The State of Tennessee sources its funds from the taxes that it collects from the taxpayers. The power of taxation is one of the inherent powers of the state. Every state has the power to collect taxes which it uses to fund its social welfare programs and projects. Without the taxes the government will be paralyzed because of the lack of funds needed to operate the machineries of the government.
Another source of funds is the federal government. Since the federal government has programs the federal government provides grants to fund various projects of the different state government. If the federal government thinks that certain projects are in line with the priority programs of the federal government they support it. For instance, the Obama Administration seeks to develop high speed rails in the United States similar to the bullet trains found in China , Japan , South Korea , Taiwan and France . The federal government committed to release $2.25 Billion to help California develop its own high speed rail system which will also be the first of its kind in the United States .
One of the interest groups in Tennessee is the victims of crimes and their families. They are the same ones who will suffer the effect and trauma of the crime. They are the same ones who will bear the physical and emotional scar of the crime committed by the offender. The victims of crime may represent a small portion of the population but their voice reverberates through the local and state because of the sympathy they get from the rest of the state. They create an impact in the community in the sense that the community wants to know what the state is doing to help alleviate the suffering of the victims of crime. Because of their situation the State of Tennessee provides different kinds of services to them which include a sex offender registry database. The database is a requirement of the law which mandates that all sex offenders shall upon release from prison register in a database any changes in their address so that the community where they live may be informed and alerted of their presence. Though the requirement may appear to be violating the constitution, its constitutionality has been recognized by the Supreme Court.
Another interest group is the unemployed. They are the individuals who are able-bodied and willing to work but could not find work due to lack of employment opportunities. They represent a small portion of the population of the state which the state needs to help because of their obligation to provide assistance to the marginalized sector. Without the necessary assistance from the government the unemployed and his family will suffer even more and may constitute a bigger burden for the state.
In other democratic countries, the voters go out and vote during the election day to express whom they want to lead the country. It is a manifestation of the democratic process where the will of the people in choosing their leaders prevails. In the United States , the choice of who will lead the country is chosen through indirect popular election known as the electoral college. Under this process, the political parties in the State of Tennessee submit to the chief election official a list of electors who are pledged to their candidate that is equal in number to the state’s electoral vote.
The relationship between the state and local government works like the relationship between the federal and state government. The state government provides for the policies and the local governments assist the state government accomplish its goals and objectives. The programs of the state government are communicated through the local governments which directly deal with the public.
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