Posted by
Playful Walrus on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 12:52:19 PM
I have occasions to speak to visitors from a foreign country with a very different governmental system. When we discuss the governmental structure in the U.S., I explain that county governments are created by the State government, and that our national government was created and staffed by the 13 original colonies In effect, the Federal government is comprised of the union of the 50 state governments.
At least, that’s how it is supposed to be.
The President is elected by the Electoral College, and thereby state by state, not directly by all citizens of the union. Originally, Senators were chosen by the elected leaders of each state. The Constitution gave most of the power to the people, and to the states, and limited the union government to a short list of responsibilities. The Supreme Court was there to deal with some disputes between Congress and the President, and some disputes between the states and between the states, the President, and Congress.
Slowly, though, the United States of America went from a plural term to a singular. The Federal government grew stronger, more influential, and more intrusive. This was done through Constitutional Amendments, Congressional and Presidential actions and legislation contrary to the Constitution, taxation policies, pork, the creation of various Departments and cabinet positions, and Supreme Court activism.
Now, it seems almost laughable to see the union government as a creation of the 50 states. The states now look like mere administrative districts of the Federal government.
Sure, it’s great that involuntary servitude structured on racism was outlawed across the country. But I don’t like the loss of liberties that are supposed to be retained by the people and by the states. Now we have pushes for even more “direct democracy”, including changing the way we elect Presidents. We’re supposed to be a republic, and we’re moving more towards mob democracy, where the landowners are exploited by the collective renters, where the employers are exploited by the collective employees, where those who have built and saved wealth are exploited by the collective mob of those who haven’t. Likewise, evildoers are given a pass because we’ve all sinned.
Punishing achievement is not a good way to do promote it. Lowering our morals to the lowest common denominator is not a prescription for a healthy society. This is what happens when we abandon what our founders gave us.