Discussion 5 - Should states serve as \"laboratories of democracy\"? PDF

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Should states serve as "laboratories of democracy"?...

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Should states serve as "laboratories of democracy"? Is it useful and/or practical that national policy often is initiated at the state level? Are there any potential problems to such experimentation? Should there be more regulation over public policy at the state level? Should states be given less discretionary authority? Laboratories of democracy is a phrase used to describe how a state can serve as a laboratory and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country. I do think this is useful, because it allows advancement to our government and society to happen to a small part of this country to make sure it works, and then it is exposed to the rest of the states once we know it works. This is just like the recent popularization of medical cannabis. Washington and Colorado were the laboratories, and since trials and experiments have worked out in those states, we now have medical cannabis shops and availability coming to us across the country to better those who need it....