Assignment:
Respond to their response
In this chapters and readings, I learned more about the different types of regulatory actions, mainly mandates or "direct orders" from the federal government stuck out to me as being the most controversial for some states. Some examples of well-known mandates include: The Clean Water Act, American with Disabilities' Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Mandates essentially are federal action upon the states, and they can be unfunded or funded by the federal government. They usually are created when state and local officials need help in addressing issues that state governments are either refusing to address or do not want assistance from the federal government with. I see mandates as a step into solving many problem areas in our states, but I am happy to learn that they are policed as well. With the creation of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and the passing of the Mandates Reform Act of 1995, we can see that the federal government is required to define all costs and consequences of each mandate but does not stop them from making more, it just provides for a checks and balance system.
Secondly, when looking at the problem areas in federalism and state governments, one major problem I see are the various gun laws that differ from state to state. There needs to be more similarities in these gun laws because right now, some states such as California have some of the strictest gun laws and others states like Missouri carry the weakest gun laws. This is significant when you look at the state's rankings in gun related crimes. California has the seventh lowest rate of gun related deaths while Missouri and its notably weak gun laws along with a historic year in 2020 as having the third highest per capita rate of gun deaths in the United States.
In looking at these statistics on the rise of gun related crimes in certain states while others are seeing a decrease; one thing rings clear. States need reform to their current gun laws, and I do believe the federal government should step in and create a new mandate that all states must follow in relation to gun control and laws. That of course is easier said then done because there is a lot of pushback from various groups that want less mandates about their right to carry and purchase guns. It is a hot button issue in this country, and I hope in my lifetime we will see some positive changes that everyone can be in agreeance with.
Works Cited:
Stephens, G. R., & Wikstrom, N. (2007). American intergovernmental relations: A fragmented federal polity. New York: Oxford University Press.