Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Discussion for Chapter 7. Federalism
The text notes that most people say they trust state and local governments more than the national government even though they know less about state and local government than national government. So here are two related questions to discuss relevant to this observation. I will just focus on state government for the purpose of this question. Do YOU trust YOUR OWN state government more than the national government? How would you rate the performance of your own state government in some policy area of interest to you--please be specific here! (Of course if you do not know what your state government is doing in a policy area you care about, you may have to do a little research on the Web looking at some news sources!)
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I don't know if i could make a stand on which I trust more state or national government but I can see why people trust their state more. I think people seem to relate more to their state and think that their voice can be heard more in their own home state than rather the national government who must try their best to please everyone
ReplyDeletealison
Although many Americans may not be aware of how their state and local governments work, they are still more trusting of those compared to the national government. I fall within this category. No, I may not be able to list every elected official within the state of South Carolina, but I feel that my opinion has a louder voice within my own state rather than being heard within the national government. I feel that the State of South Carolina is working very hard to improve public education. Although Governor Mark Sanford debated over whether to accept or reject the stimulus package, he claimed to be looking out for everyone's best interest and that he was worried that the state would get a system going and suddenly have it pulled out from underneath them. There are also several new programs and resources to try and help young students from getting discouraged along their educational careers.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Edmonds
To be frank, I don't trust either of the two governments at all...the only reason they work in the best interests of citizens is when it's election time and they need to make key people happy....
ReplyDeleteOne interesting point from a while back was the lottery issues that were decided for the state of South Carolina. The Educational lottery is actually a pretty impressive little system. Full disclosure of their financial affairs and a pretty solid record of giving the money where it's supposed go, leaves me grudgingly impressed/satisfied. They have very bright, colorful games, and sometimes they have alternative prizes (a Harley motorcycle is available for winning in one game according to their website). I think it's raised around two billion dollars for the local educational system, even if that money does come from harvesting false hope from the poor, whatever. Helps out the kids. Good on the state government.
In the end, the state government is just as held to the Social Contract as the national government, and breaking it should end their control and existence. As the state government still exists, I assume they're working (however obliquely) in the interest of the citizens.
Personally , I do not trust the state nor national government more than the other. In my opinion, our state government policies do not truly favor the interest of the people. Instead most policies are developed to undermine the people and the system. Think about our education! Our own governor Mark Sanford refused several times to use the stimulus package on the well-being of South Carolinians and education before having the Supreme Court rule against him. This man that I am suppose to trust to ensure my individual well-being in this state just showed me differently when he first concluded he wanted to use the stimulus package money to pay state debt. Why do that? Think about it! South Carolina was the second state listed on the unemployment ranking list and with the education listing its even worst. I believe he should have considered supplying that money to help families that were laid off due to the recession and help schools in SC. There are numerous schools in this state where students are being taught without books, flooding through the schools, and more…question is As our governor he is informed that education and unemployment is a problem, so why was that not on his mind?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, back to education…the No Child Left Behind Act is a policy I do not approve of. Students are being promoted to higher levels of education without adequate education because of this act. With this act any one can pass without properly earning the promotion to exceed to the next grade level or graduating. I believe this is a way of getting students out of the education system that they felt did not want or need to be there any longer. So is promoting a student for those reasons a way of telling the people that you care about their well-being by supporting their ignorance. Remember ignorance is defined as the absence of knowledge…In other words, is that what my government think of their people…as Ignorant. In the end we all have our own opinions!
Overall I do not fully trust either of the two governments…but I could be at least 10 to 14.5% of trust in both.
~Dretecia Pearson~
If I were to have to pick I would say I trust the national government more. Especially on the issue of education, I have seen too many times when South Carolina has cut education funding to make budget cuts. I feel government just doesn’t value education in this country enough. So if I had to rate South Carolina on education policy I would give them an F. Plain and simply, public school teachers are not paid enough and you get what you pay for. South Carolina needs an overhaul of public education.
ReplyDeleteJason Hoffman
In deciding on who I trust more, state or national government, I would have to say state simply because it is not as broad a category as national. I am more likely to listen and vote on issues within my own state to possibly see change rather than be a possible minority when it comes to voicing opinions about change within the entire nation. One issue I strongly agree with is the No Smoking Policy, which Charleston, South Carolina, where I am from, became a member of back in January of 2007. The vote for this policy was 9-4. The policy requires that almost all enclosed work places be non-smoking. However people can smoke outside but in an area where the smoke cannot reenter the building. I am a huge fan of this policy because I am not a smoker and do not want to inhale secondhand smoke in any public place I choose to go. I also feel this policy is promoting healthcare, by limiting smokers therefore limiting secondhand smoke inhalation to those around the smokers. Surrounding areas such as Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island were soon to follow.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Ellman
I'm not really sure which government I trust more, since I'm not too pleased with either of them right now.
ReplyDeleteI think that possibly one of the reasons that most people trust their state government more than the federal government has to do with what Katherine and Melanie said, people feel that because the state is smaller, that their individual voices are more likely to be heard.
I also agree that South Carolina has done a very poor job as far as education goes, and am glad that Gov. Sanford has been forced to accept funds towards our educational system.
Something that *really* worries me is this article:
http://www.aikenstandard.com/State/m1056-BC-SC-XGR-GunsonCampus-04-21-0185
Apparently our state legislature is considering a bill to allow gun owners to keep firearms in their cars on school campuses. I do not approve of this since such a law would make me feel LESS safe, not more.
I can be counted as one of the many Americans that follow the national government far more closely than the local. I know, sad. It is not that I feel closer or that I trust the national government more. It is like everything else, we follow the media. The people and issues that are covered through radio, internet and television is national government. There are many great things that our local and state governments accomplish or try to push for the citizens of their area. For instance, this week in Georgia news representative are trying to push for a two year freeze on property taxes. If this is passed, properties will be accessed annually but tax penalties can only be decreased during this time. Local government protect what they consider their own-- most times. I feel that things are not necessarily fair within the counties in state. A perfect example would be Richmond and Columbia Counties in Augusta, GA. It is like visiting two very different cities. The government in one seems to flow flawlessly and not so much, in the other. My overall opinion is that while local and state governments are more in tune with the communities in which they are associated with but people seem to feel more security in what they know-- and that is national government.
ReplyDeleteShelette Johnson
When it comes to the government, I really don't trust either the national or state government only because they both tell lies and is it just hard to put your trust fully in the governmnet. But since I have to choose it would be the state government.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes the state government and education, I feel as though it is doing a pretty good job. They have school based grants which fund ten schools districts in South Carolina. With those grants they are developing replicable service learning projects designed to increase student literacy levels, as well as increase participation in schools. They also develop parternships with local agencies and businesses to help keep up service learning activities beyond the grants.
When it comes to the parents the South Carolina State website provides resources to the parents. It lists links pretaining to academic standards, attendence requirements, as well as the no child left behind law. These are just a few things that the website lists. Therefore, if parents have a question on certain topics they can go to the website and look it up. This is very helpful for parents to know what is going on in the school system and what is expected of their child.
Elizabeth Haynes
I DO NOT trust either one. The last time I payed any attention to State Government, Gov. Mark Sanford refused to recieve the stimulus pack and there was a major cut of teachers in SC. In some aspect I understood why he didn't want to take it and its because it would put us in more debt. It's like taking a loan when its only going to put you in more debt. On the other hand, I'm glad that he had to accept it.I don't trust state government because I think Gov. Mark Sanford gave South Carolina the cold shoulder for not having our schools' best interest at heart. A middle schooler in Dillon, SC wrote a letter to save her school. Her school was and still is in poor conditions. It really hit home for me when the article said that the computers at her school were used from the felons of the state prison system. It should have been the other way around!Now that the stimulus money is being accepted, Dillon schools will receive $900,000 from the stimulus to repair their schools. The letter was the "centerpiece" of why the stimulus package was reinforced to Gov. Mark Sanford, but why would you not want to help build these schools back up? This would make anyone not want to trust state nor national government.
ReplyDeleteNancy Mills
Nancy Mills
I am not really sure if I trust the state of national government more. I do see how more people would trust their state more because it is smaller and there is a greater chance of getting their voices heard.
ReplyDeleteOne particular issue that is very important to me deals with the Department of Social Services (DSS). In the first half of this decade there were approximately 140 children killed because of homicide in South Carolina alone. On a national level, there were an estimated 1,760 deaths in 2007 from child abuse alone. The majority of child abuse occurs in children one year and younger, and nearly one-half of the fatalities were white children. I did some further research on South Carolina's DSS system, and I discovered that most people's opionions matched my own. Our DSS system needs to be fully revamped. I have experienced it first hand, and the problems that lie within it is the reason I want to work within the system. Here is just one woman's opinion
Response by: Janice Welch on 06/06/2009 at 08:26 PM In March of 2006, my now ex-husband was charged with molesting my granddaughter. (I have adopted her and she is now my daughter.) He has yet to be brought to trial for these charges. My daughter has suffered physically, sexually and emotionally because of this sadistic maniac. What is wrong with SC? Why hasn't she received any justice?
This is a matter of record in Kershaw County.
I think it is absolutely ridiculous that after four years something still has not been done about the situation.
Another issue that DSS deals with is foster care and adoption. On March 14, 2008, Gov. Mark Sanford announced the findings of his Children in Foster Care and Adoption Services Task Force. This force was formed to "identify ways to improve the efficiency and quality of the state's foster care and adoption processs, and in particular reduce the time it takes to find permanent adoptive homes for the most vulnerable children across South Carolina."
The system has already found good homes for a number of children.
Sources:
http://www.scgovernor.com/news/releases/mar_08/3-14-2008.htm
http://childcare.sc.gov/main/general/programs/licensing/index.aspx
http://www.scgovernor.com/news/releases/mar_08/3-14-2008.htm
Morgan Lockett
I trust the national governement more than the state government because it is superior and I feel I know more about it than I do about my state's government. Most of my knowledge came from high school classes, where even in a local school system we discussed the national government far more than the state government. However, I feel more connected to my state government, as it better reflects my opinions on certain matters. For example, I think some states taxes are a bit excessive. New Hampshire prides itself on the fact that it has no sales tax, unlike most states. I certainly agree with this. It is nice to walk into a store and pay for something with its marked price, rather than a higher price at the cash registar. All in all, I believe state governements reflect people's opinions, while it is the national government that actually makes them feel safe.
ReplyDelete-Michelle R.
I trust the National Government more than the State Government. The State Government is responsible for the budget cuts received in our local community. For instance, my high school, Midland Valley has received extreme budget cuts. Thus, forcing some of the most influential teachers to retire and find a job that may or may not interest them. I would rate the government at a 4 on a scale 1-10.
ReplyDeleteNoemi Bauer
I can't say that I trust one more over the other but i can say South Carolina is trying to better our school systems by accepting the stimulus package. But there are still problems at hand ,such as numerous people that are unemployed, being ranked 2nd in the nation for unemployment, and healthcare.
ReplyDelete-Amber Jamison
I trust the state government more than the national government. Even though I know less about the state government I feel that my voice would be heard more quickly in the state that I live in rather than trying to take a problem to the national government level. I agree with the issue of the no smoking policy. I am not a smoker by choice and would not like to inhale second hand smoke while in pulbic. I am satisfied with the performance of my state government in this policy.
ReplyDeleteLeanne Josey
I can't say that i would trust the local government over the national because the nation just views us as a whole. But in local government we are viewed as a state, county and even smaller. i feel that they relate more to me than "me" as one in a million. But i do feel that there are many more problems that need to be solved like Amber said.
ReplyDeleteSarah Cartrett
I trust my state government more than I do our national government. I feel that I can have a direct impact on what is done at a local level.
ReplyDeleteMy topic of interest is the stimulus package that Governor Sanford tried to refuse. In reading on his website, he states that he feels it is wrong to take money from the national government and increase the debt already existing. Those that oppose Governor Sanford state that by rejecting this stimulus plan he is denying much needed funds to workers of this state, the school system which is in much need of repair and DOT funding for road maintenance…Tough choice...
Ashley Wheeler
I honestly cannot say that I trust either the State or Government fully. I trust the National way more than South Caolina governmant and that says a lot. South Carolina State government has it all backwards and why would I put my trust into something that is ridiculous. It's not hard to justify my reasoning on my distrust in south carolina government.
ReplyDeleteOne example is Legislative is trying to make it "easy" for sex offenders. Why in the world would we want to make it "easy" for SEX OFFENDERS!!! we are talking about people with absolutely no morals and no regard for human diginity. Legislative wants to set the time in jail from 90 to 30 days if the offender fails to provide state registry their address. Second of all along with a lesser sentace, if the bill is passed it will no longer allow government from setting rules on where sex offender shall live. Which contradicts State law which says Sex offender cannot live within 1000 feet of schools or frequently visted areas by children(playground, etc.). This is idea of making it "easy" for sex offenders is absurd.
Second example is the amount of time it takes for the Foster procces. The average time for Foster/Adoption process is FOUR years. Okay, granted Gov. Sanford is working on speeding up this process due to the amount of fostered children in the state of SC. Just four years for the process of Fostering and adoption to be completed is crazy. I can't wrap my head around that length of time to Shelter a child with a house and family.
I have to agree with Jessica Moore about the gun owners being allowed to be keep thier guns on school grounds. This really worries me too being a student. I would hate know how it feels if you were a parent and this bill was passed. Again this is another point to my jusitfication of South Carolina State Government.
I do give some credit to Gov. Sanford for his attemps to "fix" South Carolina Government. His plans of action are very promising and do-able, but it will only take time to see if it will be carried out. Therefore I don't trust State Government.
http://www.topix.com/state/sc-gov/2009/06/legislators-will-consider-veto-on-sex-offender-regulations
http://sc.gov/
http://www.scgovernor.com/
- Andrew Mewshaw
When it comes to trust I generally have some trust in both governments. It is easy to point fingers and complain about what the state and national government does or doesn't do, but it isn't a clean cut, easy job that they do. We have just learned how hard it is and how many things come into play that people in power have to think about. And we have to remember, it is impossible to please every person in every issue or policy that comes about, but our government has obviously done a decent job judging by the fact that we are the nation that we are. I agree with Michelle R. who said that she has more trust in the national government because we have learned more about it. I do feel like the state has a little bit better opportunity to hear our individual thoughts than the national government does. When it comes to policy our state is doing good things such as our no smoking policy. Of course there are some big problems in our state that need to be immediately addressed, but I like to think our state is working to fix them.
ReplyDeleteLynlee Satcher
I would say that i trust the state government more than the national government. I honestly say that it seems that our particular state of South Carolina and its generally more conservative views looks out for its people in a god way. They may not always make the right choice in our eyes but the choices they make are for the better or our state. It is literally impossible to make 100% of every one happy. The national government to me seems to make careless decissions like spending billions and billions of dollars to better the economy while the nation is still TRILLIONS of dollars in debt. This just does not compute to me. How does more debt correct the problem? Our governor refused part of this stimulus plan (i understand why0 however, whether we use all the stimulus money or not our taxes will cover the full extent even if only part is used so why not take it all and better our state?
ReplyDeleteChip Dowdy
I would say that I trust the National Government more than the South Carolina State Government right now. It is not easy to justify a ballooning deficit, but I think the majority of that money is being invested in institutions that I support; institutions that I feel will have a strong impact on the future of the economy. But when it comes to SC state government, specifically SC education, I can't make that same distinction. I feel like Sanford decided to take an ideological stance on an issue that affected a huge number of his constituents without addressing their concerns first. The fact that it was educational programs that were neglected, demonstrates to me that Sanford's priorities are not what they should be. Our educational system has been suffering for quite some time; as they are one of our greatest assets, investing in our children should be one of our top priorities, not the last. I'm sure he could have found some other way to make a point that wouldn't have screwed over his own state.
ReplyDelete-Matthew Cabbil
Part I of response:
ReplyDeleteAlison, Sarah, – but you did not say how you would rate the performance of your own state – that was an important part of this discussion!
Sadly Katherine, many of these new programs have been gutted with the shift in school funding from homeowner’s property tax to sales tax, which has dropped drastically in the recession. The state could not have timed this shift more badly, even though most all tax experts warned that shifting the funding mechanism for schools to sales taxes would lead to much less stable funding than using local property taxes, which do not change much from year to year.
Just as many predicted, James, as lottery money started coming in, the state reduced general revenue support for schools, especially colleges, on the justification that they got lottery money through student grants. And lottery proceeds have flattened out. You see this in terms of increases in technology fees and tuition increases.
Dretecia, I was unaware of NCLB as creating problems in promotion. My complaints with it are two-fold. First, it rewards teaching to the test and spends too much time testing and not enough time on other things that should be a part of a comprehensive education, like exercise, art, music, and social studies. Second, it was never adequately funded by the national government.
I must agree with Jason on the undervaluing of education in our state – it is not just government, because if parents valued education as in some other states, they would not stand for the status quo. To be very blunt, I see it in some parents of our own students who buy new cars and new homes but are unwilling to help fund their child’s college, and then the child has to work many hours a week, and loses a lottery scholarship because they do not have enough time to devote to their studies, so then they have to work even more hours. If we really valued education, k-12 teachers would make as much as engineers. A lot of that goes back to the view of teaching as “woman’s work” for a second wage earner to supplement the husband’s income. The assumptions underlying that idea have been gone for a long time, if they ever were completely true.
Melanie – Aiken now has the same policy in stores and restaurants – I am told by the waitstaff at the Brew Pub that they really like the policy – and now my wife even agrees to go there with me because she can now breathe. That took a long time to happen in a state with strong tobacco interests that carry over to most local governments – I would suspect that the rate of smoking is higher in SC and many other southern states than other states – that too may be related to education! Now if the state could just raise the tobacco tax perhaps the rate of smoking would decrease—studies clearly show that it would.
Jessica – if you guys start packing to class, I will either have to arm or start giving all A’s! Smiling Face! Teaching could get really dangerous.
Shelette – while freezing property taxes sounds good and is always popular, it undermines the ability of local governments to fund services that people want – and that is a major problem all our governments have – we demand services but do not want to pay the taxes necessary for having them.
Elizabeth – guess I would agree with you to the extent that our schools do pretty good with the meager resources they do have. We just contributed to a fund to help teachers buy school supplies that they would otherwise have to pay out of their own pockets this coming fall. That is not good.
Nancy – that letter was of course the letter that led to that little girl being invited to attend the State of the Union speech in January. The idea behind the stimulus is to keep us going until the economy recovers and spend some money to help that happen. Paying off debts does not do that. What Sanford wanted to do has been compared to paying your mortgage down instead of calling the fire department when your house is burning. This comment also applies to Ashley.
Part II:
ReplyDeleteMorgan, the size of the government does play a large role in how people relate to it. I found that I got to know state leaders far faster in SC than I did when I lived and taught in Illinois or in NC. I do not know of any studies that compare trust with the relative sizes of the state, but that might be an interesting hypothesis to test!
Michelle – despite what our governor tells us (using rather bad statistics), our state’s taxes are relatively low compared to other states. And relying more in sales taxes places a relatively greater burden on the working classes than the better off – sales taxes are regressive in their impact.
Noemi – gee, as high as a 4?!? Smiling Face!
Amber, if you saw the news, our unemployment has just reached 12% in the state, and we are looking at going as high as 15% this next year. We typically stay in recession longer than other states, so even after the nation pulls out, we will still be suffering in SC if past patterns hold true. That also has something to do with the quality of our state government.
Leanne and Lynlee – I believe that all the state has done on smoking is allow local governments to make their own rules – there is not state-wide rule to the best of my memory, which gets worse and worse every year!
Andrew – happy to see that you covered a wide range of issues. Let me comment on just one. Though I have been critical of our governor, he is absolutely correct in wanting to give the governor more power to really run the executive branch of government in a state that is dominated by the legislature. I authored a monograph for the SC Commission on the Future taking precisely that position back in 1988. That has slowly been happening, but it has happened as governors worked closely with legislatures and gently persuaded them that changes would be in everyone’s interest. Sadly, Sanford’s style and behavior has been the best argument against reforms—sadly he has probably delayed needed reforms for at least another decade, until we forget about his time in office.
Chip seems to have mixed feelings about the stimulus and accepting it – the reason for government to spend is that people are afraid to spend, so government spending helps end a kind of death spiral – you will learn more about this in the last chapter, which covers Keynesian economic policy. Interestingly, Matt and Chip see SC the same way, but from different directions. The state policy on education does reflect economic conservative values, which fits our culture. Chip likes that and Matt does not. If we really wanted better schools, we would pay for them and have them.
Bob B