Government

Section 1: Forms Of Government

Communism- it is a type of government where the state controls the economy of the country. In this government an authoritative, usually one party holds maximum power where there is no private ownership of property (Benoit, 224). Instead the state claim to make progress by coming up with a social order in which all goods and properties are equally shared among the people. In this government the society is classless since all people belong to the same class and are entitled to similar opportunities.

Marxist- this type of government is a political ideology and economic government which aims at improving the society through installing the principle of socialism in order to ensure the community remains a communist community rather than a capitalist community. Karl Marx introduced this government in order to transform the capitalist community and ensure it remains a communist community which is a classless society.

Socialism- this type of government involves the working class controlling and planning for the economic status of the society where people are entitled to own property. The government is the first phase of coming up with a Marxist government where capitalism is being transformed into communism.

Monarchy- the king or queen rules people in counties where monarchy is practiced. It is a dictatorship government since rights of the common people are often ignored. People are under the leadership of one person who comes up with decisions regarding the country. It is believed that the queen or king is chosen by God and the leadership is passed on from one generation to the next. Example of this government is England where kings and queens used to be the head of state though changes have taken place and the government is no longer pure monarchial (Benoit, 225).

Republic- in this type of government the people take total control of the republic. Representatives of the people come up with laws that will govern the republic. The head of the state who is elected by the people ensures he enforces the laws created by the representatives of the people. The roman republic is an example of a republic government where the republicans are ruled using laws they have created therefore their rights cannot be ignored. People enjoy freedom in this type of government since they are entitled to own property and come up with laws that favor their interests.

Dictator- this type of government ensures that one person heads the state. The head comes up with laws and decisions and ensures when and how they are going to be followed by the people. The rights of the people are often violated and thus elections do not take place in this government. People have little say in this government. The government does not exist as pure dictatorship since one person cannot entirely head a state. Example of this government is Cuba when Fidel Castro was the head.

Totalitarianism- in this government the state has total control of the people in terms of both public and private life of the individuals. The government is made up of a single party which controls all aspects of the country even the media and uses mass propaganda in influencing the people and ensuring it remains in power (Duignan, 168). Rights of the people are often violated since the head of the state is not elected by the people. Example of this government is that of Germany when Adolf Hitler was the head of the state.

Tyranny- in this government, a tyrant who is a powerful dictator rules the people. The government is oppressive since the tyrant is dictatorial and does not respect the rights of the people. The tyrant seizes power without legal rights therefore oppresses the people and is cruel hence takes total control over the state (Duignan, 169).

Anarchy- this is the absence of a government where everybody controls and protect their property, rights and life as well. It is all about survival for the fittest. Due to lack of a specific government some negative consequences may follow such as violence and chaos where criminal harass the people therefore people are left with no choice theta defend themselves using every means possible. This anarchy state of government cannot exist since people will demand that a government be established in order to prevent chaos and violence.

Section 3: Federalism

Federalism can be defined as the sharing of power between the US states government and the national government. Federalism is one of the major concepts introduced by the US constitution which ensures both the national and state governments work together (Gerston, 213). The US constitution gives some power to the states government, others to the federal government and some power to both the governments. States just like the federal government have their own judicial, executive and legislative branches thus they are entitled to create, pass and enforce laws as long as they do not violate the constitution. The federal government has some responsibilities such as declaring war, signing foreign policies and making treaties as well as controlling both imports and exports. Only the federal government has the authority in printing the US dollar. There are governmental responsibilities shared by both the state and federal governments such as taxation, environmental conservation and protection, human rights and business regulations. Federalism was first implemented in 1787 and has continued evolving since then. There are two types of federalism that has dominated (Gerston, 213). The first one is the dual federalism in which the state and the national government share equal powers. The states however are entitled to more power compared to the federal government which is limited to powers only listed in the constitution. Here, the federal government has jurisdiction only to the powers listed in the constitution. The second one is the cooperate federalism whereby the federal and state governments cooperate and collaborate to ensure they work together and find solutions to common problems. In spite of the kind of federalism the constitution provides specific powers to both the state government and federal government.

Section 4: Finances/ Budget

Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve can be described as the central bank system of America that includes a specific Board of Governors located in Washington D.C and composed of other twelve local reserve banks.  It came into existence on 1913, December 23 in response to a number of financial concerns with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act. The financial concerns made it clear that the monetary system needed to be controlled at a central point. This decentralized system ensures that the economic status of all states in the country is considered in the financial policy. The American congress came up with three major objectives for the financial system in the Federal Reserve Act (Dickens, 76). Ensuring the employment is maximized; prices made stable long term interest rates moderated are the three objectives that the congress came up with. Managing money supply, serving as the US central bank and maintaining stability of the financial systems among other responsibilities are the functions of the Federal Reserve. Free Market

Free market is a type of market whereby prices for both goods and services are controlled by consumers as well as the open market. Here the government has no authority over the laws of demand and supply and price setting systems or any other authority in the market systems. Unlike in a regulated market, prices for both goods and services in a free market are set liberally by the forces of supply and demand and the government does not intervene hence allowed to reach their equilibrium points (Dickens, 45). The US market system however, is not a free market is and is known as the mixed market system. The mixed market is composed of both free market and regulated market which allows consumers and the government comes up with laws regarding the market system.

National Debt

The United States national debt is the amount the federal government owes the outside world and other sectors as well.  There are two types of national debts. Debts held by the public including the treasury securities outside the national government held by investors, those held by individuals, local government, Federal Reserve and corporations (Still, 196). There are other debts held by the government accounts which are to be paid to program beneficiaries for example the social security trust fund. The national debt is said to increase as the government increases its spending therefore decreasing from tax to the receipts. Historically, the US national debt has increased in the times of wars and recession and reduced during the time when the economy if favorable.

Government (Federal and State) Spending

This is inclusive of whatever the government consumes, invests and uses in transfer payments. Government spending is mostly financed by the collection of revenue and government borrowing. Changes in the government spending are an important element of the monetary policy which in turns stabilizes the macroeconomic business sequence (Donovan et al, 211).

Personal Budget

A personal budget is a financial plan which allows one to have enough income for the future in order to cater for the expenses, come up with savings and ensure the debts can be repaid (Stouffer, 94). One should consider past expenses and current debts when coming up with a personal budget. For instance one should consider things such as personal expenses such as rent payments and covering bills as well as the income from the job one does.

Section 6:  Executive Orders

Executive orders are orders issued by the presidents of the United States and intended for officers and agencies of the national government. The orders have the full force of the law since they are given authority by the American constitution. The Acts of Congress gives the president power to carry out the executive orders when necessary.  If the orders lack constitutional support they are subjected to face judicial laws just like the legislative regulations (Mayer, 136). Executive orders are carried out in terms of emergencies when there is no time for the legislature to either agree or disagree with the orders. The American constitution permits issue and use of the executive orders and failure to comply with the laws leads to various consequences. The Supreme Court however has the power to block the executive orders if they are not in line with the constitution (Mayer, 137). The Supreme Court ensures that the orders comply with the constitution and follow the legislative procedures where necessary. The office of the Federal Register is responsible for assigning the executive orders directly from the White House and ensures they are printed in the daily Federal Register as the constitution says. The president carries out executive orders following advice from an executive agency or department found within the executive branch of the American government. National security directives are examples of executive orders since they are urgent thus cannot wait legislative consent for that decision to be carried out (Mayer, 139). Executive orders are important thus need to be followed by all people if they are in line with the constitution since the Supreme Court can dismiss them until they get approval from the legislative branch of government.

Section 7:  Judges (Federal and State)

The judiciary is important in ensuring the laws made by legislature are implemented and enforced. The different types of courts ensure justice is carried out on all people in America. The federal laws are passed by the congress and become law if the president signs. The judiciary decides whether the federal laws are in one with the constitution or not. Judges always depend on the executive branch of government for them to carry out their rightful duties (Hogan, 134). Judges determine all the activities and judge whether they are right or wrong and provide solutions to how they should be carried out. Judges decide whether someone committed a given crime and the punishment to be administered. Judges ensure people set private disputes that they would not settle on their own. Depending on the type of crimes, some are handled by judge sin the federal courts while others are handled by judges in the state courts. The constitution stipulates that federal judges are to be appointed by the president and then pass through the Senate for confirmation (Hogan, 136). These types of judges hold office for life hence are experienced and have good behavior. Federal judges may be removed from office if they misbehave which is done by the congress in the process of impeachment. On the other hand state court judges can be selected in a number of ways. They can be elected, appointed to serve specific terms and appointed for life. They can be selected to serve specific terms and appointed for life following the election process. All the judges are important since they have the final say in the courts and ensure justice is maintained.

Section 8: Media Bias

Media bias can be described as that bias by journalists and reporters on selection of the events, stories and news they cover. Media bias implies biasness by the whole media rather than individual journalists. Media bias in the US occurs when the media emphasizes only on one point of view in such a manner that the American journalism is contravened. Liberal bias, corporate bias, racial bias and mainstream bias are biases reported to being carried out by the media (Sheppard, 177). The media has been accused because of its bad representation of the African Americans. The media has in many instances portrayed blacks as inferior people who have less intelligence. The media has overrepresented blacks especially in crimes where they are portrayed as criminals and crimes suspects. Blacks are viewed by the media as potentials of carrying out crimes while research shows that blacks compared to other racial groups in America commit crimes least. For instance the riots that took place in Los Angeles in 1992, the media covered the riots in a bias manner accusing blacks as the main reason why the riots broke out (Sheppard, 186). People have accused the American media since it has remained bias in the coverage of news and events. For instance in the recent American general election, President Trump accused the media of being bias and covering much events on Hillary Clinton. The media was accused since it was in support of Hillary Clinton which made president Trump complain and accuse the media. Most people have no confidence in the media since most cases of biasness have been reported. Initially the media was highly respected since it ensured rights of people were not violated hence it was not biased unlike today (Sheppard, 189). The media needs to deal with the challenge of being biased for the people to have confidence in it.

Section 9:  Opinion Polls

America has been conducting public opinion polls from 1992 in order to tell the best presidential candidate who is the choice of most people. The opinion polls are either conducted online or via the telephones. Telephone opinion polls are conducted with a section size of about 1000 adults who are eligible to vote and are 18 years and above (Holtz-Bacha et al, 112). The telephone opinion polls are given allowance of about +\-3.5 sampling error. The opinion polls are carried out in all states in order to give accurate data for the opinion polls team to make their conclusion on the most preferred presidential candidate. Online opinion polls are also carried out since a wide range of people are able to participate in these polls. The sampling error is at +\-3.1 where adults who are 18 years and above participate and the numbers increase from the previous telephone opinion polls to about 2000 people. The opinion polls team ensures only adults participate in the opinion polls through first verifying the people’s details (Holtz-Bacha et al, 113). The opinion polls are accurate in most time though they do not necessarily reflect on the most preferred presidential candidate. For instance in the case of 2016 opinion polls in regard with the presidential election the opinion polls proved to be wrong. Hillary Clinton was always the leading presidential candidate based on the opinion polls but after the presidential election, Donald Trump was announced the winner of the 2016 general election. Opinion polls are also carried out to measure the developments carried out by the president and tell how many people would vote in the current leader for another term if given the chance to. They are also used to tell the medical advancements in the United States where people state whether developments have taken place or not (Holtz-Bacha et al, 123).

Section 10:  Political Parties

There are only two political parties in the United States namely the Republicans and Democrats (Neese, 5). The two parties share almost equal political powers in the US hence they are referred to as the duopoly. Unlike other democratic countries such as Japan and Israel where many political parties are seen the US has only two political parties. A presidential candidate in the United States general elections wins the eletion by gaining more votes compared to the rest of the candidates. The party or candidate that finish second is not rewarded since only the winner becomes the president of the United States. The main aim of parties is coming up with as many people as possible therefore having different candidates who have different voters supporting them. There is no point in forming a political party that can get voters and end up lossiong in an election. Because of this Democrats and Republicans dominate the plurality electoral system in the US thus other small political parties cannot exist (Maisel, 45). Formation of other parties is not hindered even by the constitution but the plurality nature of the political parties hinders the parties from winning the elections. This plurality nature has ensured that only two political parties are involve in the entire election process where voters support their most preferred presidential candidate. The Republican Party however has had many presidents compared to the Democratic Party meaning that Republican Party has many followers and is more aggressive (Neese, 11). There are smaller other political parties but are not famous since the US political system focuses on the two major political parties which are widely supported by voters.

The constitution does not dictate the numbers of political parties to be involved in the general election. Two parties are involved in the general elections where public opinion polls are carried out to determine the most preferred political party and its candidate (Neese, 7). The biggest political party was the Libertarian Party which had the largest numbers of followers. The current political parties are the Democrats and Republicans with no other third party therefore having different followers all over the country (Sundquist, 234). The two parties have won in the previous general elections and have controlled the congress in the past years. The Democratic Party was formed in 1828 by Andrew Jackson and is one of the oldest political parties in the world history. The party in the past addressed different issues compared to the current issues it addresses. Barak Obama became the 15^th democrat to hold office therefore indicating that the party has ruled and has had its followers. Republican Party was formed in 1854 by northern antislavery activists and is often portaged by the media as the oldest party compared to the Democratic Party (Sundquist, 236). The party has been supporting the benefits of the veterans and has been aggressive on fighting for the rights of the veterans. The party supports social conservatism and economic liberalism since the party looks out for a developed America where rights of all people are respected (Neese, 12). President Donald Trump is the 20^th republican and elected to hold the presidential office. Compared to the Democratic Party, the Republican Party has had more presidents thus has ruled America more. Other major third parties exist such as the Green Party, Constitution Party, and Libertarian Party but are not considered since the two major parties dominate the US political system.

Section 11:  Interest Groups

Move On

Move on organization was formed in 1998 following the impeachment of President Bill Clinton which was carried out by the United States House of Representatives.  Move on is an American progressive support group supporting public policy and is composed of a committee known as the political action committee (Holyoke, 125). Move on has raised millions of dollars for people it identifies as the progressives in America and runs a petition website which supports the progressives in America. The organization is non profit in nature and is used to address and advocate national issues. The group campaigns for most presidential candidates in the US and has over 200 local councils in all the states.

Media Matters

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is an organization that supports and advocates for the conservative media bias. The group is conserve with the conservative bias of the mass media and comes up with ways of ensuring the media is not being biased. The organization acts as the progressive political watchdog of the American media. The organization analyses and monitors corrective bias of the American media and has led war on the Fox News terming it as being biased (Holyoke, 125). MMfA was formed in 2004 as a nonprofit organization and thus watches over the media thus handling the conservative biasness the media portrays.

Tides Foundation

Tides Foundation was founded in San Francisco in the year 1976 as a nonprofit organization. It is an organization funded by donors and directs its money to the politically freethinking causes. Progressive policies on major areas such as environmental conservation, healthcare, labor concerns, human and rights of women, rights of gay people and rights of immigrants are important to the American people (Holyoke, 132). Tides foundation therefore funds people and organizations that advocate for such progressive policies to be implemented. Tides Foundation controls the tides centre that services the organizations and people who implement the progressive policies in America.

Weather Underground

Weather underground was founded on one of the campus of university of Michigan known as Ann Arbor and was militant radical in nature. The weather underground formerly known as the Weatherman was formed by students who wanted a democratic society in 1969. Students for a Democratic Society and its supporters came up with the weatherman and advocated for a democratic society (Holyoke, 125). The main of the group was to overthrow the government through creating a revolutionary party first since the group felt that their democratic rights were being violated. The group was involved in a number of demonstrations and riots and targeted to bomb some governmental buildings. A peace accord in 1973 ended the group’s agenda and by the end of 1977 the group had been disintegrated.

Centre for American Progress

The centre for American progress (CAP) is an American organization that advocates for implementation of progressive public policies. The organization aims at ensuring all Americans live peacefully and in good standards through coming up and implementing progressive ideas. The organization works towards eliminating economic, political and social problems in order to improve lives of Americans.

Organizing for America

The organization was a community based organization formed after the inauguration of President Barack Obama and was a project of the Democratic National Committee. The group was in support of implementation of president Obama’s legislative responsibilities and priorities with health care reform in particular. The organization played a major task during the 2010 midterm elections. The organization ensured that president’s agenda were implemented both in the first and second terms.

Media Research Centre

Media research centre (MRC) was founded by Brent Bozell and watches over the conservative media (Hammer, 211). Its mission is bringing responsibility and balance to the American news media. It has employed over 80 employees and collects revenue in order to sustain its employees. The organization ensures that rights of people are respected by the media and that the media does not mislead the public.

Freedom Works

Freedom works is a group mainly associated with the tea party movement and is based in the Washington D.C. It is a conservative group that advocates for the liberal and progressive polices. The group helps during campaigns, trains different volunteers and encourages them to mobilize and work together with the public and political representatives.

Heritage Foundation

Heritage foundation was formed during the time of President Ronald Reagan in his conservative movement where his leadership polices were taken from the heritage policy. Heritage has had major and continued influence on the American policies and is one of the most considered research institute in America. The transition team of president Donald Trump was shaped by policies and roles played by the Heritage Foundation.

Centre for Self Governance

Centre for self governance was founded on the basis of capacity for human beings for self governance. The organization enables and educates people on controlling and coming up with political boundaries that will ensure the society prospers. The organization is nonprofit and nonpartisan in nature and ensures growth and promotion of cultural and social practices that promote self governance in the society (Hammer, 211). Centre for self governance educates and trains individuals on the issue of promotion of self governance in the society.

Human Events

Human Events is an American conservative in nature political news and analysis website. It was formed in 1944 as a political print newspaper. The human events came into digital publication in 2013 as one way expressing American ideas and policies end ensuring American lives improved and that polices were implemented.

National Review

National review is an American magazine that focuses on news and pieces of political, cultural and political affairs. The magazine was founded in 1955 by William Buckley but its current editor is Rich Lowry (Hammer, 211). The magazine has been a major promoter of conservatism and has ensured the rights of Americans are not violated. The magazine provides a public platform for activist and other people ensure American rights are not violated.

 

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