Sphere of Power Part I.

The Powers inside the Sphere

The Sphere of Power is a creation of man to harness the different powers in our society. In the United States government, each Citizen has two spheres to work through: the federal and state spheres. Each is governed by a Legislative, Judiciary, and Executive. In the federal sphere, the Legislative arm is divided into the Senate, which represents the States, and the House represents the people. The Executive is the president following out the laws. The Sphere is balanced by a judicial system interpreting those laws and settling disputes between the other powers. 

Think of government as an object too powerful for one individual or group to hold on their own. To harness the massive power of the federal, state, and people, our government divided each power into separate entities, working independently and in tandem to serve the federal union. Separating the powers ensures no one power becomes too large and consumes the rest. Historically, we have seen how concentrated power can become combustible or corrupted to serve the interest of a few rather than the many. Concentrating power makes it difficult for those in control of the power, the leaders, to communicate with those they lead. Power was hidden from those they served in these circumstances, and rhetoric replaced communication. 

The United States government Sphere balances the concentration of power with the republican structure and a representative democracy. The divided republican power of the State, People, and Federal check each other. The democratic power of the people checks the republican structure. Each Citizen's power is in their voice and vote. 

The Citizen communicates their voice into power by voting for a Representative that best represents the values of their community. The Representative enters the Sphere of Power. Inside, the Representative is responsible for ruling the community. As the Representatives are the legislature, they write the law. The Representative is our ruler, in a way. A ruler that we as Citizens are responsible for holding accountable. The right of suffrage— to vote— is the Citizen's safeguard to freedom. The Representative is responsible for being a safe depository of the community's interests and maintaining their freedom as much as possible. If the Representative fails to be a safe depository for the community, the Citizens can replace them every two years.

The rules for the Sphere of Power are written by those in the sphere. They use these rules to govern how they write and execute laws. Citizens should encourage representatives who listen and inform, speak up and protect freedoms, and ensure laws are not written to benefit the positions of power inside the Sphere. It's the Citizen's responsibility to hold the Sphere accountable. 

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the United States Congress. The House of Representatives holds a significant amount of power in the legislative process, including: introducing and passing bills, impeachment, control over federal spending, oversight, and confirmation of presidential appointments. The House's power is vested in the people. The people hold power to write the rules and hold our representatives accountable.

Senate

The Senate plays a critical role in shaping the course of American politics and policy, and its members are often influential figures in national affairs. The Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress. Its power is derived from several key features of its design, including its relatively small size, longer terms of office, and unique constitutional responsibilities. The Senate has the power to approve or reject presidential nominations for federal judges and executive officials, including Supreme Court justices, as well as the power to ratify treaties and approve legislation. The Senate's rules also provide significant procedural powers to individual senators, allowing them to block or delay legislation, conduct investigations, and exercise oversight over executive branch agencies.

Supreme Court

The Judicial branch is the 3rd branch of government of the United States of America, composed of a supreme court of federal judges with additional lesser courts. As defined in the US Constitution, these courts preside over “all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made…under their Authority”. Alexander Hamilton clarifies the intent and importance of this branch in Federalist No. 22: “Laws are a dead letter without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.”

The judicial branch is the ultimate authority on how the laws of this nation are to be interpreted. In a sense, the judiciary is the weakest of the three branches. While all branches of government serve to check and balance each other, the judiciary is primarily reactive. Congress makes laws, the president has power to execute or veto laws, but the judges can decide if certain laws or actions are constitutional. When properly formed and executed, the judiciary reigns in the excesses of the legislative and executive to keep the nation balanced and self-governing.

President

The power of the executive in the United States is vested in the President, who serves as both the head of state and the head of government. The President has broad powers in several key areas, including foreign policy, national security, and the administration of federal agencies. The President serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has the power to negotiate treaties and executive agreements, and can issue executive orders to direct the activities of federal agencies. The President also has the power to veto legislation passed by Congress, though a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate can override this. Overall, the power of the executive is significant, and the President is often viewed as one of the most influential figures in American politics and policy.

In the next article, we will discuss how the different powers work inside the sphere and how the growth of our society has thrown off the balance inside the sphere, causing a concentration of power.