On this quiet Saturday, we are pleased to offer this outstanding column from Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association…
Most high school students, at least in the old days, learned in civics class that there are three branches of government each of which has a discernible and distinct function. That is not to say that the lines of demarcation are always clear. There remains constant tension among these branches at both the federal and state levels and their respective powers ebb and flow with political changes and other events.
In addition to the Separation of Powers doctrine, there are profound issues of federalism that constantly arise with respect to the powers of the individual states relative to our national government.
Here, too, the respective powers change; sometimes incrementally and sometimes dramatically, such as the shift in power resulting from the Civil War.
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