ederal or state powers) has the responsibility to meet the people's needs.
Rivlin is hopeful that by taking pragmatic steps the system can be changed. The remaking of the federal system in Rivlin's view must focus on giving more power and responsibility to the states and communities, and reducing federal power and responsibility. The federal system as it is today gives too much power to the federal government which is too far from the needs of local and state entities.
The restructured federal system should focus on five areas: productivity (including investment, incomes, education, skill training & infrastructure), devolution (decreasing federal responsibility and power), taxes (increasing state income and spending), health care (giving every person health coverage and reducing health care costs), and budget surplus (running the federal government to, in effect, turn a profit which would help private businesses) (17).
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