Problems with Limits on Government Power

Americas major achievement was the implementation of mechanisms to limit government power:

• Leaders chosen by popular election
• Written constitution limiting the government powers
• Separation of powers

However each of these mechanisms has flaws.

• Weak incentives for individual voters implies the system is fragile to corruption from special interest groups. (Tragedy of the commons)
• The Government itself must police violations of the constitution. (Almost all federal laws, programs, and agencies are clearly unconstitutional)
• The different branches of the government can (and do!) gain more by working together to increase their power than by fighting to restrain each other.