Pavel Molchanov
Matthews, NC
Cable System: Time Warner
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Pavel Molchanov |
Having recently come from what was in 1990 the Soviet Union, where Moscow controlled every imaginable aspect of life, I witnessed first- hand the grave errors that governments can make when all power emanates from on high. While living there, I did not think that the "provinces" could have any authority except that of enforcing orders from the capital. When I arrived in the United States, I soon learned about the American federalist system but did not think much about how truly fundamental a part of the nation's democracy it is. That realization came when I was watching C- SPAN' s "Alexis de Tocqueville Tour." To me, learning about Democracy in America provoked a deep appreciation of the system of shared authority in the United States that is one of the cornerstones of this nation's liberty.
Tocqueville's tour through America was an extraordinary experience that he could not have had in Europe, a continent where in the 19th century, a nation's center of political life was always the seat of the national government. Devolving power to the provinces was virtually unheard of. Tocqueville witnessed first-hand the workings of state legislatures, district courts, and municipalities. His book proved to Europe that what Hamilton, Madison, and Jay argued in The Federalist Papers - namely, that a stable and strong government can be maintained with decentralized authority - is not wishful thinking, but reality in the United States.
Indeed, in discussing the system of shared sovereignty in the United States, Tocqueville wrote that "[t]he first question which awaited the Americans... was so to divide the authority of the different States which composed the union that each of them should continue to govern itself in all that concerned its internal prosperity, while the entire nation, represented by the Union, should continue to form a compact body, and to provide for the general exigencies of the people." This is precisely what was done in framing the modern U.S. Constitution.
The federalist system that Tocqueville remarked upon is undoubtedly the basis of American democracy. Just as the concept of "checks and balances" makes sure that one branch of government does not usurp too much power, so do the states restrain the actions of Washington, and vice- versa.
Watching the "Tour" made me realize that Tocqueville's words regarding federalism ring true today. The effect of Reagan's "New Federalism" philosophy is still felt throughout the nation. The great debate in the halls of Congress right now is whether or not more powers should be assumed by states and municipalities. Regardless on which side of this ideological divide one stands, the ability to make decisions regarding the community at the local level is universally recognized as being of great value. As a person who was relatively unaware of the benefits of a federalist system, I grew to appreciate it much more after watching the "Alexis de Tocqueville Tour." What Tocqueville described more than 150 years ago remains a bulwark against tyranny in the modern world.