Answer/Explanation:
Separate Power
Americans should understand how their government works and why it works that way. The system of government the United States has is laid out in the Constitution and is based on several values. One significant value that drives this system is that of the separation of powers. The Founding Fathers had already seen in history that many abuses often follow when one person is given too much power, and they wanted a government that would combat those abuses; therefore, in the Constitution, they divided the government into different branches, and each branch was designed to fulfill a different role.
The first branch, called the legislative branch, consists of Congress—the House of Representatives and the Senate—and its primary function is to make laws. The second branch, called the executive branch, consists of the president and the cabinet, and its primary function is to carry out the laws. The third branch, called the judicial branch, consists of judges and courts, and its primary function is to interpret the laws.
When a king or a dictator rules, one person fulfills all three of these functions, but in our constitutional government one person can fulfill only one part of one function of the government. Because of this separation of powers, the United States can never become a nation like Nazi Germany, for even if a leader like Hitler were to exist, he could never grab enough power to do great damage. The system limits abuses.
This is important because American constitutional government exists for the people and is in turn answerable to the people. A single dictator can easily use the entire government for his own ends and not for the people, but in the United States no single leader can get that kind of power. Of course, this does not mean that American government will always be free from corruption, for government leaders can and sometimes do use their position for their own ends. The separation of powers cannot change the human heart. It simply limits the damage.
Or think of it this way. Which government is more likely to abandon the goal of serving the people? One ruler with great power, or many leaders elected by the people who share the responsibility of governing? Is it easier for one apple to go bad or for the whole orchard?
The separation of powers is among the Founding Fathers’ finest contributions to our government. It helps keep the government focused on the task of working for the people, and it limits the harm that bad leaders can inflict upon the nation.
The Bad with the Good
Americans have always had this love/hate relationship with their government. They can show great respect for the Constitution, praising it to high heaven, and then turn around and blast Congress for its squabbling and inefficiency. Ironically, however, the Constitution that people so love is the very thing that creates many of the problems that people so hate.
The United States government is not set up to be efficient, for it has created three separate branches of government to do what, in the old days, one person used to do, or at least oversee. One of those branches of government, the legislative branch, contains over 500 members; therefore, in order to make a law, the system requires more than 500 people to hammer out the details and come to a majority decision. It then requires approval from a completely different branch of government—the president, who often comes from a different political party than the majority decision came from.
The Constitutional system of separating government powers exists for good reason, but it also comes with a cost. The system must sacrifice one good thing in order to gain another; it trades away efficiency in order to get some protection from abuses.
Americans may praise the Constitution for the protections it offers, but they do not tend to blame the Constitution for the problems it causes. Perhaps it is easier to blame Congress or the president, but understand that in many ways, their hands are tied. Congress and the president cannot just make decisions on their own, for the Constitution will not let them.
