In 1787 the Antifederalist Samuel Bryan, writing under the penname "Centinel," rebutted James Madison's argument in Federalist 10 and 51 that the new government to be established by the Constitution would have sufficient checks and balances among the branches to safeguard liberty. Bryan wasn't buying it. He wrote:The highest responsibility is to be attained, in a simple structure of government, for the great body of the people never steadily attend to the operations of government, and for want of due information are liable to be imposed on. If you complicate the plan by various orders, the people will be perplexed and divided in their sentiments about the source of abuses or misconduct, some will impute it to the senate, others to the house of representatives, and so on, that the interposition of the people may be rendered imperfect or perhaps wholly abortive.With hindsight at least, we may want to conclude that Bryan was right and Madison was wrong.
Richman's article is about the byzantine tax code.
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