Federalism__A_Flexible_Model_For_Democracy

Federalism: A Flexible Model For Democracy Federalism is defined as a system of government that separates power between a centralized government and several localized satellite governments, such as states with each entity having defined or self determined actionable powers. In contrast, other forms of government, such as Unitarianism and Confederacies, divide power differently. A Unitary government has centralized powers which have supreme dominance over all subsidiary governments within its boundaries. A Confederate government confers power to the numerous regional governments and has no centralized powers. The federalist state seeks to achieve balance and equity between local and centralized governing bodies. In order to understand how a Federalist government works, two simplified ‘bakery’ models have been created to describe the separation of powers. The first model was a ‘layer cake’ that is a mostly accurate depiction of how the American government was originally set up by the framers of the Constitution. It holds that governmental powers were divided neatly into discrete layers like that of a layered cake. National powers were at the top overlying the State powers defining a dualistic, ‘separate but equal’ division of powers. As our nation went through its growing pains, it became apparent that government, powers, centralized, federalism, system, region, governments, regional, local, governmental, control, state, power, populace, one, needs, national, division, disadvantages, defined, cake, between, advantages, marble, policies, neatly, nation, model, main, localized, holds, federalist, equity, each, divided