Our Federalism system of government divides political power – the process of deciding who gets what, when, and how – between national, state, and local units. In terms of COVID-19 vaccine rollout, this means the federal government in Washington DC, the state government (in our case Mississippi), and local government (in our case Oxford and Lafayette County) can all take different approaches to addressing this public health issue.
To understand these different approaches, compare each state’s percentage of population that has gotten at least one shot and who is currently eligible for the vaccine in each state. Using this New York Times interactive map look at the status of Mississippi and compare that to your home state (or another state if you are from Mississippi). You need to scroll down a bit in the tracker to see the different states’ eligibility criteria.
Then, read this Wall Street Journal opinion article, “The Blessings (and Curses) of Federalism” that compares how our Federalism system worked in the 2020 elections with how it worked with COVID-19. If you can’t access the article online, a PDF version of it is posted in the Week 3 folder.
Finally, listen to the Our American States (OAS) podcast, Episode “COVID-19: Jeb Bush on Leadership, Federalism and the Challenges for States” from June 22, 2020 (available here: https://www.ncsl.org/our-american-states/2020/06/22/covid-19-jeb-bush-on-leadership-federalism-and-the-challenges-for-states-oas-episode-98.aspx)
Based upon your review of the information in the New York Times COVID-19 vaccine tracker, the Wall Street Journal article, and the OAS podcast, answer the following questions:
Do you think having a Federalism system – where different individual states and cities can take different approaches to distributing COVID-19 vaccines – helps or hinders America’s ability to effectively control COVID-19? Do you think our country’s Federalism system helps or hinders America’s ability to keep the spread of COVID-19 under control? Why do you think this?
Do you think the federal government in Washington, DC (the President and Congress) should have a bigger role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout? Do you think the federal government should do more to prevent the spread of COVID-19 including regulations for mask-wearing and social-distancing? Why or why not?
In general, do you think having a Federalism system of government provides adequate democratic representation to the American people? Why or why not?
In the space below write a few sentences for each question, for a total of 250 words. Alternatively, you can write your response it a separate document (word, pdf) and upload it below. All journal entries will be graded as High Pass (100%), Low Pass (80%), or Incomplete (0%). Please see the rubric and examples document on BlackBoard for the specific differences between High Pass and Low Pass work. Responses to the above questions will be graded in line with the provided rubric, regardless of your stance on the role of Federalism government systems.
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