A Republic No More

A Republic No More
Author :
Publisher : Encounter Books
Total Pages : 379
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781594038686
ISBN-13 : 1594038686
Rating : 4/5 (86 Downloads)

Book Synopsis A Republic No More by : Jay Cost

Download or read book A Republic No More written by Jay Cost and published by Encounter Books. This book was released on 2016-07-12 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?” Franklin’s response: “A Republic—if you can keep it.” This book argues: we couldn’t keep it. A true republic privileges the common interest above the special interests. To do this, our Constitution established an elaborate system of checks and balances that disperses power among the branches of government, which it places in conflict with one another. The Framers believed that this would keep grasping, covetous factions from acquiring enough power to dominate government. Instead, only the people would rule. Proper institutional design is essential to this system. Each branch must manage responsibly the powers it is granted, as well as rebuke the other branches when they go astray. This is where subsequent generations have run into trouble: we have overloaded our government with more power than it can handle. The Constitution’s checks and balances have broken down because the institutions created in 1787 cannot exercise responsibly the powers of our sprawling, immense twenty-first-century government. The result is the triumph of special interests over the common interest. James Madison called this factionalism. We know it as political corruption. Corruption today is so widespread that our government is not really a republic, but rather a special interest democracy. Everybody may participate, yes, but the contours of public policy depend not so much on the common good, as on the push-and-pull of the various interest groups encamped in Washington, DC.


A Republic No More Related Books

A Republic No More
Language: en
Pages: 379
Authors: Jay Cost
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-07-12 - Publisher: Encounter Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

After the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?” Franklin’s response: “A R
DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans
Language: en
Pages: 321
Authors: Jesse Ventura
Categories: Business & Economics
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-06-11 - Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ventura exposes how the two major parties have allowed corporations, businesses, and politically motivated wealthy individuals to manipulate elections, bribe el
Republic, Not an Empire
Language: en
Pages: 465
Authors: Patrick J. Buchanan
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-02-05 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

All but predicting the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, Buchanan examines and critiques America's recent foreign policy and argues for new policie
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
Language: en
Pages: 370
Authors: Neil Gorsuch
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-09-10 - Publisher: Forum Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Justice Neil Gorsuch reflects on his journey to the Supreme Court, the role of the judge under our Constitution, and the vital res
This Republic of Suffering
Language: en
Pages: 385
Authors: Drew Gilpin Faust
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-01-06 - Publisher: Vintage

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • An "extraordinary ... profoundly moving" history (The New York Times Book Review) of the American Civil