Challenging the Foundations of US Federal Government Structure
The crux of the American problem.
A two branch legislature necessarily opposes the very foundational principals of federalism, forming a despotic and nationalist government rather than the federal government the American public believes to exist. This is not a radical or contemporary viewpoint but rather a contention at the very heart of the construction of the constitution as opposed to the previous articles of confederation, which, while admittedly imperfect, contained certain protections regarding the sovereignty of individual states.
The key difference between a federal and national government rests on the subject of the general government as compared to that of the state. The state, in a federalist system, serves to protect the individual liberties and interests of individual citizens, whereas the general (federal) government exists to protect the individual sovereignty of the states as equal entities unto themselves. The division within the current legislative system works in multiple, definable ways as, what some of the men present at the Federal Convention wherein the American constitution was drafted termed, “the most complete, most abject system of slavery that the wit of man ever devised, under the pretense of forming a government of free states.”
For example, the quorum concept, which requires a certain number of members in order to make official decisions, grants certain states unfair advantage over others since the states have unequal representation. This grants states such New York, Texas, and California the ability to manipulate federal policy, especially when colluding with members from other states, which is often done behind the scenes in Washington, with no input from the citizens who are supposed to be being represented. This also gives states power to block legislation they do not support, even if it would benefit the interest of the majority of state’s citizens. This is a critical point, the states themselves need to be seen and treated as individual bodies with equal representation in order to have a functioning federation.
Another salient point is the idea that the legislative split between the House of Representatives and the Senate, even if both bodies operate exactly as literally intended and are devoid of corruption in full, a monarchical division wherein a small group of ‘elite’ individuals, lacking public oversight, is systematically allowed to check the will of the people’s representatives. And that’s if things are operating as intended.
The states are not just individuals, they are a union of individuals, and each state should have an equal say in the federal government. In this model, the federal government is not the seat of power, it is the seat of power for the states, and the states are the seat of power for the people. Therefore in the true and original American idea, the federal government cannot be a sovereign entity.
A common argument in support of the general government is the military argument. But this argument is not so self-evidently sound as it may seem. Historically, when a government aims to strip its citizens of freedom and subject them to tyranny, it often employs a standing army while intentionally keeping the militia weak and disorganized to prevent resistance. By granting the general government extensive powers, including the ability to maintain a standing army and control the militia, a nation risks undermining the liberties of the states and their citizens.
Regarding the welfare of a nation’s citizens, is it preferable to have a gassed-up force of external aggression or a smaller more concentrated system centered around actual defense? What’s worse is that public opinion generally perceives a centralized military as a sort of favor, as if the American war machine is somehow protecting them by starting unnecessary wars and creating foreign enemies with bloody and unnecessary conquests.
Financially deprived of their own revenue by the general government, the citizens of various states are thus contended to focus on their private occupations as their sons are sacrificed to the interests of Washington’s elite. As they murder and are murdered, they pay the tab of the general government under the guise of protection. If a nation is to be protected by its government, it would be better if the government were to protect the people from the government itself.
-The Shultz Report by M. Shultz