The Election is Almost Here!

It's that time again, the time when we get to choose who gets to screw-up the country for the next four years. That's not really fair; actually the president has very little authority over our form of government. Yes, he does get to make some decisions (Supreme Court Appointments, Presidential Orders, etc.), but the big plans come from the guys and gals down the street in Congress. The president, though a check and balance, has very little say in what this legislative body does. In years when the president has a majority he is more likely to get the laws passed that he wants. Otherwise, it is a constant battle between the two parties with the American people in the middle.

Wouldn't we be better off if the person that controlled the White House also had a majority in Congress? England does it that way....so it can't be all bad....right? It makes sense that the majority party should be allowed to steer the country in the direction the people want it to go...so says their vote anyway. If the majority messes-up the people correct it on the next election cycle, and the new ruling party is put in place and they "have a go at it" (a little lingo from across the pond).

Either way, the parties could still fight each other; they just wouldn't have governmental policy and the American people in the middle. The policy would be aligned with the party in office, so whether it sank or swam we would know who to blame. In the last four years we have blamed President Bush (rightfully so in many instances). However, the Democrats are not completely powerless (House of Representatives). How much blame do we place on them for this mess as well?

Honestly, no one knows. Questions like this are answered by what political affiliation one belongs to, and not the reality of the situation. Were checks and balances a good idea or just a way to keep our system in turmoil?