American Federal Government Presentation #2: Instant Runoff Voting

Instant Runoff Voting: A Solution to Hyperpluralism

Hyperpluralism is a problem. The idea of our pluralistic system is one of distributed power. Interest groups influence the government, and the government makes policy. This works best when there are many special interests groups promoting candidates from which we choose representatives, who then balance one another within our government. In the US, we have many, many political parties, but rarely do we notice anyone not from the two largest parties. This has led to a state of hyperpluralism, wherein our two main parties have grown so strong that they've suppressed both the power of the government and the will of the people. We now have two angry mobs playing Tug of War with our civil rights, our economy, and our lives. We should reform our Presidential electoral system in order to provide a robust selection of candidates, which would in turn, reintroduce balance to our system of governance.

Government Presentation #1: An Analysis of The Judiciary Branch, as Proposed in the Federalist #78-84

My notes and handout from my first presentation for my American Federal Government class.

Presentation Notes:

I'd like to begin with a very famous quote. It that appears nowhere within the Federalist, but is nevertheless present throughout.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

This statement encapsulates the entire basis of our Union. We have rights. The government exists to secure them. That's the point. Out of these branches, the Judiciary does the most to secure and promote those rights, because they provide 'equal justice under the law' to every citizen. (Except maybe Dred Scott.)