Pros And Cons Of Unitary Government

A key idea in the United States government is to have equally balanced powers. The separation of powers between the national governments and state governments and also the division of powers among the three branches of government support the equally balance powers concept. Federalism is the division of power between the national government and the state government. The form of government that we have today is a unitary government in which the ultimate power resides with the national government and the subnational governments have only the powers given to them by the national government. Copious people believe that unitary government is the best form of government because of its prevalence and popularity in societies. Although there are pros and cons of the federal form of government, federalism can serve to be an alternative to the unitary form of government that characterizes most democracies.

There are arguments against the federal form of government, but they aren’t too appalling.

One of the disadvantages is that it allows state policies in which surrounding states may not agree with or comply with (Federalism: Pros and Cons). An example of this situation is the establishment of a casino close to a state that doesn’t allow people to approach a casino for gambling. State governments are vulnerable to fights and are more likely to have a country that’s split. It is also said that federal governments have internal power struggles or conflicts. Conflicts between national and state governments are common (Federalism). The federalism idea can result in war just like the reason the civil war begun. One of the issues that induced the civil war was the power struggle between the state and national government (federalism). Under the federal system, there will be areas in continue racial discrimination (Chapter 3:

Federalism).

There are plentiful advantages of the federal form of government, thus it makes it more convincing. According to the Politics in America textbook, shielding freedom, distributing powers, boosting participation from the citizens, enhancing competence, advocating policy innovation, and making sure that people are following the policies that are set, are all of the benefits of federalism (politics in America). Federalism is a structured government that disperses power to national and local governments; therefore, one government isn’t stronger or powerful than the other. Regulations and rules are created to fit the demands of the states. Because there is an even balance of power, oppression and hardships can be prevented under the federal system. Federalism portrays two governments, one that is away from the people, and one that is near the people (federalism). Citizens like governments that are not a long distance away from them. State governments are better than national governments when dealing with policy issues since the state officials know more about the problems and disputes that are occurring in their local area (federalism: pros and cons).
Federalism plays a role in public policy issues such as same-sex marriage and medical use of marijuana. A positive note is that a person can decide whether to abide to the policy or not. People are able to travel and settle in a different state if they didn’t like the policies that were established in their original state (Federalism: Pros and cons). The controversy of same sex marriage exists even today. State governments had to decide whether they wanted to legalize same sex marriages in their state. The California Supreme Court ruled that people who were of the same sex had the just to marry beneath their state constitutions. By 2008, more than forty different states weren’t up for same sex marriages (Politics in America). The use of medical marijuana is another public policy issue. States had to choose whether to allow the use of medical marijuana in their own state. California was the first state to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. According to the federal rank, marijuana is a Schedule I drug that have negative impacts. A total of twenty-three states along with the District of Columbia allow the use of medical marijuana. An individual must be careful and not utilize medical marijuana if he/she is in a state that is against it (State Medical Marijuana Laws).

The most convincing is the claim for the federal government because it portrays a balance of powers and a successful turn out. The dispersion of powers between the state and national governments is beneficial. If only one government has the charge or authority then there’s a higher chance of flaws. Federalism and the unitary system may not always be victorious, but federalism is a good fit for a country like the United States which is a nation that is unique from the rest. In the unitary system, the main power belongs to the national government whereas in the federal system the power is divided between the state and national government which creates a more secure and stabilized nation. There isn’t going to be a perfect system of government, at times there will be failures and dark sides, but overall there aren’t much reasons why the federal form of government can’t be a substitute for a unitary system.