Max Harmon
3 May 2018
English 112
U.S. Government Today Essay
U.S. Government Today
The U.S government uses a system of checks and balances so that there is never one specific center of power. The government is split into three branches. The Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches make up the U.S. government. Our government is also a split of multiple ways to govern. We us the Presidential System, the Constitutional Republic, the Liberal Democracy, and the Federal Republic.
The Presidential system is a form of government where the elected president of the people, who is elected by the people, is the chief executive. As there are still the three branches of government, the President is in charge of enforcing the laws created by the government. This was the original system of government created by America’s founders so that they had an alternative government to the parliament form of government. And even though the President is the Commander in Chief, the power is still distributed among many, so that no one individual ever has the complete control of power. The presidential system also pays a respect to the state governments. It was made for a federation rather than running each state from the center. With this in effect, the state governments are independent, cannot be dissolved, and required to be self sufficient. The states are in charge of the residual powers, while the Federal and state governments are granted separate, and specific powers.
Our government is also a Constitutional Democracy. This is a form of government where the head of state, and other officials, are elected by the countries citizens to represent them. Than the elected officials must abide by the rules of that countries constitution while governing their people. Just as the U.S. government, a Constitutional Democracy may consist of three branches such as the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S. government which make it so that no one branch may hold all of the power. A constitutional republic is only considered as such if it has a constitution which limits the government’s power, and the citizens choose their own government officials. A constitutional republic is not a Democracy. A Democracy is a government where the leaders are elected by the people, but are not constrained to a constitution or to it’s actions. This shows the difference of power between the Democracy and Constitutional Democracy and why our government uses the later.
The U.S. government is also known as a “Liberal Democracy.” A liberal democracy, which is also known as a representative democracy, has been the predominant system of government in Western countries for the past 200 years. The main difference which it has from other forms of democracies is the political voice in which the citizens are granted through representative institutions and processes. These institutions make decisions on behalf of the citizens of its country based on “majority rule.” The core of Liberal Democracies are the Elected Assemblies which are elected to voice and enact the will of the people. The executive arm of liberal democracies is mainly existant to ensure that the laws made by the elected assemblies are made accountable and effective. The judiciary arm provides rulings and judgements that interpret laws, resolve procedural disputes within the system, and protect rights of the government’s people. Each arm has their own roles and responsibilities which help to create a system of checks and balances for each other in order to ensure the separation of powers.
Finally, the U.S. government consists of the Federal Republic. The “federal” part of the government is one of three different parts. The Federal, Confederal, and Unitary make up the different parts of this government. Most nations, including the U.S., are unitary forms of government. This means that there is a local government with a powerful national government to fall back on. The confederacies are a less common practice these days, but the U.S. was previously under this form of government while The “Articles of Confederation” were in use. The Federal form of government is common amongst large nations in need of several levels of government. Although it is a common practice, it is not always effective, as seen with the United Arab Republic.
The U.S. does not consist of one distinct form of government. This was the intention of the founding father when they had created this country in order to ensure that there would be a balance of power in the government. The use of checks and balances and the intention of separating powers is centered around each of these different forms of government which make up the government of the U.S. today.
Work Cited
“What Is the Presidential System?” The Presidential System, 3 May 2017, presidentialsystem.org/2016/04/30/what-is-the-presidential-system/.
“What Is ‘Liberal Democracy’?” Democracy Renewal, democracyrenewal.edu.au/what-liberal-democracy.
“Constitutional FAQ Answer #76 - The U.S. Constitution Online.” Constitutional FAQ Answer #76 - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net, www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q76.html.