In his state of the union speech in December 1813, James Madison declared that "[T]he destiny of the United States [is] to be a great, a flourishing, and a powerful nation." Originally the Framers had mindfully believed federalism, allowing both the state and national governments to form policy, would tie in opportunities for states to enact policies that cater their population. While this ability was almost necessary to represent the individuality of differing opinions across state boundaries, the umbrella of the nation government still loomed over all policies with their Supremacy Clause. Although there are positive and negative aspects to the federal government, this has become an catastrophic approach to the United States. The United States federal system will eventually lead to a downward spiral because of its several conflicts, including great confusion among the population and state laws, supremacy to special interest perspectives, heavy enforcement of discrimination, and inequalities in the system.
             Under the Constitution, Article IV, all states are obliged to recognize other states records, public acts, court decisions, and laws. Also, privileges and immunities are based upon the location of the citizen; For example, if a Florida man visits Georgia and commits a crime he is subject to Georgia state laws. In addition, the national law prevails over state's laws. By definition, this enables the Supreme Court, constructed on nine appointed justices, the capability of striking down state laws as 'unconstitutional.' With all of this information, it is obvious that the confusion among citizens and governments has lead to increased tension among national, state and local governments. Some of the major recent issues bringing aggressive attention and debates are gay marriage, the environment, drug policy, education, and the death penalty. President Bush has denounced the civil unions of gay Americans; this...