December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. Why is that important? Back when the Constitution was written, some people did not trust the new federal government that the framers created. Those who felt this way, the so-called Anti-federalists, were especially concerned that the new government would tyrannize the people or the state governments. Here is […]
Bill of Rights Day 2025 Read More »
The Supreme Court took up a difficult issue on December 8, 2025. On the one hand, there is the need for presidents to fully control their executive branch staff so that they faithfully execute the laws of the land. On the other hand, there is a need to insulate some essential functions in the service
Faithfully Execute the Law without Partisanship Read More »
Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America. Here are a few things we are grateful for. We are grateful for the framers of our Constitution. They meant to create a new form of government that loyalists and patriots alike could live with – even if flawed in many ways much discussed since
Things to Be Thankful For Read More »
Is American-style democracy truly worth the trouble? On paper, according to our Constitution, our republic has two notable features: accountable representation through regular elections and protection against government tyranny. The protection is achieved through the separation and sharing of powers (so no part of government can get too strong), due process and the rule of
Worth the Trouble? Democracy in Our Republic Read More »
Power really does change hands in the federal government – and it is hard to keep for more than a few years. And, because power does change hands, it is foolish to give your leaders more power than you would trust to your political rivals. If you value freedom and fairness, then it is important
Power Does Change Hands Read More »
A good part of the magic of representative democracy in our republic is that losing an election does not mean losing power forever. Just like in most modern sports, there are always opportunities to compete again and again. This has been true ever since our Constitution went into effect in 1789. It has been true
Can Losers Compete Again? Read More »
October 20 to 26 is Free Speech Week. In that spirit, we are reposting and updating a blog from September 2019. You will find many quotes from American leaders on the right and left in support of free speech – protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ** Decades ago, when this blogger
Famous People on Freedom of Speech Read More »
The federal budget shutdown proves democracy does not work – right? Especially since it has happened several times since 1980 including some long ones in 1995/96, 2013, 2018/19 and now? We agree it is maddening to watch the two major political parties willingly use government services from the military to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Democracy Does Not Work? Read More »
Trust in our system of democracy depends in no small part upon how well it delivers for us. The services we get from the government are part of that. Few of us are happy about shut-downs, inadequate services, waste, and unsustainable debt. That prompts a question: how is the U.S. budget process supposed to work
The Budget Process & Shutdowns Read More »
Very, very few Americans support political violence. Political violence is real and we condemn it. Fortunately, only a tiny fraction of Americans actually supports its use. Here are four kinds of political violence and the share of Americans who supported each, courtesy of the Polarization Research Lab. We show the long-run averages starting from September
Dealing with Political Violence Read More »
September 17 is Constitution Day. This week does not seem like a good time to celebrate but maybe we should give the day its’ due any way. This is a somber time. Charlie Kirk was assassinated just a few days ago. His murder follows too many other acts of political violence against people in both
Constitution Day 2025 Read More »
This article reviews what the Federal Reserve does and why it is independent. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution makes clear that power over fiscal and monetary policy resides exclusively with the Legislative Branch and that it may delegate these powers to agencies beyond its direct control. In practice, Congress has largely maintained its
The Federal Reserve Read More »
We want to propose a fallback plan for the two major political parties if one or more states actually carry out their gerrymandering threats. We propose that candidates, volunteers, donors, and political operatives mount massive efforts to compete in opposition territory. Do the hard work to change minds and earn new voters. You might surprise
Gerrymander War Fallback Plan Read More »
If your goal is solving a national or state-level problem, you will want to work with voters and lawmakers on all sides to get results that most people will accept as legitimate and useful. To achieve this, you will rely on fact-seeking and brainstorming. If your goal is for your side to win, you will
The Problem with Winning Read More »
In today’s tight races, it makes sense for both major parties to try to earn new votes. Showing respect for rural versus urban differences should be part of that strategy. At least some of our differences arise quite naturally from geography and demography – rural and urban situations are quite different. We review some differences
Winning Votes from Our Urban and Rural Cousins Read More »
Recent news reports indicate the two major political parties are getting ready for a gerrymandering war that will further undermine the quality of democracy in our republic. Leaders in several “red” and “blue” states are contemplating redistricting for partisan advantage in advance of the mid-terms rather than under the usual ten-year census cycle. The very
The 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is a time to celebrate the founding of our nation—an ambitious, imperfect, and ongoing experiment in self-government. We have come a long way since 1776. Today, the United States is one of the world’s most free, powerful, influential, and wealthy nations. Even so, we can always be
249 Years Later: The Power & Price of Self-Government Read More »
The following is a summary of material available in our short course on the presidency as a branch of the U.S. government and how it has changed over time. It is not about any one person. In Part One of our course, you will learn that the framers of our Constitution had a lot of
Presidential War Powers and More Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In our previous posts, we discussed the difficulties faced by Congress and the president when deciding the best mix of taxation, spending, and borrowing. We also reviewed specific budgetary choices concerning liberty and justice, national security, the advancement of
Budgeting for Social Protections Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In our previous posts, we discussed the difficulties faced by Congress and the president when deciding the best mix of taxation, spending, and borrowing. We also reviewed specific budgetary choices concerning liberty and justice, national security, the advancement of
Budgeting for Productivity & Quality of Life Read More »
Memorial Day is more than a holiday. It is a solemn day of remembrance—an opportunity to honor the men and women who served in our armed forces and sacrificed their lives and limbs in defense of the values we aspire to uphold as a nation. They served with courage, believing in a country where the
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In our previous posts, we discussed the difficulties faced by Congress and the president when deciding the best mix if taxation, spending, and borrowing. We also reviewed specific budgetary choices concerning liberty and justice, national security, and the advancement
Budgeting for Natural Resource Management Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In our previous posts, we discussed the difficulties faced by Congress and the president when deciding the best mix if taxation, spending, and borrowing. In this post, we discuss specific budgetary choices concerning national security and the advancement of
Budgeting for Security Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In our previous post, we discussed the difficulties faced by Congress and the president when deciding the best mix if taxation, spending, and borrowing. In this post, we discuss specific budgetary choices concerning liberty and justice. Classically liberal republics
Budgeting for Liberty & Justice Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In this post, we discuss issues related to making budgetary choices. Previous posts dealt with issues related to taxation and borrowing and governmental capacity to get things done. The Constitution assigns Congress the powers to raise revenues, spend, and
Making Budgetary Choices Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In our previous post, we discussed some of the factors that share a government’s ability to get things done. In this post, we discuss a key requirement for accountability, the willingness and ability to monitor government policy outcomes against
Monitoring & Accountability Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In this post, we discuss issues related to governmental capacity to get things done, and done well. Previous posts dealt with issues related to taxation and borrowing and how various governments manage them. Government revenue and spending policies get
Government Capacity, Strong or Weak Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In this post, we discuss issues related to government deficits and borrowing. Some national governments seek balanced budgets, but most run deficits. A fiscal deficit arises when total spending exceeds revenues. That deficit must be financed by money creation
Ins & Outs of Government Borrowing Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In this post, we discuss issues related to taxation. How much government do we want? For some parts of the world, this question is a luxury – for them, the question is, “How much government can we afford?” Governments
How Much Government Do We Want to Pay For? Read More »
CFFAD maintains a glossary of terms that are used in civics. Our new addition is corruption. Check it out.As with all of our glossary entries, we try to be careful. You will sometimes see more than one definition for a word. This is because words can have different meanings for different people. The meaning of
Political Corruption Read More »
