Objective: Explain how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments.
Class Notes for the Day: |
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Starter: The citizens of what state have the lowest rate of health care insurance in the US?
1.How accurate was your prediction?
2.What most surprised you about this data?
3.What patterns do you notice in the chart/map?
4.Is this chart/map good news?
5.Why do you think some states have different rates of health insurance coverage than others?
6.What is a consequence of these different rates of health insurance?
7.What would the following people say about the data in the chart/map: Liberal/Conservative/Libertarian?
8.What are some consequences for states with very high levels of uninsured citizens?
9.What specific program that attempted to raise the rate of health insurance coverage in the US was rejected by most of the states that now have the highest rates of uninsured?
10.Why do you think these states rejected this program?
11.What is the connection between this data and political party affiliation?
12.What does any of this have to do with federalism?
13.If we lived in a country with a unitary form of government, how would this information most likely be different?
14.What was the overall direction of health insurance coverage during the 8 years between 2008-1016?
15.President Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to destroy Obamacare. Obamacare was mostly responsible for lowering the rates of uninsured people in America. Why do you think Trump wants to take a step that would likely cause a rise in the rate of the uninsured in America?
16.What do you predict the rate of health insurance coverage will look like after 8 years of Trump?
17.Describe one policy that could immediately lower the rate of uninsured nationwide.
18.Describe one policy that could immediately raise the rate of uninsured nationwide.
19.Explain which of those two policies you would prefer.
Word of the Day
Grant-in-aid
- Define it.
- Use it in a sentence.
- Give an example of a local government grant to a school.
- Give an example of a state government grant to a city.
- Give an example of a federal government grant to a state.
Intergovernmental Relations
Today we will look at how the federal and state governments interact to complete projects, and let's throw in a tad of history too! Get to work here!
The Politics of Federal Grants
Read each scenario. Assume the role of the federal government and choose a program using the term below most appropriate to solve the problem. List the pros and cons of your choice, carefully considering budgetary constraints.
Scenario #1: The City of Norfolk has violated federal environmental regulations by allowing the James River to become polluted. The city has not appropriately cleaned the river, and as a result, the fish are dying, the river is trash infested, the water has turned a brownish color, and a stench from the river has caused nearby residents to complain. This polluted water has begun to contaminate the drinking water in the city.
Scenario #2: The state of Virginia has inordinately high Medicare costs due to a large number of citizens dying of lung cancer, emphysema, and other smoking-related illnesses. This state requires a disproportionately large amount of federal money for Medicare costs. Lawmakers of the national government would like to see Virginia cut its Medicare costs.
Scenario #3: Newport News’s public schools are in poor condition. Buildings are old and falling apart, roofs are leaking, and air, heat, and sewer systems need repair. The problem is so bad, schools did not open in time. Test scores are some of the worst in the state, yet because of building problems, curriculum improvement is now last on the priority list.
Scenario #4: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act holds that no person may be discriminated against in the use of federal funds because of race, color, national origin, sex, or handicapped status. It was reported that Virginia did not uphold this law, with less than 0.1% of state employees belonging to any of the mentioned groups. This state also happens to be highly dependent on federal funding for highways, and currently has a bid to construct a new national airport.
Scenario #5: Research a contemporary federal mandate of your choice and determine how the program might be different (identifying pros and cons) if money was allocated as a grant instead.
- Block grant
- Categorical grant
- Mandate
- Unfunded mandate
Scenario #1: The City of Norfolk has violated federal environmental regulations by allowing the James River to become polluted. The city has not appropriately cleaned the river, and as a result, the fish are dying, the river is trash infested, the water has turned a brownish color, and a stench from the river has caused nearby residents to complain. This polluted water has begun to contaminate the drinking water in the city.
Scenario #2: The state of Virginia has inordinately high Medicare costs due to a large number of citizens dying of lung cancer, emphysema, and other smoking-related illnesses. This state requires a disproportionately large amount of federal money for Medicare costs. Lawmakers of the national government would like to see Virginia cut its Medicare costs.
Scenario #3: Newport News’s public schools are in poor condition. Buildings are old and falling apart, roofs are leaking, and air, heat, and sewer systems need repair. The problem is so bad, schools did not open in time. Test scores are some of the worst in the state, yet because of building problems, curriculum improvement is now last on the priority list.
Scenario #4: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act holds that no person may be discriminated against in the use of federal funds because of race, color, national origin, sex, or handicapped status. It was reported that Virginia did not uphold this law, with less than 0.1% of state employees belonging to any of the mentioned groups. This state also happens to be highly dependent on federal funding for highways, and currently has a bid to construct a new national airport.
Scenario #5: Research a contemporary federal mandate of your choice and determine how the program might be different (identifying pros and cons) if money was allocated as a grant instead.
Closer: How does the distribution of powers between national and state governments impact policymaking?
- Make a claim here!
- Support your claim with TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information.
- Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim.
- Respond to an opposing or alternative perspective.