This week was meant to be a bridge to a discussion of the three branches of government outlined in Articles 3, 4, and 5 of the Texas Constitution.
Before digging into it, I though it was necessary to make sure we were clear on the purpose of and problems presented by the separated powers. The simple purpose of it was to ensure that the three principle powers of government would not be concentrated in the hands of one person, group, or institution.But it comes at a cost because it makes the governing system inefficient.
Texas' mechanism for separating power is different from that you see on the national level, an an open question in any state - especially Texas - is whether the powers are in fact adequately separated.
After doing so we ran through basic features of each of the three branches and tried to understand how Texas is different from each of the states. We hit the following point repeatedly, but the amateur legislature, plural executive and elected judiciary - together - are meant to minimize the power of the state government. Whether that makes Texas government more susceptible to private interests is a topic we pick up later.
Next up: a look at the constitutional design of the legislature.
Then we will hit the pause button and spend a week walking through the book you are assigned to read.
