Amanda M. LabradoPLSC 210Prof. Miller2/21/10

Homework #4Philosophical foundations of The American Political System 1. Describe how the powers or responsibilities of two or more of the three branches of government overlap (“checks and balances”) in the following areas:(a) the process by which a bill becomes a law:The powers of the House of Representatives are overlapped by those of the Senate; the powers of the Senate are overlapped by those of the President; the powers of the President are overlapped by both the votes of the Senate and the House of Representatives.(b) the appointment of judges, ambassadors, cabinet secretaries, and other important officials:The President’s nominations of judges, ambassadors etc. are given advice upon by the Senate and are approved by the Senate; therefore, the President’s powers to elect officials are overlapped by the Senate. (c) the removal from office of presidents and judges:The Congress decides whether a President /Judge is to be removed from office if unfit to be there and the Pres. Or Judge to be removed may write a statement on why they are fit to stay.(d) making agreements with foreign countriesThe president can do this with consent from and agreement with the Senate.(e) going to warCongress has the right to declare war but has no checker to stop it from doing so if it is done without a purpose.2. (a) What is the “Jeffersonian Model”Leading and using political parties to get the country and Congress to vote on a candidate based on an “electoral majority in spite of the separation of powers” so that the government is controlled by one party.(b)What problem was it devised to surmountThe Jeffersonian Model was devised to surmount the “antimajoritarian bias of the separation of powers”. (c)Why doesn’t Hudson think it works very well anymore?“it permits only episodic periods of majority rule”, and because the President and Congress are elected separately, it leaves the president with little power of the members of Congress who are of a different political party. Lastly, Bicameralism “impedes unified government, even if it is controlled by the same political party,” to take action.3. According to Hudson, what are the two main problems that the separation of powers poses for democracy? Give at least two examples of each.

Responsiveness and Accountabilitya. The S.O.P.s is biased against “majorities supporting change inhibit[ing] governmental responsiveness

to serious problems, citizen concerns, and substantive policy innovation.”b. “Minority interests can prevail over majority interests” and prevent the majority from gaining what

they desire.c. When government slips-up, it is almost impossible to tell whether the president or Congress (or who

in congress) should be held responsible because of the separation of powers, which results in bad policy making.d.”Fingers will be pointed” [when the government enacts a defective policy that lead to disaster] but

“no one will be held to account” because of the separation of powers, everyone could be responsible.

4. Explain the differences between the U.S. System of separation of powers (SOP)and a parliamentary system (PS)regarding:(a)How the chief executive is chosen:PS:Voters elect members of legislature (Parliament) and whatever party is the majority in the House of Commons, and is approved by the head of state, is the party that forms the government.S.O.P.: Voters choose a party that will be their elector in voting on the president they choose. (b) How the chief executive can be removed from officeSOP: Impeachment by CongressPS: Resignation because of pressure from supporting Party(c) how frequently (and when) national elections are heldPS: Every 5 years between February and the first Thursday of June.SOP: Every 4 years in November between November 2nd and 8th on the Tuesday following the 1st Monday.(d) the degree of cooperation between the executive and legislative branchesPS: P.M. must be in complete cooperation with his supporting party in Parliament (House of Commons and Lords) in order to keep his position as head of government.SOP: Pres. Doesn’t need to cooperate much w/ Congress b/c can’t be removed unless has committed a crime.5. Should the U.S. switch to a parliamentary system? Give at least two arguments in favor, and two against.Yes, The U.S. should switch because a Parliamentary System would allow people to vote for policies which they could expect to see enacted.No, if the U.S. were to switch to a Parliamentary system, there might be a limit on the parties people vote on because of successes of other parties, i.e. if the republicans were to be a great party with full support from Parliament, there would be almost no chance for the Democrats.Yes, the U.S. should switch because then bad politicians like G.W. Bush could be removed from office and our country would be protected from turmoil.No, we shouldn’t switch to a Parliamentary system because there wouldn’t be checks and balances, meaning that bills might be passed that could upset the country.Federalism6. (a) What is the difference between unitary constitutional systems, confederations, and federations?

UnitaryOne single central gov.Has choice to give responsibilities to regional / local govts (devolution)The loc/reg gov decisions can be overthrown by centre+ exist only by central govs will

ConfederationFor say: the Pres is the ‘Junior partner” of multitude of political bodies and acts as an “agent” of the centre, controlling only what the surrounding political Bodies allow.

Federation“legal sovereignty is shared between the federal government “and its states (sub-units)“neither can abolish the other”Has “multiple levels of governance”Each ”tier” has “a different functions”States are “guaranteed a voice in nat’l policy making”

(b) Give examples of each type of systemGreat Britain is under a Unitary System.Iroquois nation is a confederacy: decisions made by member-state legislation. (Wikipedia)The U.S. is a Federation. (it has self-governing states)(c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?Unitary

Disadvantage: minimal Checks on the unitary system. If unitary system is led by tyrannous leader it can easily fall because of the power over local and regional governments.Advantage: Quicker to make decisions w/o checks and more responsive to majority interestsConfederationAdv: Almost full citizen control over government, parties make decisions unanimously, no direct power (Wikipedia).Disadvantages: Minority is not represented fairly, limited amount of power over multitude of poli. bodies.FederationAdv: state and federal gov. keep each other in check and cannot eradicate each other, everyone is represented.Dis: slow to respond to desires of citizens, cannot regulate state governments if they are in accordance with federal standards. 7. Is the European Union a federation? Compare and Contrast with the U.S.8. Is California a unitary state, a federation, or a confederation? Explain.California is a federation because we share sovereignty with the government; we have multiple levels of government and rely on a centre (Executive Branch) that controls external relations such as defense, foreign affairs, immigration, and currency, while California is left to control “education, law enforcement and local government”. It is also a federation because we are a state that is “guaranteed a voice in national policy making through an upper chamber of assembly.” (Ch. 14 Hague & Harrop)9. Describe the differences between the three structures for local government, providing examples of each.