The System Dynamics of the US Government

Have you ever heard someone say something to the extent of, "The founding fathers would be rolling in their graves if they knew what going on today?" That kind of thinking really doesn’t make sense. The US government is no different today than it was at its founding. It is a system. The system permitted the creation of laws, constitutional amendments, or procedures that are different today from those created 231 years ago. So, if someone thinks that the government is broken they are wrong. It’s always been this way. The system of governing is still the same. Perhaps if the leadership of the United States is not performing as it should then a new system of government needs to be created. It would be foolish to believe that the perfect form of government has already been created. As times, communications technology, and belief systems change it is possible that a major change in governmental systems is needed to deal with the complexity of the modern world. I don’t know what this new system is yet and I’m not advocating revolution. I’m just suggestion that we leave our minds open to a new way.

The inspiration for these thoughts comes from a paper I recently read on system dynamics titled, Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System by Donella Meadows. It describes the least powerful and most powerful ways to create change in a system. I highly recommend reading it. If you’re short on time you can get the Wikipedia version.

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