The Federal Government of the United States of America is as old as the country and the nation themselves – they were formed immediately after the War for Independence and are considered the first federal government in the history of human race. From the very beginning, the spirit of the nation was expressed in the so-called system of checks and balances – that was the American ideal of the body that leads the country – the government of the laws, or of the system, and not that of men.
The system of checks and balances presupposes that the government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial ones, each not only dealing with particular sets of issues without overlapping, but also being more or less equal in power, making the prevalence of any of these branches impossible and thus excluding the possibility of emerging the so-called “big government”, the government that is controlled from one center and tries to impose its rule over all the aspects of citizens’ lives.
For quite a long time this system seemed to work. However, the 20th century showed that the temptation of power seems to be too strong – contemporary government shows all the signs of trying to expand its power as much as possible, making all three branches work in one and the same direction. Of course, it didn’t happen suddenly – the process was gradual, but always growing faster. The government generally began to expand its powers since the US Civil War, but only now it became really obvious.
It is sad, to tell the truth. The very thing that has always been the core of the American lifestyle ebbs away gradually, and what will this country be when it is completely gone?