I love the English language. It is so complex and one word can have numerous definitions wildly separate in uses and meanings. For instance take the word branch. I could do branches on the family tree, but that goes into a genealogy article. I could do “Bourbon and Branch” but I’ll save that for the Kentucky Derby. There is my bank branch but I’m mad at them. They insist on my having money before I’m allowed to spend it. Politics seems to be heavily in the news, so let’s go with the branches of government since so many seem to have forgotten that there are a few of them.
By virtue of the Constitution of the United States, the powers of our federal government are divided into three separate and equal branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. They each have special responsibilities concerning laws and the principles that govern our nation. No one branch is to dominate the others.
The protection provided by the three branches prevents a dictatorship from developing. For this reason, the American public will often place the executive branch in the hands of one political party and the legislative branch in the hands of another while the Supreme court moves much more slowly left or right because of the life long appointments. Too often we forget that this delicate balance between the branches is what prevents this country from falling apart. When one of the branches becomes too overloaded, the whole tree can crack.
In 1945 there was a wonderful documentary and song that won the Oscar. Despite the fact that the ten minute short is very dated and colored by the attitudes of the WW II era against Japanese. We wouldn’t want to be stupid enough to make the mistake of detention camps again now would we? The message it delivers is not dated. Here without the war time propaganda is The House I live in.
Legislative Branch
Congress: Senate (100 members) and the House of Representatives (435 members)
Makes Laws
Creates and passes bills (proposed laws)
Approves appointments and treaties made by the President
Sets and collects taxes
Coins money
Makes rules for trade between states
Declares war
Executive Branch
The President, Vice President, 14 Cabinet members (heads of 14 executive departments)
Carries Out (Executes) Laws
Signs into law or vetoes (rejects) bills passed by Congress
Commands the armed forces
Appoints judges, ambassadors, and other federal officials
Makes treaties with other countries
Receives diplomats from other countries
Represents the U.S. at special ceremonies
Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court (9 justices) and the Lower federal courts
Interprets Laws
Can decide if a law is constitutional
Can decide if a Presidential action is constitutional
Reviews court cases related to the Constitution and federal laws
Reviews cases tried in lower courts
So there you have it. A great tree of a country with three strong branches to support and balance each other.
Right now things have gotten unbalanced and we need to prop up the tree and prune the Executive so the other two branches regain their strength.
One response to “Out On A Limb”
If the U.S. House of Representatives had kept pace with population growth since the cap was instituted in 1913, estimates suggest there would be approximately 1,560 to 1,622 seats. Current estimates based on modern population trends and representation ratios (such as the “Wyoming Rule” or cube root law) suggest between 680 and over 1,000+ members are needed to restore better representation ratios.
1913 Level: If growth continued as it did before the 1929 cap, the House would have roughly 1,560 members.
“Wyoming Rule” (1:1 Ratio): If every state’s district size matched the smallest state (Wyoming), the House would have about 1,622 members.
Cube Root Law: Using a formula of the cube root of the population suggests about 680 representatives.
The current 435-member limit, set in 1929, has led to a high ratio of constituents per representative, which critics argue harms democratic responsiveness.