Separation Of Powers
Categories: Regulations
In the U.S., we’ve got the Prez, Congress, and the Supremes. We’ve also got the Fed, which is independent-ish of those three main branches of government. Why’s the federal government gotta make things so complicated?
The separation of powers...that’s why. By distributing different “powers” (the ability to do things legally) among different groups, we can avoid tyranny. Thanks to the separation of powers, each branch can be a check on the other branches, i.e. “checks and balances.”
Remember King Henry the 8th? The only thing people really remember him for was killing all his wives when he got bored and wanted a new one. And when Marie Antoinette tried to solve a major food shortage with “cake”? That didn’t really work out for the people (nor for her).
We separate legal powers among multiple branches to avoid stuff like that. If one branch tries to do something sketch, the others can step in and say “Really, man? Really?”
Even businesses these days have a separation of powers. The board of directors is a check on corporate governance, having the backs of shareholders. At least in theory. And yes, oh so many Boards are just living in the back pockets of their mercurial founders.
