federalism is dominated by two principal ingredients that give the central government in washington D.C?

Answer 1

The original idea of federalism was that a central (federal) government would unify the country, and that the federal government would handle the big-picture issues leaving the individual states to govern locally.

That was the plan. Then, around the 1920s, things went horribly wrong. The entire 10th Amendment was basically declared redundant, and lost its meaning. What does the 10th Amendment say: "The powers not delegated to the United States [federal government] by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, shall be reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Basically, Congress was only supposed to pass laws that related to its specifically enumerated powers, as listed in the Constitution. What went wrong? The idea of a big central federal government took off, and Congress started passing laws for anything it could get away with.

Yes, some good things came of it. But also some not-so-good things. And over time, Congress started to think it could legislate anything, even writing laws that ignored the Constitution.

The goal of federalism was to ensure that all the states kept talking to each other and working together. The problem is, it became a tool where the majority-rule might-makes-right Congress could impose just about anything they want.

So the question becomes -- would we be better off if the states, who so far (recently) have shown very little interest in getting along together at all, were left to their own devices?

Answer 2

ooooh I know this one. The ingredients are sugar and kool aid. Very tasty drink. Try mixing it with vodka!