WEEK 11

November 3 (Wednesday): Money

 Discussions of intergovernmental taxes and budgets can be a little hard to get into.  It might help if, when you read this material, you sometimes substitute the phrase "money power" for the words taxes, revenues, spending, and grants.

1. Do Federal grants-in-aid weaken or strengthen federalism?  Should more grants be changed to "block" grants, or should states' discretion in block grants be reduced?

 

 

2. How is globalization affecting intergovernmental taxes and spending?  How should it be changed?  What is the political likelihood that it will be changed?  Should the U.S., like every other federal system, redistribute grants to equalize revenues across the states?

 

 

3. Do states tax enough?  Are their taxes too regressive?  How should "tax federalism" be changed? 

 

 

4. Check out Missouri's Hancock Amendment; should it be strengthened, repealed, or left alone?

 

 

 

 

 

4.