WHAT ARE THE SAFEGUARDS, AND WHY HAVEN'T THEY WORKED?

So, I just realized that my brillant idea of typing these posts by sections of boldfaced type or all caps in my case. That they will be shown backwards. So, if you want to start at the beginning of this whole schpill then you'll need to go down a few posts.

To help enforce and maintain this system of balanced federalism, the Constitution provides both external and internal controls on government. Perhaps the best example of an external control is the people's right to cast their votes in frequent public elections. Yet this alone is not a sufficient protection, because elected officials sometimes "change their tune" after assuming office. All too often, a candidate who wins a national election by claiming to support constitutional principles catches "Potomac fever" upon arriving in Washington and quickly becomes part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Among the internal controls established by the founders are (1) the oath of office, which requires all federal and state officials to pledge their support for the U.S. Consitution; (2) the separation of powers, which divides authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent any one branch or individual from becoming too powerful; and (3) a series of checks and balances that enable the three branches of government to keep each other within their proper bounds.

Unfortunately, these internal devices for maintaining our federal system are now largely ignored. For instance, although the president and the Supremem Court both have authority to resist unconstitutional laws enacted by Congress, they seldom do so. In fact, the Court has actually ruled that "Congress is not limited by the direct grants of legislative power found in the Constitutino." Over the last several decades, such neglect of constitutinoal restraints has allowed Washington to become increasingly abusive toward the states and the citizens of this country.