Wesley Guo Week 10: Balance of Power
The most powerful of the three must be the legislative branch, which is the branch in charge of writing and passing laws. The legislative branch is capable of overpowering both of the other branches if it is fully in agreement with itself; thankfully, this is a rare occurrence as the legislative branch is also the largest branch of government in terms of membership. The House has a total of 435 members while the Senate consists of 100 senators, which makes any consensus amongst congress rare.
The weakest of the three branches of government would be the judicial branch, which has the power of reviewing the constitutionality of laws and potentially overturning laws if they go against the constitution. This makes this branch of government not really able to actively influence politics, only usually acting as a check to keep the other branches of government in line.
That just leaves the executive branch, which is notable as it is the only branch of government headed by one person. The executive branch is charged with the execution and enforcement of laws, and is also responsible for the many departments of government tasked with various administrative duties. On paper it is not as powerful as the legislative branch, but the fact that only one person holds the full power of the executive makes it a force to be reckoned with.
The balance of power in the American government is a delicate thing, held together by precedent and the constitution. But it is important to remember that this balance is not a given. It is precisely because of the American government having checks and balances that has made the United States one of the freest nations in history. And only by making sure that power stays in balance can the United States continue to be a great nation to live in.
Shields, Julie. “Illustration of Separation of Powers: Civics Education Matters.” KITCHEN TABLE TALK Provides Vital Information about Civil Discourse, Fact-Checking, and Combat Fake News, Disinformation, Partisan Slant, and Media Bias., KITCHEN TABLE TALK provides vital information about civil discourse, fact-checking, and combat fake news, disinformation, partisan slant, and media bias., 21 Nov. 2024, www.kitchentabletalk.org/blog/illustration-separation-of-powers-checks-and-balances-civics.
Hello Wesley. When we were tasked to write blogs about power, I didn't even think about the balance of power in America. I didn’t even know that the legislative branch has the potential to overthrow the rest of the branches. It’s a good thing that the legislative branch will never fully agree on something otherwise we will be in big trouble. I didn’t know that the judicial branch was the weakest branch of the three branches. Even though it is the weakest branch, it is very necessary that it would be disastrous if it gets removed because then it wouldn’t be able to keep the other branches in check so the other branches don’t try to get more power then they should have. I totally agree with you that having checks and balances are the reason why we have such a free nation, and if that ever gets taken away, then we would no longer be a free nation, and no American wants that.
ReplyDeleteHey Wesley! With the state of the government right now, it seems that power is not at all distributed equally. Everything seems to be going wrong as Trump makes highly debatable comments, enacting racist and discriminatory laws through his power of Executive Orders. Additionally, his use of tariffs as threats is extremely controversial, with people wanting to get him out of a place of power. The three branches were meant to create a balance of power, as you stated, but they don’t seem to be doing what they should in terms of distributing power. I definitely agree that this balance is crucial in order to ensure order in the country and keep it a safe place for everyone to live in. I knew that the legislative branch was large, but I forgot exactly how large (435 members in the House!) because it is not as popularly discussed. This is likely because, as you mentioned, this branch rarely comes to a consensus and therefore rarely passes out a controversial law. Thank you for reminding me that even in a time where power seems to be concentrated on just the president, there are other branches of the government that can take action and balance out his power.
ReplyDeleteHi Wesley! I really appreciate how you took the approach of discussing the government when talking about this topic as that is the most common way that we think about power. I also like how you described each branch of the government in detail and why each branch has their own power set in stone. I had always learned about them in my history classes, but I never truly understood how much power each individual branch has and how that deeply affects the law and the country as a whole. Through your blog post, I gained a deeper understanding about each one: the legislative branch is known for making laws and treaties, the executive branch is known to veto any legislation that does not adhere to the principles of America, and the judiciary branch interprets the law and ensures that any law enacted in the country follows the country's constitution. Even though each branch does not have the same power or same priority, I agree that the U.S. constitution restricts each branch for having too much power, which could ruin the balance in the U.S. economy.
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