Which states rely the most on federal grant money?
Critical Analysis
What state relies the most on federal grant money?
What state relies the least on federal grant money?
Wait, not all states are equal? Hold on a second, does that mean that all “men” are not equal, at least in federal spending?
Describe any geographical pattern or trend you see in this data.
Describe one political consequence of this pattern.
How much federal grant money does Mississippi get from the federal government each year as a percent of it's state revenue; and do you think most people in Mississippi (or any state for that matter) are aware of the data from this chart?
Block grants are federal funds sent to states for broadly defined functions, such as community development or social services. These grants offer states more discretion in how the money is spent and fewer string attached. The majority of federal grant programs are distributed as categorical grants, which provide for specific programs and often require states to adopt federal guidelines to receive grant money. Examples include highway programs and education grants. States are never required to accept a categorical grant, but if they do, they must adhere to the rules and regulations of that grant or it will be withdrawn. If you were a state (for example The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) explain whether you would prefer the money to come as a categorical or a block grant.
Upon seeing this map, a student commented, "Dang, Mr. Milner! I'm moving to Mississippi to get all the government money!" Let's call this student "Ricky Bobby" What would you like to say to Ricky Bobby about whether it would be a good idea to move to a state that gets a lot of federal support.
There is a paradox - for now I'll call it the Talladega paradox - that people from states who hate the government the most rely on its money the most. What should we call this paradox, and why is it that people who get the most from the government tend to hate the government the most?
Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government. Generally, an overarching national government is responsible for broader governance of larger territorial areas (the United part), while the smaller subdivisions, states, and cities govern the issues of local concern (the state part). What on earth does this map have to do with federalism? Pro-tip: think about it.
Visual Extension
Learning Extension
Read the Tax Foundation article about federal money and the states. Then check out this updated Wallet Hub website chock full of great charts and graphs about this topic - more than you ever thought existed on this topic. But before you delete the Wallet hub link and delete your facebook account, just think about how amazing this information is and what a fascinating topic of conversation this could be at the prom!
Action Extension
Contact the Honorable Tate Reeves, 65th Governor of Mississippi and tell him to chill with taking all our money and then hating’ on us. To contact the Governor’s office, please call 601-359-3150 or email governor@govreeves.ms.gov. Tell him we said hi!
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