In the political spheres, decentralization of power gives the people a bigger say in determining the kind of leaders that they get. When the whole country is allowed to participate in the election of all cadres of their leaders, the country is likely to end up with bad leaders, so long as they can manipulate the masses. In most cases, politicians use the numerical strength of their social affiliations to acquire political power, thereby disenfranchising the minority groups who may not command such extent of numerical strength. Although this falls within the bounds of democratic principles, it is morally incorrect in as far as national inclusion is concerned. Devolving power to the local communities will, therefore, give the local community some voice in electing their leaders. Although it may not change the dynamics involved in national elections, the fact that some leaders are elected at the local level is adequate to create a sense of inclusion for the minority groups (Friedman, 2005).
There are certain powers that are currently shared between the state and the federal governments, but which should be transferred to the state governments. For instance, the power to tax should be reserved for the state governments as they seem to understand the economic situations of the local people better. However, they should remit a percentage of these funds to the federal government so that it can plan appropriately with a view to ensuring equitable national development. On the other hand, the federal government should assume all the responsibility to borrow funds on behalf of the people of the United States. This would perfect in the sense that it will give individual states a sense of autonomy in terms of revenue collection. Besides, the United States would still remain a great country in the international arena because of their greater bargaining power.
However, decentralization of power has the danger of undermining the principle of representative democracy in the United States. During the drafting of the Constitution of the United States, people like Thomas Jefferson ensured that every section of the US was properly represented in the national institutions. In fact, that was the reason behind the adoption of two chambers of the legislature. However, with the changing political and economic dynamic, there are bound to arise claims of disenfranchisement from some states. For instance, there is no doubt that populations as well as economic progress of individual states have continued to grow at different rates. This implies that the formulae that the likes of Thomas Jefferson used to arrive at individual state representation in the Senate or Congress are not currently applicable. That is why the United States government should continue to revise these formulae so that certain states are not underrepresented in the legislature. In addition, the two levels must agree on how to manage the national forces. For instance, the national army should always remain under the tight grip of the federal government. This is simply due to the fact that they reserve the responsibility to act on behalf of the United States in the international arena. However, it would be quite beneficial to have the police under the control of the states and the counties. Certainly, it will reverse the current trend whereby the states have superior police systems as compared to the federal government, yet the state police deals with majority of criminal cases.
In conclusion, decentralization of power is the best way to ensure that a country exploits all the available natural resources in the best way possible because this responsibility goes to the local communities. In addition, it helps in preserving cultural heritage of the local community in the most acceptable way because it allows for the individual participation of the community. Moreover, devolution of power ensures that minority groups are always recognized as major contributors to the national well-being. However, it should not be modeled in such a manner that it makes representation of individual states at the national level imbalanced. Nonetheless, it is the best way to ensure that the country’s social fabrics and economical stability stand the test of time.
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