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Page 13 of 21
Chapter 7 · Federalism — Which Government Owns Your Problem
Page 2 of 2 in this chapter
From the page before
A pothole on your residential street is usually whose responsibility?
The answer: City or county government
Why: Local streets are almost always the city's job. The interstate is not.
Who administers elections in the United States?
The answer: States and counties, within federal constitutional and statutory constraints
Why: There is no single national election office. States and counties run them. That is why the rules differ so much from place to place.
The Tenth Amendment says powers not handed to the federal government stay with the states and the people. That is why states differ so much. It is also why the line gets fought over in court, year after year.
How to use this
Before you contact anyone, ask one question: who owns this? Then write to that office.
A pothole is a city matter. A license rule is state. An immigration case is federal. A careful letter sent to the wrong level is the most common way civic effort gets wasted in this country.
Before you turn the page
Professional and occupational licensing is primarily set at which level?
Trying to recall a thing before you read it again is what makes it stick. That is why the question is here.
Nothing is scored. Nothing is saved. No one sees your answer, and there is no account to make.