Re: [OT] USA Elections
- Posted by mattlewis (admin) Nov 05, 2012
- 2886 views
But of course, every government is suspectible to this - and in the US, we have all kinds of separation of powers and checks and balances to help deal with this.
Some of it has been dismantled (direct election of Senators,
What's the problem with this?
It was a key part of our original federalism. I recently reread the Federalist Papers. Many of their arguments hinged on the states keeping an eye on the Federal government and preventing excesses. One key to this was the fact that half of Congress would be appointed by state legislatures.
At this point, national parties have overwhelmed almost every state or regional influence (largely due to things like improved communication and a more cohesive national culture, I would argue). The different term lengths and election cycles are still good as a balance to the House, but we've lost an important check and balance with the direct election of Senators.
Matt
