EXISTING REPRESENTATIVE INSTITUTIONS HAVE BEEN SHAPED BY THE NEEDS OF GOVERNMENT, NOT OF LEGISLATION
Democratic governments today are shaped more by what the government needs than by making laws. Although they are called ‘legislatures,’ these assemblies mainly focus on managing government actions instead of creating general laws. This has led to confusion, where many believe that all decisions made by these assemblies are the same as laws, which mixes up the roles of government and legislation. The founders of modern representative government were concerned about political parties because they believed legislatures should create rules for citizens, not just control government actions. However, as legislatures took on more government responsibilities, they found they needed a majority of members who agreed on a plan to be effective.
This means that one group in the legislature supports the government, while another acts as an opposition, ensuring government accountability to the public. While a body organized this way is good at managing government, it is not really the best for creating lasting rules or laws. Government deals with specific cases and how to use resources rather than making broad rules of justice, which requires making continuous choices about how to serve the community’s needs. In a free society, the government should only control public resources, leaving citizens free from direct commands and subject only to general rules that apply to everyone.
As legislatures became focused on governing, this changed how they were organized and how their members thought. This shift has weakened the principle of separation of powers, as these elected bodies began to take on roles that used to belong to the executive branch, blurring the line between making laws and governing.
Democratic governments today are shaped more by what the government needs than by making laws. Although they are called ‘legislatures,’ these assemblies mainly focus on managing government actions instead of creating general laws. This has led to confusion, where many believe that all decisions made by these assemblies are the same as laws, which mixes up the roles of government and legislation. The founders of modern representative government were concerned about political parties because they believed legislatures should create rules for citizens, not just control government actions. However, as legislatures took on more government responsibilities, they found they needed a majority of members who agreed on a plan to be effective.
This means that one group in the legislature supports the government, while another acts as an opposition, ensuring government accountability to the public. While a body organized this way is good at managing government, it is not really the best for creating lasting rules or laws. Government deals with specific cases and how to use resources rather than making broad rules of justice, which requires making continuous choices about how to serve the community’s needs. In a free society, the government should only control public resources, leaving citizens free from direct commands and subject only to general rules that apply to everyone.
As legislatures became focused on governing, this changed how they were organized and how their members thought. This shift has weakened the principle of separation of powers, as these elected bodies began to take on roles that used to belong to the executive branch, blurring the line between making laws and governing.