August 9, 2011

  • Do we want a king?

    The US governmental system has seen a progressive decline in the respect for the Legislative branch.  Seen as increasingly ineffectual, the legislature was designed as a place for laws to be written, vetted and rehashed before being signed into law by an executive.  The deliberative nature of this branch doesn't lend itself to easy narrative.  In the years since television and movies, it's no surprise that the office of the President gets a more rousing, central role to almost any and all movies.

    It is, simply put, easier to relate to a single leader than a morass of conflicting impulses and agendas. 

    The way the US public now behaves, frustrated with its legislature, angry at the gridlock - makes one wonder if perhaps a return to authoritarianism is not so far fetched?  Is it so hard to imagine a time when enough US citizens find the current impasse so enraging that revolution is in the winds?

    Stability is an illusion.

    The US has enjoyed an unprecedented quarter of a millennium.  It will be very interesting seeing what happens next.