Outline

Topic: Government and politics in the United States

I.Introduction II.Body II.1- A suspicion of strong government II.2- The organization of the American Government II.3- The ideal of the free individual II.4- The development of Big Government: Welfare State II.5- The role of special Interest Groups II.6- The new individualism versus the old individualism III- Conclusion

Government and politics in the United States

Government and politics in the United States
I. Introduction
The United States is a constitutional democracy, a type of government characterized by limitations on government power spelled out in a written constitution. Written in 1787, the U.S. Constitution is both the oldest and shortest written constitution in the world. It serves as the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution outlines a federal government with three separate branches: the legislative branch (Congress), the executive branch (the presidency), and the judicial branch (the courts).

II.

Body
II.1: A Suspicion of Strong Government The ideal of the free individual has had a profound effect on the way Americans view the government. Traditionally, there has been a deep suspicion that government is the natural enemy of

freedom, even if it is elected by the people. The bigger and stronger the government becomes, the more dangerous most Americans believe it is to their individual freedom. This suspicion of strong government goes back to the men who led the American Revolution in 1776. These men believed that the government of Great Britain was determined to discourage the freedom and economic opportunities of the American colonists by excessive taxes and other measures that would ultimately benefit the British aristocracy and monarchy. Thomas Paine, the famous revolutionary writer, expressed the view of other American revolutionists when he said, Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. The Great Society era of confidence that government can solve all our problems is gone, probably forever, and 66 percent now say that people are more angry with the Federal Government than they used to be. In its place is widespread belief that government is not only not the solution to our problems, but is probably the cause of many of them. People of every race, age, education level, economic status, and political leanings think that what the government is doing is making their lives worse rather than better. Cynicism and disillusionment are the bywords. The survey showed that 51 percent believe it is either "very likely" that federal officials were "directly responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy" in 1963. An even higher percentage suspect federal agents deliberately set the fires that killed 81 Branch Davidians in Waco four years ago. A majority believe it is possible that the CIA intentionally permitted Central American drug dealers to sell cocaine to inner-city blacks. An amazing 41 percent said they believe it "very likely" that federal authorities are responsible for at least one of the above four tragedies. And, 38 percent said they believe at least one of these theories is "somewhat likely," while only 21 percent labeled all four as "unlikely."

Nearly half of Americans believe it is "very likely" that our government is "withholding what they know about nerve gas or germ warfare attacks on American troops during the Persian Gulf War." The common denominator of all these poll results is government coverup; Americans just don't believe their government is honest. When observers were asked for their explanations for this depressing news, some said it is the legacy of Vietnam, Watergate, or Iran-Contra. Others blamed it on the fact that seven of Hollywood's ten highest-grossing films last year featured anti-government themes. But suspicion of government dates from long before Vietnam. When asked about the belief that "President Roosevelt knew in advance that the Japanese were going to bomb Pearl Harbor, but did not warn our troops because he wanted to get the United States involved in World War II", the answer was a tossup: 42 percent said that is "very likely" and 43 percent said it is "unlikely." The malaise about government is particularly acute today among those who voted for a change in government in 1994 and 1996 and thought that Republicans would prove the old adage that "a new broom sweeps clean." Instead of fulfilling their promises to end the era of big government, the new Congressional leaders began to enjoy the perks of power and publicity. The Republican leadership allowed the media to dictate their strategy and Clinton to choose the battleground. The media demanded that Republicans show "fairness" and "civility" by being "bipartisan" in their investigations of Waco, travelgate, and campaign finance "reform," and in their confirmations of Clinton's nominees. But Republicans were not elected to make deals with Clinton; they were elected to find opportunities to defeat and checkmate him. Those who want one-party government can find it in plenty of other countries all around the world. America is supposed to be a country with two parties, based on confrontation, advocacy, and energetic debate about real issues that people care about. Democracy isn't about

getting along with the other branches or passing bills that the President is sure to sign. Unfortunately, the perception outside the Beltway is that the leaders of both parties lie to us and to each other, and that both parties fundamentally agree on all major issues while they go on TV talk shows to tilt with windmills about details. The Republican leadership squabbles are not problems of "message" or "communication" that a Dick Morris can fix. The Republican Congressional leadership's agenda is all wrong. Republicans' numberone goal should be to cut taxes across the board for all taxpayers based on a significant cut in federal spending mischief. Their three years of tinkering around with targeted tax cuts (i.e., you'll get a break only if you spend your money the way the government wants you to), a balanced budget, a balanced budget amendment, a line item veto, a $500 child tax credit, capital gains cuts, block grants, phony "saving" of Medicare, and flood relief have led Republicans into one dead-end disaster after another, all wholly predictable, with Clinton winning the PR battle every time. Where are Republican leaders who will stand up and demand an across-the-board income tax cut? Where are Republican leaders who will say we are going to get the federal government out of the public school classroom, out of health care, out of social engineering, out of the arts, out of television, out of leftwing litigation, out of affirmative action, out of financing abortions, out of judicial activism, and out of foreign wars that are none of America's business? II.2: The organization of the American Government The government is divided into 3 braches: The legislative, the executive and the judicial branch. In the USA, the head of government (the President) share his powers with Congress and the Judiciary system which are independent on each other but the same time depend on each others decision to function correctly.

The executive branch includes the President who has responsibility to carry out the law, the vice President and Executive Office of the President. The Supreme Court and lower national courts make up the judicial branch. The Judicial branch settles disputes about the exact meaning of the law through court cases. The legislative or lawmaking branch of the government is called the Congress. Congress has two houses: the Senate, with two Senators from each state regardless of its size, and the House of Representative, consisting of a total of 435 Representatives divided among the 50 states by population. (In the house, states with larger population have more representatives than state with small population, while in the Senate, each state has equal representatives). If anyone of e branches starts to abuse its power, the other two may join together to stop it, through a system of checks and balances. The Constitution is most careful in balancing the power of the legislative and executive branches because these two are the most powerful of three branches. The President and both houses of the Congress have almost complete political independence from each other because they are all chosen in separate elections. It is quite possible in the American system to have the leader of one political party win the presidency while the other major political party wins most of the seats in Congress. However, the national government often seems to speak with two conflicting voices, that of President and that of Congress. If the president vetoes a legislative bill passed by Congress- that is, if he refuses to sign it the bill dies unless two-third of both The Houses and Senate vote to override the veto. On the other hand, a treaty with foreign government signed by president dies if the Senate refuses to ratify it. Although the American system of divided government power strikes many observers as inefficient and even disorganized, most Americans still believe in it strongly because it

has been able to meet the challenges in the past and it gives strong protection to individual freedoms. II.3: The Ideal of the Free Individual In the late 1700s, most Americans expected the new national government created by the Constitution to leave them alone to pursue their individual goals. They believed that the central purpose of government was to create the conditions most favorable to the development of the free individual.. Before the Civil War of the 1860s, the American ideal of the free indidividual was the frontier settler and the small farmer. President Thomas Jefferson expressed this ideal when he said: those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people Jefferson glorified farmers for being free individuals who relied on no one but themselves for their daily needs. He believed that farmers, being dependent on none but themselves, were the most honest of citizens. Throughout his life, Jefferson favored a small, weak form of Government, which he believed would encourage the development of a nation of free, self-reliant farmer citizens. From the end of the Civil War until the Great Depression of the 1930s., the successful business person replaced the farmer and the frontier settler as the ideal expression of the free individual. The prevailing view of Americans during this time was that government should not interfere in the activities of business.. If it were to do so, it would threaten the development of free individuals whose competitive spirit, self-reliance, and hard work were developing the US into a land of greater and greater material prosperity. Government, therefore, remained small and inactive in relation to the great size of the

nation and the amount of power of business corporations. There were some government regulations over business during this period, but these had only a small impact on business practices. From the 1870s, until the 1930s, business organizations and ideas dominated American government and politics.. The Republican party, one of the nations two major political parties, provided the means for maintaining this dominance. The Republicans were more successful than their rivals, the Democrats, in electing presidents and congressmen during this period, and the Republicans strongly supported government policies favorable to business.

II.4: The development of Big Government: The Welfare State 1. History of the welfare state in America. Traditionally, Republicans have favored letting businesses compete with little or no government regulation. On the other hand, Democrats have traditionally favored using government to regulate businesses and protect consumers and also to solve social problems. It was, Democratic president who presided over the creation of big government. The Great Depression of the 1930s greatly weakened the businesspersons position as the American ideal of the free individual, and big business lost respect. The severity of the Great Depression created new demands for government relief. After the stock market crash of 24 October 1929, millions of Americans lost their jobs and found themselves without adequate means of financial support. Between 1929 and the summer of 1932, the unemployment rate skyrocketed from 3.2 percent to 24.9 percent. In the face of this

economic crisis, President Herbert Hoover stressed that relief for the needy should be the responsibility of private, local, and state relief agencies. Yet the need for assistance was staggering and could not be met by the institutions Americans had traditionally relied upon to provide public aid. In 1932, Congress established the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, which was authorized to lend $300 million in relief funds directly to the states. However, the true expansion of the American welfare system came during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, who took office in 1933. For the first time, the federal government committed itself to providing economic security for its citizens. By the end of the 1930s, the United States had become a world leader in social spending.

Roosevelts New Deal grew into what became a permanent welfare state that provided payments for retired persons, government checks for the unemployed, support for families with dependent children and no father to provided income, health care for the poor and the elderly, and other benefits for needy persons. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided funds to the states for the needy, both in the form of direct cash grants and on a matching basis. For the most part, the funds were distributed by the states with federal supervision. Work projects to provide jobs to the unemployed were administered by FERA, as well as the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)both created in 1933. By February of 1934, FERA, the CWA, and the CCC combined reached 28 million people, 20 percent of the American population. Although the welfare state has continued to grow, it has never been fully accepted by many Americans. They fear that economic security provided by the Government will weaken self-reliance, an idea that is closely associated in the minds of Americans with individualism freedom. Many Americans believe that although the welfare state began

with good intentions,it is now at best a necessary evil. At worst, it presents a danger to individual freedom by making an increasing number of Americans dependent on the government instead of on themselves. In this way, the strong traditions of individualism and self-reliance have made Americans less accepting of welfare programs than the citizens of other democracies such as those in Western Europe. Because welfare programs go against the basic value of self-reliance, many Americans believe that having no to go on welfare to meet daily needs is a personal embarrassment nad a mark of failure. Even people who have beenn supported by welfare payments for much of thier lives complaint that the system is degrading and causes them to lose self-respect. Reforming the welfare system has become an important political issue for both the Republicans and the Democrats. In 1996, a welfare reform bill was passed. It placed limits on the number of years people can receive welfare payments. The welfare system in the United States has aslo been troubled by racial problems that began with black slavery before the Civil War of the 1860s and conitnued with racial segregation in the South in the 1960s. Although Americans blacks have made significant gains in the last thirty years, many are still unable to escape from poverty and unemployment. For this reason, a large number of people who receive welfare benefits are black Americans. Sadly, some of the old racial prejudices against black Americans have been transferred to welfare programs. 2. Eligibility Requirements for State Welfare Program Eligibility for a Welfare program depends on numerous factors. Eligibility is determined using gross and net income, size of the family, and any crisis situation such as medical emergencies, pregnancy, homelessness or unemployment. A case worker is assigned to those applying for aid. They will gather all the necessary information to determine the

amount and type of benefits that an individual is eligible for. The Federal government provides assistance through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). TANF is a grant given to each state to run their own welfare program. To help overcome the former problem of unemployment due to reliance on the welfare system, the TANF grant requires that all recipients of welfare aid must find work within two years of receiving aid, including single parents who are required to work at least 30 hours per week opposed to 35 or 55 required by two parent families. Failure to comply with work requirements could result in loss of benefits. 3. Types of Welfare Available The type and amount of aid available to individuals and dependent children varies from state to state. When the Federal Government gave control back to the states there was no longer one source and one set of requirements. Most states offer basic aid such as health care, food stamps, child care assistance, unemployment, cash aid, and housing assistance. 4. How to Apply for a Welfare Program To apply for a welfare program one must contact the local Human Service Department located in the government pages of the phone book. It may be listed as Human Services, Family Services or Adult and Family Services. An appointment is made with a case worker. The case worker will give a list of required documents needed at the appointment. Common documents asked for are proof of income, ID, and utility bills or other proof of residency. Once an appointment is completed a case worker will review all required documents, applications and information provided at the meeting. They will use this information to determine eligibility

II.5: The role of special interest group The great expansion of government programs since 1930s is only part due to the growth of welfare programs that help the poor and the needy. Practically all social and economic classes of Americans have seen the need to take advantage of, or to protect themselves from the actions of government, especially the action of national government. To accomplish this, American with similar interests have formed specially group to more effectively influence the actions of government. Although lobbying group have existed throughout the nations history, they have grown significantly in both numbers and power in recent year. The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an American non-profit lobbying group that advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights, and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and self-defense in the United States. The NRA sponsors firearm safety training courses, as well as marksmanship events featuring shooting skill and sports. According to a 1999 Fortune survey, lawmakers and congressional staffers considered NRA the most influential lobbying group. Its political activity is based on the principle that gun ownership is a civil liberty protected by the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights, and it calls itself the oldest continuously operating civil rights organization in the United States. According to its website, the NRA has 4.3 million members. Although few interest groups have been as successful as NRA, most well-organized interest group have achieve a large measure of success. By Organizing into groups that put pressure on government offices., people can get more rewards, government restrictions than if they try to do individuals avoid more

In Washington, DC, lobbying usually targets congresspersons, although there have been efforts to influence executive agency officials as well as US Supreme Court appointments. It has been the subject of academic inquiry in various fields, including law, public policy, and economics. While the number of lobbyists in Washington is over 12,000 people, those with real clout number in the dozens, and a small group of firms handles much of lobbying in terms of expenditures. As an activity, lobbying takes time to learn, and requires skill and sensitivity, and depends on deft persuasion, and has much in common with generally non-political activities such as management consulting and public relations. Every body in American has lobby No single interest dominate governments and politics as business groups did before the Great Depression. Instead government and politics and based on reaching compromises with a large number of groups and pleasing ad many as possible.

II.6: The new individualism and the old individualism Interest group government can be seen as expressing a new form of American individualism. Unlike frontier individualism or business individualism, individuals do not claim to succeed on their own but rather by forming groups to influence the government. Although most Americans have benefits in some way from government-sponsored programs, many experts believe that interest group government is harmful to the US. They believe it places emphasis on peoples ability to influence the government rather than their ability to produce goods and services that enrich the society. The Democracy party emerged from the New Deal as the supporter of the idea thar government should not do more for all classes and all kinds of Americans. poorer and

less-privileged Americans tended to support the Democracy party. Blacks and other nonwhite minorities ( such as Hispanics ) are often underprivileged and have tended to vote for Democrats. Therefore, the Democratic party has traditionally been more racially and ethnically diverse than its political rival, the Republicans. The diversify was reflected when the Democrat Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992 after 12 years of Republican president. The Republican party was not changed by the New Deal as much as the Democrats were. The Republicans continued to stress anti-government and pro-business ideas much as they has before the Great Depression. Republicans argued that Democrats gave too much attention to the complaints of womens rights groups and racial and ethnic minority groups. Many observers have questioned whether the traditional stances of either party truly serve the needs of the country.

Comparision of government and politics between America and Vietnam

Party

America The two major

parties

Vietnam in Vietnam is a single-party state or one political party, the Communist Party of Vietnam is

America are the Democratic only and Republican parties. Legislative branch

legally allowed to hold effective Called the Congress which is The National responsible for making the Assembly (Vietnamese: Quoc hoi) is federal laws. Congress consists a unicameral legislative body. It is the of two houses: the Senate and highest representative organ and the the House of Representatives. highest state organ. The National

Assembly is the only organ vested with constitutional and legislative powers Executive branch The Executive power lies with The President and Vice President is chief the President of the United States who is given the job of executing, government. enforcing, and administering the laws and
the National

of state, elected to a five-year term by Assembly.

The Government is the executive arm of the National Assembly and the highest

The President is both the chief administrative body of the Vietnamese of state and the head of state. It is headed by the prime minister, government. The Vice and consists of deputy prime ministers, President is also part of the ministers and other members. Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should Elections the need arise. Elections occur in the United Vietnam elects on national level States at all levels including a head of state - the president - and local, state, and federal. The President is in office for four years. The candidate who The president is elected for a five gets elected is the one who gets year term by the parliament. More the highest number of votes in than 99% of all candidates were their respective state. selected by Communist Party and most of them were from their own Election is implemented per 4 party. years. after the first Monday Election is implemented per 5 years. in Assembly or People's Councils term is up, the new National Assembly shall be elected; Election day is the Tuesday Two months before the National November. a legislature.

Judiciary

Election Day is set to be a Sunday. The judicial power of the The Vietnamese judicial system is United States is vested in the based upon Socialist legality. The Supreme Court and the federal highest court to appeal in Vietnam is courts. Their job is to interpret the Supreme and apply US laws through Vietnam. cases brought before them. peoples there Court are of the Also

provincial small municipal courts to look after the provincial matters.

Question 1-What are the three separate branches of the American government? -> The Congress, The President, The Supreme Court 2- Why the government powers divided into three separate branches? If any one part or branch of government has all, or even most of the power, it will

become a threat to the freedom of individual citizens. 3- Which is the branch that carrys out the laws? A.The Congress B.The President C. The Supreme Court D. Both A & B 4- If any one of the three branches starts to abuse its power, the other two may join together to stop it by a system, what is it? Checks and balances

5- Why most Americans still strongly believe in the American system of divided governmental power?

2 reasons: It has been able to meet the challenges of the past and it gives strong

protection to individual freedoms 6- Whats the thing which is designed to protect specific individual rights and freedoms from government interference? Bill of Rights

7- When was business organizations and ideas dominated American government and politics? From the 1870s until the 1930s

8. Whos The president that talked about when mentioned to New Deal? -> Franklin Roosevelt 9- What does welfare state forward? Providing payments for retired persons, government checks for the unemployed,

support for families with dependent children and no father to provide income, health care for the poor and the elderly, and other benefits for needy persons. 10- Who are the members of The National Rifle Association? Mostly people who own guns for hunting, target practice, and personal protection.

III.

Conclusion
Government and politics in the United States are different from other countries. Because individual freedom and self-reliance are the most basic of all the American values. Therefore, the Welfare State has never been fully accepted by many Americans. It goes against the basic value of self-reliance. It leads to establish special interest groups which can be seen as expressing a new form of American individualism.