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I don’t think the OP was being completely literal, and your point about language barriers is well taken, but in the context of America, Switzerland is the state

by cascom 8y ago

I don’t think the OP was being completely literal, and your point about language barriers is well taken, but in the context of America, Switzerland is the state of Virginia in terms of population (and about 40% of Virginia’s land area). In that context, Swiss national politics is more akin U.S. state level politics, where there tends to be much more cohesion.

CaptainZapp 8y ago
Actually, as a fiercly federalist country politics are very much comparable to a lesser corrupt US. In fact parts of the US system were implemented with the founding of the Swiss Confederation. Namely the two houses. The principle of governance is to push as much power as possible as locally as possible. Communities and cities as well as cantons (states) in Switzerland have a lot of leeway in handling their affairs. As long there's no violation of higher principles. For example a violation of the federal constitution.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > parts of the US system were implemented with the founding of the Swiss Confederation Specifically, on the California constitution. (The Swiss system improves on California’s referendum process by making the referenda texts non-binding as law, but binding as instructions on the legislature.)
  - mkempe 8y ago
    You're inventing a past influence of California as a model for other parts of the world. The Swiss constitution of 1848 is modeled after the US Constitution [1], not after such a thing as a Californian political model -- especially since California was not admitted to the Union until 1850... popular initiatives (not just referenda) were adopted in Zurich before spreading to other Swiss cantons and then being also adopted at the Federal level. [1] http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/switzerland-federal-constitution-1848.html http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/switzerland...

by cascom 8y ago

CaptainZapp 8y ago

Actually, as a fiercly federalist country politics are very much comparable to a lesser corrupt US. In fact parts of the US system were implemented with the founding of the Swiss Confederation. Namely the two houses. The principle of governance is to push as much power as possible as locally as possible. Communities and cities as well as cantons (states) in Switzerland have a lot of leeway in handling their affairs. As long there's no violation of higher principles. For example a violation of the federal constitution.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> parts of the US system were implemented with the founding of the Swiss Confederation Specifically, on the California constitution. (The Swiss system improves on California’s referendum process by making the referenda texts non-binding as law, but binding as instructions on the legislature.)
- mkempe 8y ago
  You're inventing a past influence of California as a model for other parts of the world. The Swiss constitution of 1848 is modeled after the US Constitution [1], not after such a thing as a Californian political model -- especially since California was not admitted to the Union until 1850... popular initiatives (not just referenda) were adopted in Zurich before spreading to other Swiss cantons and then being also adopted at the Federal level. [1] http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/switzerland-federal-constitution-1848.html http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/switzerland...