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The President has the opportunity to reshape the Supreme Court by making nominations in the event of vacancies, and can veto bills passed by Congress that are considered to be unnecessary or undesirable. (correspondence. Com) The theory of checks and balances rests on the separation of powers or what’s called a balanced government, which Historians trace back to the ancient Greeks. Aristotle prescribed a system of “mixed government’ composed of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. (Whaley, 2011) The American system achieves a balance of powers or functions among the three branches of government.
This system predates Independence from England and operated In several of the colonial provincial governments like Massachusetts, Virginia and New Hampshire. During the period of the Articles of Confederation, Thomas Jefferson advocated a system of balanced government to avoid corruption, tyranny, and despotism. (Whaley, 2011) The Framers of the U. S. Constitution were influenced by Nonentities and William Blackstone and saw checks and balances of extreme importance for security and liberty reasons.
The Founding Fathers believed that In order to maintain a government free from corruption and tyranny, the government must have more than just separation of powers. Therefore, they created a system of checks and balances. Whaley, 2011) The executive branch has the powers of approving or vetoing federal bills, carrying out federal laws, appointing Judges and other high officials, making foreign treaties, granting pardons and reprieving to federal offenders, and acting as a commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The checks on this branch are that Congress can override vetoes by 2/3 vote, Senate can refuse to confirm appointments or ratify treaties, Congress can impeach and remove the President, Congress can 2008) The legislative branch has the powers of passing federal laws, establishing rower federal courts and the number of federal Judges, and can override the President’s veto with 2/3 vote. The checks on this branch are the presidential veto of federal bills, Supreme Court can rule laws unconstitutional, and both houses of Congress must vote to pass laws. Hawk, 2008) The Judicial branch has the powers of interpreting and applying the law by trying federal cases and can declare laws passed by Congress and executive actions unconstitutional. The checks on these powers are that Congress can propose constitutional amendments to overturn audacity decisions, Congress can impeach and remove federal Judges, and the President can appoint Judges. (Hawk, 2008) What follows are a few thoughts on checks and balances in healthcare reform. For example, Democrats won the first round with passage of the health bill.
But 2/3 of Americans still oppose the bill, and it is a long way between 2010 and 2020. Obama is spending $125 million in pre- November PR blitz to sell the good parts of the bill. Democrats control the spending and sending of checks for now but come November, if Republicans take back the House, they may begin to cut off the health reform checks. Race, 2010) Then there is the President vs. Congress. It has become clear the President has very short political coat tails, and endangered Democratic politicians are not rushing in to ask the President to campaign for them. Race, 2010) Specialist vs. Primary Care Physicians. 2/3 of American doctors are specialist. That is the way Americans seem to like it. Despite all the rhetoric about primary care shortages, the health bill did little to correct the situation. Universal coverage without universal coverage to primary care doctors may be meaningless. (Race, 2010) Doctors vs. Consumers. The idea is that the Internet will empower consumers to challenge their doctors to become equal partners in the decision making and separate the good doctors and hospitals from the bad.
Not a bad idea, but patients still trust doctors more than outside sources. (Race, 2010) Hospitals vs. Doctors. To make the Medicare budge balance, government will have to cut hospital and doctor pay. Since hospitals and doctors often compete for the same piece of pie, this will upset the competitive equilibrium between hospitals and doctors and will force them to collaborate. (Race, 2010) References Branches of government. (2002).