The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Federalist and Antifederalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights established various concepts of federalism based on the sovereignty of states and the national government. The U.S. Federal government has three main branches, including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, the powers of which are vested and mandated by the Constitution through Congress, the President, and the Courts. However, the U.S. has a three-tier system of subnational government levels, which include townships, school districts, cities, counties, regional councils, the state capital, and Washington, DC. Although this setup is beneficial, it also exhibits some disadvantages.
One advantage of subnational governments is the limiting influence they have over the Federal governments in their jurisdictions. Since the Federal Government is not close to local issues, they rarely interfere with governance in these areas. Additionally, the federal government occasionally falls back on its word by neglecting most of its responsibilities. However, subnational governments are better positioned to resolve such setbacks (Dobbs et al., 2019). But subnational governance has its shortcomings, including a lack of efficiency because these governments use much effort to achieve higher goals for the state. Additionally, the lack of equality is also a limitation because it allows affiliated individuals to take advantage of the system by practicing nepotism, racial bias, marginalization, and corruption.
Term limits in the U.S. are a Constitutional obligation stating the number of term periods an individual is allowed to serve in a government office. According to Riono and Schraufnagel (2020), term limits are more important and advantageous than disadvantageous because they offer opportunities for new leaders who come up with new and innovative ideas. Although leaders in government offices familiarize themselves with their duties as they gain more experience in their responsibilities, redundancy can support adversities as an individual may become comfortable with the position and neglect critical issues. Apart from that, an individual may take advantage of the system and other people by spearheading self-interests. In addition, some may choose to hold on to power despite individuals’ outcry against their leadership. However, term limits prepare individuals to hand over their powers willingly. Thus, the adoption of term limit regulations in the U.S. is a worthy endeavor, promising stability and continuous development.
References
Dobbs, E., Levitt, P., Parella, S., & Petroff, A. (2019). Social welfare grey zones: How and why subnational actors provide when nations do not? Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45(9), 1595-1612.
Riono, T., & Schraufnagel, S. (2020). Testing for incumbency advantages in a developing democracy. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 42(2), 200-223