Unconstitutional
What does it mean when something is unconstitutional? Why does it matter? Find out here!
Republican
Republic or Democracy 15
What are the advantages of constitutional, republican, and liberal government? Click to find out!
Political Trust & Distrust 17
Why did the framers favor federalism? What special power do the states have?
Competence, Loyalty, and Patronage
Every government needs a civil service to get things done. Yet, hiring people into the civil service tempts politicians with some bad behaviors: could the new hires be selected for their loyalty to me or my party, could the old hires be fired for disloyalty, or could I make some money by asking new hires …
Friends When You Need Them
If you ever anticipate you might need some friends in Congress, if you ever figured you might need some allies, why would you ever show yourself to be uncooperative? One of the news stories from March 1 was that the leadership of the Democratic Party was upset that 26 members of the party had voted …
WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHANGE
Change is easier when our elected representatives are working together to get something done. The good news in this context is that there is far more common ground for them to build on than you will hear from the media. You can remind them of that.
The End of Partisan Gerrymandering? Fingers Crossed!
One of the most fundamental aspects of a democracy is that citizens vote for their leaders rather than politicians selecting their voters through partisan redistricting (gerrymandering). On October 3, 2017, the US Supreme Court heard a case that could end this practice forever. It is hard to know how the justices will rule on this issue but one thing is certain: anything that leads to more political competition will be welcome. As noted in our August 14, 2017 blog, too many states, and too many districts within those states are currently noncompetitive. More than a few districts don’t even provide voters with a choice: no-one wants to waste time and money running as an opposition candidate, knowing they are doomed to lose. Americans deserve better. Let’s hope the Supreme Court justices lend a hand.
