Does the Federal government have enough power?

Introduction

Based on the American Constitution, the nation is under federalism type of government. Federalism was established after the independence of the thirteen states, as described in the Articles of Confederation. However, the Federal Government at the time was very weak, and the Founding Fathers decided to develop a new system of Government. Within the present Constitution of the United States, the Federal Government has powers to make money, declare war, manage foreign relations, and oversee trade between states and with other countries (Scheiber, 86-88). The federal government shares powers with the states, e.g., formulation and enforcement of laws, taxation, and acquiring loans. This begs the question; does the Federal Government have enough power, too much power, or just the right amount of power? This paper claims that the Federal Government has just the right amount of power, and the discussion herein defends this argument.

Powers of the Federal Government

The federal government comprises three co-equal branches; the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive. Each of these institutions draws its power from the Constitution. The powers for each of the branches are vested on the federal courts, the Congress, and the President.

The Congress is the branch that legislates, and it is a bicameral structure comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congress is given numerous powers by the constitutions, among them; levying and collecting taxes, creation of federal courts that are inferior to the Supreme Court, declare war, provide and maintain a navy, and make laws needed to execute powers properly. While the Congress makes the laws, it doesn't have any power in interpreting them or ensuring that they are enforced as this is the role of the criminal justice system, in which lies the justice system (Dry, 233). The fact that Congress cannot enforce the laws they make means that the power of the Congress is not only under check but also limited in this manner. Additionally, in the event the congress makes laws that conflict with the existing law and the constitution, such laws can be struck down by the courts, which further works to check on the powers of the American Congress.

The federal governments executive power is vested and practiced by the president. Normally, and in the day to day operations of the government, these powers are delegated to the Cabinet members and other officials of the Federal Government. Congress can summon members of the Cabinet for oversight, which checks their power. The President and the Vice-President are elected into office through a popular vote, and the Electoral College and the president's term in office are limited to two terms of four years each (Dry, 233). This structure means that the presidency is under check, and the concerns of each State, including the District of Colombia, have to be addressed. After every term, Americans have a say on the president's execution of his power.

The judiciary has the role of explaining and applying the laws. This is done through hearing and eventually making determinations on various legal issues presented in courts. Article III, Section I of the American Constitution, establishes the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Courts members are appointees of the President, but to ensure that the president doesn't appoint persons who only advance his agenda, these nominees must be confirmed by the Senate (Young, 80). More importantly, the courts cannot make up the laws to be applied in the court, but they can make recommendations to Congress on the relevant laws to address...

…office, Republicans will argue that the power of the Federal Government is too much. At the same time, Democrats will argue that the Federal Government is too weak and deserves more power (Swift). For example, during the Obama Administration, Republicans argued that the Federal Government was too much, especially through the federal takeover of healthcare through the Affordable Care Act. Currently, during the era of the Republican President Trump Administration, and with demonstrations and sometimes violence in some states, Republicans argue that the Federal Government is too weak.

Conclusion

The United States is under a federalist government, with power shared between the federal government and the State Government. Nonetheless, there is the question of whether the federal government is too powerful, too weak, or its power is just enough. This paper argues that the federal governments power is just enough. This is because; the power of the federal government was established through the Constitution by the Founding Fathers as a matter of necessity. Second, the American governance system is founded on an adversarial system of checks and balances between the three arms of the government; therefore, no power is too much power. Third, the US is a democracy, and such elements like the design of the Electoral College, the limited terms of the presidecy, and the power of the voter. The power of the federal government is to the interests of the republic, and thus, no power is too much power. Lastly, the power exercised by the Federal Government has been given through the Constitution to ensure that they can carry out their mandate. This means that the power wielded by the Federal Government is just the right power. It is also noted that arguments against the federal government are baseless, untrue, misrepresentative, or based on political…