We don't seem to have any idea of what our government is like. We have no idea how different it is from every other government on the planet. It is not taught in schools or universities.
I became highly aware of this when I first started showing Japanese and European dignitaries around the Bay Area.
Whenever we saw some unusual event such as a boat accidentally discharging sewage into the Bay my visitors would ask why the authorities didn't stop that behavior.
I had to explain that the authorities consisted of six different unrelated but overlapping agencies. There were local police closest to the boat. There were the local prosecutors in a separate agency. There were several police agencies at the maritime level and at the regional level. There were specific agencies that covered only the Bay. There were other agencies at various levels local, regional and state concerned with pollution.
To put it simply 'no one is in charge'.
This is because America was settled by frontiersman who created government on an ad hoc basis. We did not have a King who was expanding his empire and expanding his control. These were independent and autonomous people. When they needed water they formed a water district. When they needed fire protection they formed a fire protection district. The same was true for judicial entities and schools. Over time some of these were consolidated but only a few.
America, uniquely in the world is a multilayered highly centralized system of governance.
In my opinion, this is one of the reasons we have so much commerce and innovation. No one is watching to stop the outlaws who create innovation in society.
I became highly aware of this when I first started showing Japanese and European dignitaries around the Bay Area.
Whenever we saw some unusual event such as a boat accidentally discharging sewage into the Bay my visitors would ask why the authorities didn't stop that behavior.
To put it simply 'no one is in charge'.
This is because America was settled by frontiersman who created government on an ad hoc basis. We did not have a King who was expanding his empire and expanding his control. These were independent and autonomous people. When they needed water they formed a water district. When they needed fire protection they formed a fire protection district. The same was true for judicial entities and schools. Over time some of these were consolidated but only a few.
America, uniquely in the world is a multilayered highly centralized system of governance.
In my opinion, this is one of the reasons we have so much commerce and innovation. No one is watching to stop the outlaws who create innovation in society.
