Talk:New Federalism

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Ronald Reagan created what he called "New Federalism", rather than Franklin D. Roosevelt (who was president 20 years earlier).

Yes indeed, I agree with the comments below. Here is an ex from Political Change in the Metropolis by John J. Harrigan (2003):

RICHARD NIXON AND THE FIRST NEW FEDERALISM

These criticisms of the Great Society fell on receptive ears when Richard M. Nixon moved into the White House in 1969. As a conservative, Nixon had no philosophical attachement to the many programs that proliferated during the Great Society years. Nor did he have any political motivation to support programs that primarily benefited big-city, lower-income, and racial minority constituencies...Perhaps even more important was his philosophical commitment, as a conservative, to reverse the growth of federal power relative to that of the states. Nixon said in 1972:

Do we want to turn more power over to the bureaucrats in Washington in the hope that they will do what is best for all the people? Or do we want to return more power to the people themselves...I will continue to direct flow of power away from Washington and back to the people.

[edit] New Federalism

Actually, the real history of New Federalism is that it was implemented in 1976 by Richard Nixon in what was called "Revenue Sharing." Revenue sharing supplied cities, municipalities,counties and townships with block grants and completely deregulated federal control of the spending after it's dispersment. Big cities used the funds to maintain operations and smaller cities used it to cover service costs of pre-implemented programs, which essentially allowed them not to have to raise taxes. At the end of the 1986 fiscal year, Ronald Reagan actually eliminated the program saying that it simply encouraged states to spend more money. Since the conservatives wanted to cut government spending it had to go. (Judd, Dennis R., Swanstrom, Todd, City Politics, the Political Economy of Urban America 5th Edition, Pearson Education Inc., 2006 pgs. 180 - 183)

Comments:

1. Reagan became President in 1980, 35 years after Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945.

2. Since the federal government has no constitutional obligation whatsoever to give money to cities for their local expenses it makes perfect sense that President Reagan would cut this program. The federal government's responsibilities are - federal! Cities are supposed to raise their own funds via property taxes, sales taxes, business licenses, etc.

3.The New Deal was never fully recognized as the "new" way to handle our nations moral and monetary system.