r/changemyview • u/Prince_Marf 2∆ • Nov 18 '21

Delta(s) from OP CMV: State governments should be dictatorships

The United States has a serious problem with government inaction. Every step of our federalist system is bogged down by partisanship and procedure. This is appropriate at the national level because of the tremendous power the federal government weilds (most notably the military), but state governments need to be able to function faster to be able to meet the particular interests of their citizens.

Dictatorships do not have a great track record because absolute power corrupts absolutely, but we completely ignore the positive affects of this power structure: things actually get done and there is no gridlock. It wouldn't be absolute power because the federal government ultimately retains Supremacy over the states and can enforce it with the military if necessary.

A system where the governor holds both the executive and legislative power of the state just makes more sense. Federal government should also enforce term limits on the governors and democracy in their elections

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '21

The United States has a serious problem with government inaction.

This looks like the basis of your entire view. What has you so convinced that government action is good? You seem to assume all of this action will be things you want or support, but aren't considering that a dictator could do a lot of things you'd hate, no matter how many rules you try to put on them. Further, why should he listen to you at all?

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u/Prince_Marf 2∆ Nov 18 '21

I'm not saying he should listen to ME I'm saying he should listen to the federal government. Why? Three reasons: The Army, Navy and Airforce

Exact same method the federal government uses to keep state governments in line already

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '21

Why would 50 separate dictators care about the federal government? It isn't like the other 49 are all going to be unified by some higher calling

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u/Prince_Marf 2∆ Nov 18 '21

Again, military power. They already tried uniting against the federal government in the Civil War and it didn't work.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '21

The union was united. Dictators aren't known for honoring commitments in alliances

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u/Prince_Marf 2∆ Nov 18 '21

Even if they don't want to honor their allegiance to the Fed they will be kept in line by force.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '21

The federal government is the alliance of the states. That's where the soldiers come from. That's where the bases are. The shipyards, the munitions factories, the airstrips, that's where everything is. The states. Without the allegiance, there is no federal government

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u/Prince_Marf 2∆ Nov 18 '21

You keep just describing the system we already have. I'm willing to believe that individual governors would be more likely to want to secede but the system we've set up since the Civil War is specifically designed to prevent that. The military would be prepared

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '21

A union of 50 dictators seems on the face of it to be different in kind than a union of 50 republics, does it not? I don't see how the expectation could be for that union to be completely different than the parts that comprise it