Web Explorations

Click on the federalism link from the Close Up Foundation: www.infidels.org/~nap/index.federalism.html

Click on the federalism link from the Close Up Foundation:

1. What is the purpose of the foundation and of the site? Click on the Rand site.
2. What is the “New Fiscal Federalism?”

For more information on state abortion restrictions, see http://www.naral.org

1. What is NARAL?
2. What states seem to be the most pro-choice and the most pro-life? What are the restrictions in your home state?
3. NARAL argues that the right to abortion is at risk. What do they see as the major threats to this right?

For more about local gun control initiatives, see http://www.guncite.com/

1. Use this site to make a case against gun control. Is the information in this site unbiased? If not, give examples of bias.
2. What national or state gun legislation is currently under consideration? Select one and discuss its chances of becoming law.

For more on your state and local government, see www.statelocalgov.net

1. What is the mission of state and local leagues?
2. Do a search and determine whether your home state has a league? If so, what kind of initiatives is your local league undertaking?

For scholarly works on federalism, see
www.temple.edu/federalism/
www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj14n1-7.html
www.urban.org/periodcl/pubsect/derthick.htm

On the site by the Urban Institute, read the article “Whither Federalism?” by Martha Derthick.

1. How has the federal government increased its powers over the state governments over the years?
2. From your perspective what are arguments for a strong national government?
3. Comment on the devolution policies of the 104th Congress. Do you think that these policies were beneficial or detrimental for American society? Why?

For more information on interstate compacts, see http://ssl.csg.org/compactlaws/comlistlinks.html.

1. Glance through the list of “Compacts Believed to be in Effect in 2001.” What do the majority of compacts address? Which strike you as the most unusual?
2. Would your home state likely have many of these types of compacts in effect? Why?

For the full text of McCulloch v. Maryland, see http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=17&invol=316

1. What were the facts of this case?
2. What were the two major Constitutional questions in this case?
3. Did the case strengthen or weaken the national government? Explain your answer.
4. What Constitutional clause does Marshall rely on in his ruling?

For the full text of Gibbons v. Ogden, see http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/historic/querry

1. Choose two documents and two photographs from this vast collection. Which have more impact: the documents or photos?
2. Follow the link to the section on “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt.” Read four of the letters. How did the writers approach Mrs. Roosevelt? Do you feel this is typical of the way people would normally approach a First Lady?
   
   

For the more information on the Depression, see http://newdeal.feri.org

Read the article “Main Causes of the Great Depression” by Paul Alexander Gusmorino.

1. Choose two documents and two photographs from this vast collection. Which have more impact: the documents or photos?
2. Follow the link to the section on “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt.” Read four of the letters. How did the writers approach Mrs. Roosevelt? Do you feel this is typical of the way people would normally approach a First Lady?

For more on the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Big Seven, see www.nga.org/

1. Click on “NGA policy positions.” What kinds of issues are governors interested in? Pick 3 of these issues. What is the NGA’s position on these issues? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
2. Click “the governors”. Who holds the most governorships – Democrats or Republicans? What is the most common length of a governor’s term? How many states limit the number of terms their governors can serve?
3. Click on “governors” and then click on “1999 state-of-the-state” addresses. Read the 1999 State of the State Address given by your governor. According to your governor, Is the state of your state good or bad? What successes has your state recently enjoyed? What areas still need improvement?

To see where your state stands relative to other states, see www.taxfoundation.org

1. Examine the data to determine the amount of federal expenditures your state receives per dollar of taxes paid in 1998. The expenditure per dollar of taxes is easily understood: if a state has a ratio of $0.84 it means that they receive only 84 cents back in federal expenditures for every $1.00 that citizens pay out in federal taxes. Conversely, a ratio of $1.30 means that the state receives $1.30 in federal expenditures for every $1.00 that the state’s citizens pay out in federal taxes. A ratio of $1.00 means that the state receives in federal expenditures an amount equal to dollars paid in federal taxes.
2. While exploring this web site, pay close attention to how your state's ratio has changed between 1988 and 1998. If the ration has changed, think about the reasons for this change.
   After studying the ratios, use your knowledge of your home state to write a short report on how your state’s politicians view your state’s relationship with the federal government. Address the following questions in your report:
   
   Do your state's politicians generally support or oppose increased federal power?
   
   Are there a lot of federal facilities in your state. If so, what kind?
   
   How does the political rhetoric about federalism in your state square with the ratio from the Web site? If your state has a ratio above $1.00 does the state generally support federal policies. If your state has a ratio below $1.00 do politicians generally oppose the federal government?
   
   Has the political rhetoric in your state changed over the past ten years? If so, do changes in the ratio explain it?
   
   What other factors (other than ratios) might determine how a state views its relationship with the federal government? Do these factors provide a better explanation for your state’s general views of the federal government? If so, why?