Federalism vs Democracy

A federal government is a system of dividing up power between a central national

government and local state governments that are connected to one another by the
national government. Some areas of public life are under the control of the national
government, and some areas are under control of the local governments. Federal
government systems usually have a constitution that specifies what areas of public life
the national government will take control over and what areas of public life the state
governments will take control over. Democracy, on the other hand, is a form of
government in which the people freely govern themselves; where the executive (or
administrative) and law-making (or legislative) power is given to persons chosen by the
population; the free people.
Under the new proposed constitution, the Philippines will be divided into 18
federated regions. Regional states will have greater power over raising their own
revenues, determining their own legislation and choosing their economic development
models. Federal government is best used in large countries where there exists a diverse
group of people with diverse needs but a common culture that unites them together.
Federal governments help address the wide variety of needs of a geographically large
country.

There are good sides as well as bad in federal government. Good sides are: (1) It
creates a sense of local patriotism. People feel close to their communities. Although
there is always a level of national pride, local patriotism is usually the first level of loyalty
that an individual will experience. Federalism encourages this local loyalty by allowing
communities to create laws and regulations that benefit themselves, even if those laws
wouldn’t make sense to implement in another geographic region. (2) It lessens the
bureaucracy. Although there are tiered levels of laws and regulations, the level of
bureaucracy that exists within a system of Federalism is lower than it is in other
government structures. Diverse populations have unique needs that must be met and
having a national-level government attempt to understand those needs is always difficult.
By allowing local or regional officials to have the power to meet those needs, the safety
and security of a population can be better met. (3) It can provide evidence of success…
or failure. Because local and regional communities can create their own laws and
regulations, other government structures can look at the evidence of success or failure
from those efforts to determine if they could be used in other geographic regions.
 Other pros are: (4). It provides a better level of stability from a political
perspective. By allowing geographic regions to have a role in self-governing, the national
government achieves political stability to some extent because the people feel like they
are in control of their own destiny. The national government can then act as more of an
oversight or support network to the local and regional governments that are in place. (5.)
It encourages involvement. Because governments are at a local level, people know
friends, neighbors, or family members who are active in creating policies, procedures, or
laws. Most elected positions, from school and hospital boards to the city council and
mayor, are local offices. Because there is such open access to the government, it
encourages involvement because serving is so easy to do. (6.) It separates the powers
of the government. Because there is a separation of powers, freedom is still ensured
because the state governments act independently of the national government and the
local governments, to a great extent, act independently of the state government. The
checks and balances it creates allows for independence.

The cons of federalism are: (1) It creates confusion. Because the laws vary in
each geographic region, people who travel or move to a new destination may find
themselves violating the law without realizing it. Recreational marijuana may be legal in
Colorado, but if you take legally purchased product outside of the state, you are then
violating the local law there. You’re also violating national laws on marijuana with a
purchase. This makes it difficult to know if you’re actions are “right” or “wrong” as a citizen.
(2) It encourages governments to “pass the buck.” No one really wants to take
accountability for failed policies in a structure of Federalism. Everyone blames everyone
else and that creates gridlock between the various agencies. Then nothing gets done
because everyone is trying to assign blame and each group feels they have the correct
ethical or moral position. (3) It creates a wealth gap. “The rich get richer and the poor
get poorer.” It’s an expression that is heard in the US quite often and can be described
as a “wealth gap.” Socioeconomic resources are maintained at local levels and the
national government is then asked to fill-in whatever gaps may exist, with historically
mixed levels of success.

Other Cons are: (4) It causes uncertainty. Because the government is tiered, no
one is sure who needs to respond or pay for the response and this can create delays in
service. (5) It can be used for leverage. To garner support for the change, the national
government could offer additional funding or resources to the hold-out regional
governments, but not offer anything to those who agree that a change needs to be made.
Federalism is a structure that encourages dissent because that dissent can be used as
leverage to grab more resources. (6) It stops national policies from being
implemented. Local laws can hamper the passage of regional laws. Regional laws can
hamper the passage of national laws. Federalism effectively disperses powers throughout
a nation, but that also means the creation of national policies can be incredibly difficult.
Unless there are exceptions in place for each geographic region so that individualized
needs can be met in some way, it can take more than generation to pass national-level
legal changes.

These Federalism pros and cons show us that it is a political system that is
designed to ensure freedoms can be experienced, even in times of governmental turmoil.
No one has all the power, which means the population can’t be overrun by their
government.

A democracy is a governmental system where eligible members of a state or the

entire population has a voice in the decisions that must be made. When eligible members
represent distinct population districts, they are usually elected to provide this
representation. Democracies can also occur in business structures and during personal
decisions. The primary advantage of democracy is that it is one of the fairest systems of
government that has been created. Every person has a voice, either on their own merit
or through an elected official, which allows them to influence the policies and procedures
that are developed for governing. Everyone can be as active or as inactive as they wish
to be with the political process.

The pros of democracy are: (1) It encourages personal involvement.

In one way or another, it is the people who control their own fate under the scope of a
democracy. They can choose to vote or choose not to vote. They can vote for certain
policies and against others. Whether they are in the majority or not, there is always the
possibility of freely expressing an opinion. That is a level of freedom that other forms of
government do not always provide. (2) It promotes equality. Within a democracy,
everyone gets a vote with the same value, even if it is through an eligible representative,
and that basic structure promotes equality on a vote level. (3) It de-centralizes
governmental power. A government with power over the people can dictate how
populations live their lives. In a democracy, the governmental power is de-centralized
because it lies in the hands of each voter. In a true democracy, each vote is its own source
of power. That makes it easier for people to stay in control over the direction of chasing
their dreams. (4) It inspires loyalty and patriotism.
A democracy enables people to stand up for what they believe. It gives them a chance to
express their unique perspectives and opinions in a safe environment. Success can be
achieved together because the differences people have can be celebrated instead of
being feared. This gives people the best chance possible to work towards policies,
procedures, and legislation that can benefit as many households as possible.

Other pros are: (5) It provides societal consistency. Voting on decisions

provides more consistency in government when compared to a government that changes
over in power every time a new political party is elected as a majority. People who are
given the power to vote can maintain the momentum they want on specific legislative
items so that, over time, society can be shaped in a way that benefits virtually everyone.
6. It stops exploitation. The people are always those that have the most power, no
matter what an elected politician might say. (7) It encourages GDP growth.
People within a democracy are given the opportunity to be whatever they wish to be. By
allowing people to pursue their passions, the GDP of a nation is usually higher. Economic
opportunities have more stability. Households have an opportunity to form in whatever
way suits their needs the best.

The cons are: (1) It requires voters to be intelligent to be effective.

In a democracy, it is possible to cast a vote without having any knowledge about what is
being voted on. For this governmental structure to be effective, it is necessary for every
voting individual to be well-versed on the subject matter being voted upon. Without that
knowledge, an unnecessary or potentially harmful piece of legislation could be passed.
(2) It focuses solely on the needs of the majority. Within the structure of a democracy,
those who find themselves in the minority on a decision will feel like their country didn’t
listen to their ideas and perspectives. If someone finds themselves in the minority on a
consistent basis, then they may begin to feel marginalized. The majority could even
attempt to enact policies that harm the minority without protective structures in place to
prevent such an action.

Other cons are: (3) It encourage the mob. People tend to stay in their comfort
zones. More than ever before in the US, people are maintaining friendships within their
own political party, but rarely outside of it. Neighborhoods, communities, and even states
become polarized because people search for their comfort zone. A democracy, over a
long period of time, encourages mob thinking because it discourages the idea of an open
mind. (4) It is costly. Every vote that is taken in a democracy has a monetary cost
associated with it. (5) It requires a lot of time. Voting requires time to make changes to
legislation. Sometimes, however, a decision must be made very quickly.

The pros and cons of democracy show us that it is a system of government that
promotes freedom. That freedom comes at a steep cost, however, and some societies
may decide that other forms of government are better suited to meet their needs.

This is the destiny of a democracy - it does not see all means as acceptable, and
the ways of its enemies are not always open before it. A democracy must sometimes fight
with one hand tied behind its back. Even so, a democracy has the upper hand. The rule
of law and the liberty of an individual constitute important components in its understanding
of security. At the end of the day, they strengthen its spirit.