The American government
Governments originated from people believing that they are much safer when they come together, and hence they formed governments to ensure that law and order prevail. The government must establish rules to shape its legitimacy. The 1787 constitution, which is the supreme law in the USA, defines the purpose and structure of administration (“Origins of US Government”, 2020). the constitution outlines that there will be 50 sovereign states in the US. The United States government comes into after an election where the people exercise their right to vote in a representative democracy structure (“Our American Government | Congressman James E. Clyburn,” 2020). United States administration is led by three main principles, which include the inherent right of any person living on the American soil, the government of the people, and the separation of powers.
American Revolution led to the development of domestic instability led to a call for a new type of government, which was to drive under the guardianship of the constitution. This urge led to the drafting of the 1787 law. American democratic tradition emanates from the ancient civilization of Rome and Greece.
The federal government, which as a reaction to the unitary British government, comprises three branches e it namely the executive which implements the law, the legislature which makes the law while the judiciary interprets the law (“Branches of the US Government | USAGovllb”, 2020). The house of representatives and the Senate for the legislative branch. The head of state, the vice president, cabinet, and most federal agencies make up the executive arm. The judicial branch is composed of up of the Supreme Court and other courts. Each office has some powers over the other. The president can veto a law that is made by the congress as well as proposing heads of federal agencies. Congress can remove a sitting president in exceptional circumstances as well as rejecting presidential appointees. The Supreme Court, whose members are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate, has the power to overturn unconstitutional laws. This was put in place to ensure that there is a system of checks and balances. The president is elected in a general election via a secret ballot and is eligible for a two, four years term only. The vice president is available for an unlimited number of four years per term. The cabinet, which serves as a presidential advisory committee are presidential appointees, and they must be approved by 51 out of 100 members of the Senate. Federal agencies are tasked with handling America’s space program, protecting the forests and intelligence gathering.
American political attitudes and participation are the core of the spirit of democracy. Capitalism, nationalism, the rule of law, liberty, and equality are some of the more significant factors that shape the American culture. Before the election, a norm of conducting polls which were established in 1936 by George Gallup, who later formed the institute of public opinion in 1935(Sunshine, 2011). American citizens participate in politics in several ways, which include voting, working for a political candidate, or a political party.
Having a federal government is tricky since it’s difficult for every American citizen to reach to the federal government. However, the American government has created linkage institutions to link with its citizen. The media, political parties, campaigns, and interest groups are the pillars that connect the people and the government (2020). The political groups select candidates to vie for competitive seats, they check what other political parties are doing, inform the public and organize the government as the congress, and the legislature parties are bound to political affiliations
The members of the congress and the House of Representatives come together to make law. In making the laws, the members of congress exhibit their constituent’s view, political and personal opinions. The house of Representatives has powers over revenue bills where they discuss possible tax cuts for the two houses but not the executive. They also have powers to impeach a serving president or other civil officers. The Senate has powers over presidential appointments where the majority must consent by voting. The United States president can only enter a treaty with another nation after a two-thirds majority approval by the Senate. In case an elected official is impeached by the House of Representatives, the Senate will invite them and conduct a trial. Their hearing is administered by the Senate, whose two-third majority vote will render them accused.
After an election, a party that wins the majority of seats becomes the majority in the house. The other party becomes the minority. After the end of the vote, the parties will meet to deliberate on party policies. This meeting is also where they ponder on who will become the speaker. The republicans call this the caucus while the democrats call it the conference. The house of leadership has 435 members, while the Senate has 100 members (Oleszek, 2013). The speaker is in charge of conducting the procedures of the house since he or she is the most powerful member in both houses. Based on the number of seats that they won each party is at liberty to vote for their leader. The majority will bring forth the majority leader, while the minorities will bring forth the opposition. The vice president will assume power as the leader of the Senate. Unlike his counterparts, the vice president can only vote when there is a tie; for a bill to become a law, a committee must consider it. then it will go through the floor debate. Finally, the bill will go through the conference committee before it is taken to the president for its signing.
Article II of the US constitution clearly outlines the qualification that one needs to have to contest for the presidency. Some of the requirements include, he must be an American born citizen above the age of 35 years—the same constitution grants the president military, diplomatic, appointment band legislative powers. The president appoints a cabinet with the approval of the Senate. The president receives ministry advice. The president of the US also enjoys the support of the executive who pushes the presidential agenda. The president requires military information, budget preparation, and economic planning advice, which are carried out by the national security council, office management, and budget and economic council, respectively. The president is also free to appoint members of the white house who are not subjected to senate approval as they for part of the presidential inner circle. Members of the white house gather information, present the views of the president to the media, write reports as well as lobbying law makes to support the president’s agenda. The president can only serve for two terms of four years alone following the 22 Amendment. In case of impeachment or death of the head of state, his Vice president shall become the president.
Bureaucrats are in charge of making policies and choosing the cation that is spelled in the law after the congress passes it.
Despite being the highest court in the US the Congress possesses powers of dismantling the Supreme Court and any other court. The president nominates constitutional court judges, but their entry into office is determined by the Senate.
The state department carries the role of directing and managing foreign policies. The goal of coming up with foreign policies is to ensure that the United States and ensuring that there is global peace.
The president of the United States will be at the forefront of the defense policy. Congress has powers of declaring war. The president is at liberty to embark on specialized missions, but if it fails, he can seek the approval of the congress and use coercion.
The money supply has to is taken through the government’s monetary policy. The Federal Reserve System, which is run by the Federal Reserve Board, assist the United States government in controlling the money in circulation to avoid the possibility of recession or inflation.
The federal government has come up with regulatory policies that are taken to ensure the safety of the American population. These regulations include .business regulation, which is made to ensure that the products sold to Americans are safe. The labor regulations provide that American worker’s population is safe from cheap labor from other countries. Environmental policies are a shared responsibility between the federal government and other agencies
The United States has one national government, 50 states government, and 89004 local governments. The state governments are led by governors, legislature, and other locally elected officials. Local governments are made up of mayors, city council members, and school board members (Office, 2020). Most local official lead on the merit of their proper names, and hence they do not run for election to those offices.
Both local and federal governments are expected to raise money for road construction, water supply, and health care provision, among others. They can raise funds for such projects through tax collection. State and local governments sare also mandated with the provision of education in the United States.
In conclusion, the United States government of federal, state, and local governments, each carrying its constitutional powers. The national government comprises of the legislature, judiciary, and executive. There are also 50 state governments and the local municipal government.
REFERENCES
Origins of the US Government. Law.jrank.org. (2020). Retrieved 3 May 2020, from https://law.jrank.org/pages/11686/Origins-U-S-Government.html.
Our American Government | Congressman James E. Clyburn. Clyburn.house.gov. (2020). Retrieved 3 May 2020, from https://clyburn.house.gov/fun-youth/us-government.
Branches of the US Government | USAGov. Usa.gov. (2020). Retrieved 3 May 2020, from https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government.
- Sunshine Hillygus, The Evolution of Election Polling in the United States, Public Opinion Quarterly, Volume 75, Issue 5, Special Issu 2011, Pages 962–981, https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfr054
Study.com. (2020). Retrieved 3 May 2020, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/linkage-institutions-definition-examples.html.
Oleszek, W. J. (2013). Congressional procedures and the policy process. Sage.
Office, U. (2020). Census Bureau Reports There Are 89,004 Local Governments in the United States – Governments – Newsroom – US Census Bureau. Census.gov. Retrieved 3 May 2020, from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/governments/cb12-161.html.