When you hear the distribution of powers within the federal system, what comes to mind? What is the federal system, how are these powers distributed within this system, or is McDonalds still open? If McDonalds did not come to mind, according to Dautrich & Yalof (2014) “the federal system is a system of government in which power is divided between a central government and constituent political subunits”. The powers within the federal system are called the enumerated powers, reserved powers, and concurrent powers. These powers were designed so each state could delegate to the new central governments powers while retaining full power within its own constitutionally designated sphere of authority (p.56).
The powers delegated to congress under Article 1 of the constitution are called enumerated powers. These powers range from the ability to borrow money on the U.S credit, regulate foreign commerce, regulate commerce with Indian nations, conduct foreign affairs, coin money, punish counter fitting, establish courts inferior to the …show more content…
The ability to spend money for general welfare, regulate interstate commerce, establish bankruptcy laws, establish courts, establish highways, take private property for public purposes with compensation, and the power to tax (p.56). These powers are both enjoyed by federal and state government. When you hear April 15th, the last day to file your taxes without a penalty should come to mind. Some states charge state taxes in addition to Federal taxes that are being charged already. This is a prime example of the concurrent powers in action. Since this is a shared power and not exclusive both entities can tax you. Additional examples of its power to tax ranges from the ability to impose excise taxes, income taxes, and sales tax on goods. Some goods have national and state tax already included in the price. A prime example is