Week 10

Blog post week 10

Madison’s arguments and the Modern Era
James Madison’s argument for a large government works well in today’s society. Although his vision is in place, I feel that Madison and his contemporaries were too flexible with state rights. . I will discuss which of Madison’s arguments would help make an even larger government work in light of the modern era. I will also add my own insight as to how our country could benefit from more government intervention.
In the Federalist Essay number 10 (Mclean Edition pg 77) Madison lays out his plan for the perfect Republican form of government. Madison’s form of government effectively puts an end to the loose Articles of Confederation and successfully combines the power of the 13 individual states into one united Union (www.sparknotes.com). Madison discusses the factions that come from having too many independent states. The factions that Madison referred to were, the individual states with their own agendas which were not always in harmony with the collective good, the wealthy factions who dominate the poor, and the political factions vying for power.
The first faction Madison describes is the State. Today I feel that states still have too many rights. These rights continue to create friction and disharmony. I will use healthcare as an example. States have tried and still cannot agree upon a common resolution to overhaul healthcare. It took many of our brave congress men and women to step and up get a new healthcare bill signed into law. Some call this the beginning of socialism. The reason we have a centralized government is to make the basic necessities obtainable to everyone in the United States regardless of which state you live in. I believe that if Madison were alive today he would not call healthcare reform socialism instead he would call this government at work.
Another area where a stronger government intervention is needed is the regulation of financial institutions. Madison and Hamilton saw the need for this. Hamilton established the first Bank of the United States. Madison saw the economic divide and wished to control or limit faction with more money from overpowering those with less (pg 80). Unfortunately in today’s society economic institution have been regulated too little too late. These economic factions have ruined our economy.
Our country has always had its political factions. Today there are only two that really stand out from the others. The two biggest factions are Republicans and the Democrats, or the left and the right. The right is in favor of the individual and the power of the state, and the left leans towards stronger government involvement and control. I think that Madison would have pushed for one moderate political party instead of two powerful political factions.
In summary, it seems that our constitution is failing our nation. Economic strife, political factions, and too many state rights are tearing our country apart. It’s time to get creative. Our constitution was written at a different time under different circumstances. In his book A More Perfect Constitution political scientist Larry Sabato recommends forming a continental congress to look at the possibility of a creating a new constitution or revising our current constitution. I only hope that there are people just like Madison, Hamilton, and Jay that are creative enough to suggest and campaign for a stronger government to be incorporated into a new or revised constitution should Sabato’s idea ever be acted upon.