The move to shift the fiscal obligation to provide community services away from the Federal government to the local communities is welcomed by its proponents as a step forward on the road to true democracy. They claim that by making communities responsible for funding everything from health, welfare and education to the emergency services and housing, not only will improve these services but also foster a greater sense of community. \textbf{However, such a move would mean that densely-populated areas, having a greater tax base, would be better off, and sparsely-populated, rural communities would still be dependent on supplemental subsidies from Federal sources.
In the given argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?}