Pol201 – week 2 – discussion 1
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion question, read Chapters 3 and 4 in American Government, and review the Week 2 Instructor Guidance. In addition, watch the videos provided on federalism: Quick Study of Federalism Part 1 (Links to an external site.), Quick Study of Federalism Part 2 (Links to an external site.), and Quick Study of Federalism Part 3 (Links to an external site.). Review the Week 2 assignment and the Final Paper assignment for more guidance regarding selecting your policy for your Final Paper, which you will also utilize for this discussion.
Reflect: The U.S. government’s expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl of conflicting crosscurrents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government’s responsibility to solve problems often exceed the capacity of state and local authorities to respond effectively. On the other hand, policies developed at the national level may not sufficiently reflect the great diversity of interests across the United States to be effective at the local level. Moreover, the search for effective policy is further complicated by theoretical debates about the constitutional framework of federalism. That is, what limits on national power can be derived from the 10th amendment?
Write: Select a specific policy or piece of legislation that you are interested in and that directly impacts your current or future profession (i.e., your major). For examples, go to the Week 2 DQ and Final Paper Policy Examples 
Download Week 2 DQ and Final Paper Policy Examplesfile located in your online classroom. The policy you select should be the same policy that you research for your Final Paper.
In your initial post,
- Identify your profession or future profession, and provide a brief background on the typical job responsibilities.
- Discuss what federalism is and why it is important.
- Discuss your policy or piece of legislation that you have selected for your Final Paper and how federalism impacts it.
- Discuss the federalism challenges that the policy you have selected is creating or facing.
For example:
- If you are an education major, how are local, state, and federal government policies affected by the Every Student Succeeds Act or some other piece of education-related legislation?
- If you are a criminal justice major, how does recent legalization of marijuana in some states affect local, state, and federal marijuana laws?
- If you are a business major, how does the insurance mandate in the Affordable Care Act affect local, state, and national businesses and their employees?
- If you are a political science major, how has the recent Citizen’s United ruling affected the amount of money available for campaigns at the local, state, or federal levels?
Your initial post must be at least 300 words. If you are citing statistics our outside resources, please list the website or the reference entry.
Respond to Peers: By Day 7, respond to at least two of your classmates’ initial posts. Your peer responses should be substantive and at least 100 words each. As you reply to your classmates, attempt to take the conversation further by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or responding to the replies that they post to you. Keep the discussion on target, and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can. For instance, you might consider reflecting on why the legislation selected by one of your classmates is impacted differently than the one you selected.
