Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recently said, “We do not have a monarchy; we have a separation of powers in our country.”
Ever since President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to fund the border wall, many people have been bewailing what they are calling a violation of the separation of powers. It's easy, then, to see how Pelosi could raise it to the level of a form of government. In fact, the concept of the separation of powers is often misunderstood.
The framers of our Constitution welcomed the discovery of the separation of powers as one of the great improvements to the science of politics. They didn't, however, think of it in ideological terms, as some strict formula to be applied thoughtlessly. They considered it one of several “inventions of prudence,” which, if used well, could help prevent tyranny and also aid deliberation and execution of the people's will.
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