The Three Branches of Government
Below is the un-revised version of an essay that I wrote for a school assignment. I decided to include it in the blog since it is similar to the kind of stuff I write about here. Enjoy:
Three, as a number, probably holds more significance in all fields and institutions (from religion to screen writing) than any other number. It is thus altogether fitting that our Founders created a government with three branches. One to legislate the laws, one to execute the laws, and just as an added bonus, one to interpret the laws. This three branch system was the first of its kind to be attempted on Earth (Mars had tried it hundreds of thousands of years before, but a corrupt administration that ignored signs of global warming caused the death of all life on the planet, and the evaporation of most of the water) and led to the longest lasting democratic nation-state on the same.
Having more branches on our metaphorical governmental tree wasn’t the only reason for our success, however. Those branches intertwined in ways that balanced the system, preventing the entire structure from falling over (oh, you better believe I can talk in extended metaphor, wootness!). The test of our nation is whether we can sustain that delicate balance and thus preserve for our posterity the gift of liberty.
Gradually, the legislature, which was intended by our Founders to be the first branch of government, has declined in power in comparison with the other two branches of government. The executive branch’s powers have been expanded through strong-willed presidents and perhaps the amendment to the Constitution allowing the direct election of presidential electors. The power of the executive branch also temporarily increases during war time (So, in the laughable event that a president declares a never-ending war on a noun, he could steadily increase his power to the point where he would be even above the Constitution. But that, of course, will never happen.). The Judiciary’s role has also increased over the years, as the Supreme Court began to take a more immediate role in governing, will such decisions as Marbury v Madison and Brown v Board of Education.
However, the separation between the powers remained largely intact. Although it may be frustrating for presidents when their Supreme Court nominees don’t turn out exactly as they would wish, it does demonstrate to the public that we still have an independent judiciary. And it is an extension of our Founders’ foresight rather than an inherent flaw in our system that even when the president and the majority of Congress our of the same political party, they still find it difficult to get along. The threat to American Democracy is not that Congress can’t get anything done, we’ve survived that for 200 years; it is rather that the system becomes more efficient, thus allowing the majority party undue control over the country.
The first signs of trouble may already be appearing on the horizon. Speeches by politicians stressing unity and the end of “partisan politics” are as un-American as they are dangerous. We need not be of the same mind to be of the same country. Our unity is inherent and unbreakable. And partisan politics and bickering on not enemies to democracy, but a sign of strength! Our country was founded on partisan politics. Nominations to the Supreme Court have always been motivated by political issues. No liberal president has purposely nominated a conservative judge, and vice-versa. To say that Supreme Court nominees should be considered only by their experience is a slap on the face to our system. Presidents do not nominate stupid people.
And this new wave of ideology, this new stress on monism, is reflected by the decline in the most pluralist branch of government, the legislature. The Congress is beginning to take a back seat to the much more publicized executive branch. Presidential vetoes have risen steadily since 1787, and the executive branch has become an integral part in law-making, coordinating the drafting of legislation with members of Congress on many issues. Congress has lost one of its most important abilities, that to declare war. America has not declared war since 1941, and likely never will again as long as presidents frame conflicts as “police-actions” and find ways around the War Powers Act.
As the Congress has declined, the Presidency has enjoyed more control and power than ever before. This can be seen in the explosive increase of the number of staff employed in the executive branch and the equally stunning rise of the bureaucracy, which some have labeled “the fourth branch of government”. It is a misnomer, however, because the bureaucracy is the arm of the executive branch, dutifully helping it to execute the laws and federal mandates. The latter have increased of late in proportion with the increasing power of the executive branch. These mandates along with executive privilege could theoretically allow the president to secretly authorize an illegal wire-tapping program used to spy on American citizens (rofl + lmao, like that would ever happen). The growing influence of the Fourth Estate (the media) on American’s life has given the president increasing ability to use his position as the most public figure on Earth to campaign for causes that he supports. Because no single legislator gets as much media coverage as the president (unless they’re under indictment for ethics violations, *cough* *cough*), he (or she… lol rofl j/k) has the media advantage.
Thusly have the checks and balances in our Constitution declined. Congress’s ability to declare war reduced to rubber-stamping police actions, their role in approving judicial nominees reduced to a several day long speechification process where the nominees spend most of their time declining to answer questions in case they (god forbid) reveal an opinion. And the separation of powers built into our system has began to fall away, as the Supreme Court gets more and more politicized.
I believe in the American system. I have faith that the Founders created a system so strife with conflict, a government that played on the very vices of men, that not even the most determined political force could destroy it. And I can only hope that the cycles of our political system that mean no party is in control for a very long time will prevent a party from piercing the Constitution’s defenses.
Three, as a number, probably holds more significance in all fields and institutions (from religion to screen writing) than any other number. It is thus altogether fitting that our Founders created a government with three branches. One to legislate the laws, one to execute the laws, and just as an added bonus, one to interpret the laws. This three branch system was the first of its kind to be attempted on Earth (Mars had tried it hundreds of thousands of years before, but a corrupt administration that ignored signs of global warming caused the death of all life on the planet, and the evaporation of most of the water) and led to the longest lasting democratic nation-state on the same.
Having more branches on our metaphorical governmental tree wasn’t the only reason for our success, however. Those branches intertwined in ways that balanced the system, preventing the entire structure from falling over (oh, you better believe I can talk in extended metaphor, wootness!). The test of our nation is whether we can sustain that delicate balance and thus preserve for our posterity the gift of liberty.
Gradually, the legislature, which was intended by our Founders to be the first branch of government, has declined in power in comparison with the other two branches of government. The executive branch’s powers have been expanded through strong-willed presidents and perhaps the amendment to the Constitution allowing the direct election of presidential electors. The power of the executive branch also temporarily increases during war time (So, in the laughable event that a president declares a never-ending war on a noun, he could steadily increase his power to the point where he would be even above the Constitution. But that, of course, will never happen.). The Judiciary’s role has also increased over the years, as the Supreme Court began to take a more immediate role in governing, will such decisions as Marbury v Madison and Brown v Board of Education.
However, the separation between the powers remained largely intact. Although it may be frustrating for presidents when their Supreme Court nominees don’t turn out exactly as they would wish, it does demonstrate to the public that we still have an independent judiciary. And it is an extension of our Founders’ foresight rather than an inherent flaw in our system that even when the president and the majority of Congress our of the same political party, they still find it difficult to get along. The threat to American Democracy is not that Congress can’t get anything done, we’ve survived that for 200 years; it is rather that the system becomes more efficient, thus allowing the majority party undue control over the country.
The first signs of trouble may already be appearing on the horizon. Speeches by politicians stressing unity and the end of “partisan politics” are as un-American as they are dangerous. We need not be of the same mind to be of the same country. Our unity is inherent and unbreakable. And partisan politics and bickering on not enemies to democracy, but a sign of strength! Our country was founded on partisan politics. Nominations to the Supreme Court have always been motivated by political issues. No liberal president has purposely nominated a conservative judge, and vice-versa. To say that Supreme Court nominees should be considered only by their experience is a slap on the face to our system. Presidents do not nominate stupid people.
And this new wave of ideology, this new stress on monism, is reflected by the decline in the most pluralist branch of government, the legislature. The Congress is beginning to take a back seat to the much more publicized executive branch. Presidential vetoes have risen steadily since 1787, and the executive branch has become an integral part in law-making, coordinating the drafting of legislation with members of Congress on many issues. Congress has lost one of its most important abilities, that to declare war. America has not declared war since 1941, and likely never will again as long as presidents frame conflicts as “police-actions” and find ways around the War Powers Act.
As the Congress has declined, the Presidency has enjoyed more control and power than ever before. This can be seen in the explosive increase of the number of staff employed in the executive branch and the equally stunning rise of the bureaucracy, which some have labeled “the fourth branch of government”. It is a misnomer, however, because the bureaucracy is the arm of the executive branch, dutifully helping it to execute the laws and federal mandates. The latter have increased of late in proportion with the increasing power of the executive branch. These mandates along with executive privilege could theoretically allow the president to secretly authorize an illegal wire-tapping program used to spy on American citizens (rofl + lmao, like that would ever happen). The growing influence of the Fourth Estate (the media) on American’s life has given the president increasing ability to use his position as the most public figure on Earth to campaign for causes that he supports. Because no single legislator gets as much media coverage as the president (unless they’re under indictment for ethics violations, *cough* *cough*), he (or she… lol rofl j/k) has the media advantage.
Thusly have the checks and balances in our Constitution declined. Congress’s ability to declare war reduced to rubber-stamping police actions, their role in approving judicial nominees reduced to a several day long speechification process where the nominees spend most of their time declining to answer questions in case they (god forbid) reveal an opinion. And the separation of powers built into our system has began to fall away, as the Supreme Court gets more and more politicized.
I believe in the American system. I have faith that the Founders created a system so strife with conflict, a government that played on the very vices of men, that not even the most determined political force could destroy it. And I can only hope that the cycles of our political system that mean no party is in control for a very long time will prevent a party from piercing the Constitution’s defenses.
posted by Placeholder at 11:35 AM
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