Checks and Balances Are a Game of Chicken

And Congress keeps losing

Photo by Arib Neko on Unsplash

In middle-school civics class, we’re taught that the genius of our system of government lies in its checks and balances. As the narrative goes, the founders discovered a formula that prevented the excesses of democracy while keeping ambitious politicians from seizing too much power. The system of checks and balances ensures that politicians can’t make rash decisions…