Federalism
Federalism is the system of political organization that integrates the national government and the local government in one system. The local government includes state, provincial, or other sub-governments. It is a form of a government where there exists a division of powers between the two types of government. It is a system that integrates diversity, ethnicity and opposition parties and includes making and executing decisions from members of both governments.
According to Wu (1), the issue in the article is the laws concerning state internet neutrality which is one of the many state rights that have been initiated in the name of corporate governance. The state rights are not getting enough support because the Republican Party is under new management and is in control of every branch of the federal government. This is contrary to the previous years whereby the Republican Party was a true party of the federal government and established the innovation of federalism. The party is not interested in the local inequalities but is devoted to shaping the nation in the image of the party and its leader. The Trump administration is opposing and fighting the California policies on clean air and wants to destroy them. The Republican court has worked hard to disapprove of the state laws that could promote the privacy of a consumer and the marginal revenue of an organization.
This issue is an example of federalism because a state has a right to govern its laws and according to the state laws, the federal government is not supposed to act on an issue regarding the laws that a state implements. California passed its internet laws to prohibit blocking of the internet. This was a representation of the federal neutrality of the internet that was forsaken by President Trump’s administration. The internet originated from California and therefore has all the reasons to defend an open internet Wu (1). It is also a land where entrepreneurship regarding technology has flourished
According to Wu (1), after the passing of the internet law, Jeff Sessions who was the attorney general for the Republican Party declared that California would be sued for breaking corporate liberties. They were to be sued for interfering with the freedom of cable and phone companies to obstruct or moderate content from the internet. This means that if the Republican Party supported the economic disseminations, they could have accepted and followed the state laws whereby the federal government refutes any authority to act. As soon as the people who supported the Federal government in American politics gain control of it, they begin to oppose it.
The lack of respect for federalism has led to the nationalist movements to destroy the enemies of the state to gain greatness and by this, they have to submit to the party line. Wu (1) states that the cities which disagree with Trump’s immigration policies have experienced ruthless battering showing what anti-federalism looks like. There is no respect for the local government and embracing the differences is not shown either. The reduced respect for federalism has endangered the union by making the existing dissipation in the nation more unbearable. This is so because the states serve as safeguards where people can move to leave behind politics and a culture that they cannot follow.
In the future, if this persists, the state will be in no position to fight for political change which is often done with the best interests of the people. Racism will be on the rise since there will be no challenge on the reigning government Wu (1). It will lead to the lack of development in the states because they will be denied any rights to propose or oppose anything and this will lead to a lack of development in the nation too. The nation has been molded into what the leader and the party want leaving out the important issues that need to be resolved more so from the local authorities. When it comes to issues regarding transgender rights, state rights are just supported by mere words and no action. The transgender rights include their right to employment, education, and freedom to engage and be included in the state welfare programs which help in the development of a state and the nation as a whole. When the trans genders are left out, they often face rejection and discrimination. Limiting women's rights causes inequality, low salaries, limited rights to education and employment and exclusion from decision-making processes.
When the clean air rules are destroyed, the most likely thing to happen is that people will be affected health-wise by the dangerous emissions from industries. This will put the lives of very many people in danger and risk their health. These emissions are capable of having a lifetime effect on people and may sometimes lead to death. By attacking the state neutrality laws, economically a state is threatened and much so is because California is a state where the technology business thrives. When the internet is blocked or slowed down, the businesses do not do well causing an impact on the economy. These misunderstandings and lack of state rights could lead to the economic collapse of a nation Wu (1).
Federalism in the United States is an efficient method of governance because when a state is given the right to solve some of the problems, the whole system becomes more efficient. States often listen to the needs of the citizen and respond to them compared to the national government Wu (1). State governments are closer to the citizens and hence are in a better position to impact their government, decision making, and the government policies. An example of this is California responding to the net neutrality concerns and ban the blocking of the internet in their state. This means that a state knows better the kind of businesses that thrive well and what they need to move forward. When the national government makes decisions for the state, they do it with their best interests and not for the state.
According to Wu (1), when the national government is allowed to come up with solutions for all the problems, the solutions tend to be effective in some states and not effective in other states. This could also lead to unreasonable, cruel and oppressive use of power. It could lead to a lack of freedom for the people and even destroy lives. For example, federalism can make trump’s immigration policy of battering cities that do not comply with the policy ineffective. The immigration policy is a form of a policy that oppresses the citizens in a very cruel way.
When a state has the right to their policies, they come up with solutions that look out for its citizens and therefore no one will feel oppressed. Issues like gender inequality, transgender rights which are mostly not a big concern for the national government are addressed effectively by the state government. Wu (1) states that federalism is a method that should be used for governance because issues are addressed from the level of the citizens living in the state. When California put the clean air rules, they knew better the reasons as to why they did so and the benefits that would come with the rule. The national government could hardly come up with such rules because they hardly understand the problems the state has with emissions.
Federalism allows different policies to be innovated Wu (1). When a certain policy is put in a state and for some reason, it does not work, it is tried in some other state and if it works effectively in solving their problems they adopt it. It allows people who cannot agree politically or on other issues have the right to move to another state and leave behind a culture that they cannot keep up with. The state rights help citizens to fight for a political change that they feel is needed or oppressive.
Conclusion
Federalism allows sanity to prevail in a nation. It increases the freedom of the citizens and enables their rights to be heard and addressed. State rights enable a state to develop in all aspects and in the long run help to develop the nation as a whole. The inclusion of all citizens is made possible by the state government. Federalism makes the people who are being governed be put into consideration and policies to be made with them in mind. It protects citizens from tyranny, increases their participation and disseminates power and is an effective form of governance.
Works cited
Wu Tim.” The Republican Attack on California “The New York Times. Oct 3 2018 https://www.nytimes.com /2018/10/03/opinion/california-net-neutrality-federalism.html.
