3,502

Federalism and its effects in crisis management.

Posted on by smoriarty

It seems as if federalism has reared its ugly head during the recent SARS-Cov-2 pandemic.

Federalism’s core ideas allow our country to thrive as a melting pot of ideas, where each state’s self-governance allows them to tackle societal issues with their own unique angle. Don’t like sports gambling? You can vote for representatives in your district who also don’t. Want to legalize marijuana? Same ideas apply.

The system is a great check on the power of larger states, and prevents their views on national policy from entirely dominating those of smaller states.

But for a national crisis such as the current pandemic, it creates a double-edged sword with potentially fatal consequences.

The idea of states choosing their own response plan sounds great in practice. If a state does not have any cases yet it doesn’t have to go to quite as extreme of a lockdown as one that’s facing down an outbreak, and other special circumstances each state faces can be handled accordingly.

Here’s the catch: not every state took this pandemic as seriously as the next. 7 states did not issue a stay-at-home order, later in the pandemic others lifted theirs much earlier than others, and many had different policies (which can actively be tracked here).

In a country where residents from one state encounter their neighbors from another on a frequent basis, this lack of cohesiveness undermines a large percentage of our country’s efforts to fight off this virus. This chart by NPR shows this effect to some degree, as every time I check for more information, there’s a constant pattern that amongst clusters of states that neighbor each other, being a healthy section of green, or a concerning array of yellows and oranges.

Our world doesn’t allow for each state to operate as its own (for lack of a better term) state. If you live or work in an area within 15-20 minutes of a state border, next time you shop (safely!), or go to work, count the out-of-state license plates. Of the 11 people who I closed with today at Dick’s Sporting Goods (New Hampshire), I counted 2 Maine plates, and 1 Massachusetts plate, and during shopping hours the percentage of out-of-staters is even higher.

People flock to nearby states to avoid income taxes, go to specialty shops, or maybe their location on a map is closer to a grocery store in another state than one in their own.

Each state has its own unique identity as well. Some states are known for being far conscious of other scientific issues such as climate change, and others are known for being more traditional in their values on the subject. This study by The Washington Post found that more conservative areas were less likely to obey corona-related regulations, and well known conservative states like Texas had less regulations regarding virus which led to spikes before other states who might’ve proceeded with more caution.

Countries with state/provincial systems can handle a pandemic situation too. Our neighbors to the north are far ahead of us in terms of cases, and had a much more uniform response across their country. Their response was based upon the advice of scientists, saw very little variation across the country, was they were much more reluctant to reopen than America was. 

Canada is still being cautious right now, with the Canadian Gov’t denying the Toronto Blue Jays the privilege to play in their home stadium without fans because of fears that it could spread the virus unnecessarily. The much more lackadaisical response here in America has encouraged athletes to return to play at all levels, despite the risks. Sports aren’t the measuring stick for success in society (otherwise Michael Phelps’ 28 medals would make him considered just as big of a player at the United Nations as India), but they are one of the most popular pastimes across the world, and their presence usually means some sense of normalcy.

America is too fluid for federalism in the midst of a crisis, because of how we’ve adapted to use federalism since the industrial era. State lines are important during the election cycle and in court, but not as much if you’re shopping for groceries or getting a nice lunch. But when managing a national emergency, perhaps policy that creates uniform solutions would help our country stay more stable.

At its best, federalism helps to protect some of the freedoms which allow for America to act as the melting pot of ideas and people that it strives to be, but at its worst, it creates a smorgasbord of solutions which struggle to come together and fix the problems they were supposed to.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Uncategorised

smoriarty

More Posts

3,502 Comments

  2. Revitalize your skin with Microdermabrasion Chicago! This exfoliating treatment removes dead skin cells, revealing smoother, more radiant skin instantly. Ideal for fighting blemishes, wrinkles and improving texture, microdermabrasion is the perfect choice for those looking for an effective, non-invasive solution. With a team of experts using advanced technology, the experience is both relaxing and transformative. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to show off dazzling skin; your face deserves the best!

  5. This site is the hottest new gacor server online toto togel dealer link in Indonesia. Small capital period can wede millions of rupiah in seconds. It will be a loss if you dont try it. cuputoto link alternatif

  10. This is the most popular international lottery at the moment and is much sought after by online lottery enthusiasts, it would be a loss if you dont try it. https://techokk.com/

  26. This site has provided online lottery games that are guaranteed to be easy to win and have been proven safe to play, dont forget that this site is trusted and official because many people have played online lottery games on this website. https://prohomegenius.com/

  28. Its really an amazing site, besides being interesting, its also very helpful and trustworthy, its only natural that many people like this website.besok 4d

  34. its really amazing this is one of the most popular sites that is already trusted to be safe to play, for online slot game lovers must try it. so as not to be curious, just visit and play on this website. https://chumbacasinolite.co/

  36. This is one of the sites that combines online slot games and trusted online lottery that is official and safe to play, it would be a loss if online slot game lovers and online lottery do not try this trusted site. https://mjgadrian.com/

  38. This is one of the most popular online betting games that is widely loved by online betting lovers because online betting games on this site have been proven to be safe and reliable to play, of course it will also be very profitable if you havent tried it on this website. https://euroenergie.info/

  40. This is one of the sites that provides information about domestic and foreign football games, besides that the information provided by this site is also accurate so it is only natural that many people like this website. goal scollege

  42. This site has presented the most exciting slot games with the best display animations and of course it will not disappoint, it would be a loss if you dont try it. https://firetechy.info/

  43. WAK TOGEL is a trusted online lottery site and the best official gacor slot of all time that often offers a sensation of playing experience that is certainly exciting and very profitable. https://dowea.com/

  44. This is a site that combines online slot games and online lottery which are currently popular and widely sought after by online betting lovers. For those of you who dont know, just visit and play on this website. https://arazblog.com/

  45. HONG KONG TOGEL is a Hong Kong lottery that is favored by players from various circles because Hong Kong lottery has many fans in Indonesia and in Asia, Hong Kong lottery now waktogel provides leaks for tonights output numbers easily without medicine and also no cheating waktogel has prepared everything for its loyal players who want to get daily wins of up to hundreds of millions of rupiah, for more complete information, just visit this website. https://www.thesweetandsavoryspot.com/

  46. This is one of the sites that provides information about football. Apart from information about football, this site also provides much more information. football astro

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *