Counter The Power Of The Federal Government Essay

639 Words3 Pages
What can states do to counter the power of the federal government? Power that is disseminated between the federal government and states is known as federalism. The Constitution grants the states and federal government different powers and there is supposed to be a balance between the two. The federal government has the power to control trade, collect taxes, regulate currency, declare war and maintain and army and navy. Powers not delegated in the Constitution for the federal government is given to the states. Both the states and federal government share certain powers such as charge taxes, borrow money and charter corporations. The federal government over the years have gained more power relative to the states. According to lesson 1, Federalism notes, history proves the federal government’s growth has been steady while the state’s power and states’ rights have increasingly declined over the years. The federal government currently holds the power but the states can counter that power if they want. On a number of issues, states have the right to form their own regulations and acts. According to Lombardo (2014), because of checks and balances provided by the Constitution the states are allowed to…show more content…
I wouldn’t say they have not used the Constitution at all but I do believe they have neglected to use it to their benefit. The Constitution is a working document and has the ability to be changed and approved in all fairness. If one or more states come up with an amendment and two thirds of the state legislatures agree on the amendment it can be deliberated as a legitimate agreement, but it three fourths state legislatures agree on the amendment, the constitution can be revised. According to Jeffery (2013), an amendment cannot be approved until it is voted on by the three fourths of the state legislatures. If the states can amend the constitution they can increase their
Open Document