools, but others feel that teaching Creationism is teaching religion. Those fighting for equal time say that Creationism can be taught without all the religious jargon. Also many argue that Evolutionism is just as much a belief system as Creationism (Creation vs. Evolution: Battle in the Classroom,1982). Should one of these theories get more time in public schools than the other? Children today should be presented with as much information as possible and then allowed to make their own decisions.
John Ellwood and Eric Patashnik’s “In Praise of Pork” argues the reasons why Congress requires “pork” to function efficiently. The two authors argue, in order for painful but necessary bills, such as tax increases or budget cuts, to be passed, appropriations must be utilized to alleviate some of the pain. Furthermore, they bring up the contention that “pork” will not be leaving the political landscape any time soon, if ever. Therefore, it is almost obligatory of a representatives to ensure that federal spending on local projects go towards programs that have a positive impact on the population. Yet, in this prospect, a problem is created because legislators will not always be completely concerned with the public good. Instead ,they will be
Having used myself as a case study and getting my results from the MBTI assessment, I got to deduce that my type or class was ENTJ. After analysis, the test deductions considered me to have a moderate preference of 3 aspects that were extraversion over introversion (44%), intuition over sensing (50%), and thinking over feeling (12%) and finally I slightly preferred judging over perceiving (22%).
Since the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859, there has been a continuous debate in the United States regarding evolution and creation. Recently, this debate has intensified throughout America over the issue of whether or not to include creationism in the public school curriculum either in conjunction with evolution or as a replacement for the theory. With such a volatile subject being argued, there are other issues that are brought up at the same time. I find these side issues to the evolution/creation debate to be very perplexing. The many differing viewpoints that my friends, family, and the American public in general believe are incredibly interesting. There are varying strict “either/or” views, and views that combine evolution and the Bible’s story of creationism. There are diverse ideas where evolution and science can coexist with the Bible, and different commitment and intensity levels to these beliefs. The knowledge and familiarity, or lack thereof, that people have with both evolution and creationism is intriguing as well. The most interesting of these questions is the key motivation behind people’s opinions; are they were religiously based or is there something else?
I agree100 percent that I am that personality type. I know I am an extrovert because I love people and I love working with people. Also in high school, I tended to get along with all the different groups and didn’t fit into just one. Charles Martin stated on the topic of intuitive stated “I’m interested in new things and what might be possible, so that I think more often about the future than the past”. I also agree that I am intuitive because I tend to remember impressions from an event rather than the details of the facts. This reminds me of when I am cutting hair and talking to a client, I can remember almost everything we talked about the next time they sit in my chair, but I couldn’t remember their name or face. So, I remember the impression they left on me. I know I’m a feeler because I know I tend to make a lot of decisions with my heart rather than with my head. I also always want there to be harmony in my life, I can’t handle when something disrupts that harmony. I feel that sometimes being a feeler can be a weakness so sometimes I tend to try to hide it from others because I don’t want them to think I’m too “mushy” or “emotional”. My final trait is being a perceiver. This attribute is correct because I feel I work best under pressure and that’s when I tend to get things done. I also like to “wing” things, I don’t really like to have a plan I would like to just take life as it comes. I’ll usually have a loose outline on life and just let it comes as it will. Overall, I don’t believe my personality type could be any more accurate than me being an
In the history of science vs. religion there have been no issues more intensely debated than evolution vs. creationism. The issue is passionately debated since the majority of evidence is in favor of evolution, but the creation point of view can never be proved wrong because of religious belief. Human creation breaks down into three simple beliefs; creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory, and theistic evolution theory. The complexities of all three sides create a dilemma for what theory to support among all people, religious and non-religious.
During the past few years, the publishing and reading world has been facing a veritable digital book onslaught. E-books have been outselling print books on Amazon since 2011 (Polanka, 7). While digital book sales skyrocketed, print book sales, especially those of mass marked paperbacks, diminished. Even the fact that e-books are not much cheaper than print books does not seem to interfere with the former’s popularity. It would seem that the age of print books is about to end, and quite soon.
Electronic book and Printed book are two kinds of book that most students are using in college. There
For this organizational analysis, I decided to analyze Starbucks. I chose Starbucks because they are the leading innovators in socially impactful business activities and personally, I love Starbucks coffee! Obviously, the point of this paper is not to talk about how good their products are, but to analyze how their organization is structured and identify potential for improvement. I have never worked at a Starbucks, but I have two friends that work at the location inside of Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls. After countless hours of research, talking to my friends about day-to-day activities, and actually going to Starbucks on numerous occasions over the past few years, I knew this was the organization that I would love to analyze.