Rich said:
Actually it's never been explained to me,
Lucky for you, since 90% of the old posts are gone you get the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Rich said:
let's see if I've got this correct in simple terms.
You guys elect a government to make laws and then a gazillion other people who haven't been elected get to decide whether it's actually legal?
Well if you were going for your trademark oversimplification, you did a good job. Let's break this down...
Rich said:
You guys elect a government
Actually, the women help some too.

If by "government" you are referring to the officials and officers who hold governmental positions, then 'yes'.
Rich said:
Making laws is one of the many functions of the various governmental bodies, yes.
Rich said:
and then a gazillion other people who haven't been elected get to decide whether it's actually legal?
As far as I'm aware, the only judges in the country who are not elected are the United States Supreme Court justices, who are appointed by the President and confirmed by Congress, and some state supreme court justices. So, if you're under the impression that all judges are appointed, you are mistaken. However, the judges that are responsible for determining whether a law is Constitutional (whether on a state or federal level) are the supreme court justices, so you're sort of right in that respect. The number of these judges is relatively small, however.
The purpose of this system is to prevent any one individual or group from wielding too much power. Congress has the power to make and change laws, but if those laws contradict the Constitution (ie., the supreme source of law), then the Courts have the power to prevent that law from being enforced.