Branches of the Government
The United States Government has three branches. One of which is the Judicial Branch. The Judicial Branch covers the court systems. These court systems include the Supreme Court, Special Courts, Lower Courts, and support court organizations. The Supreme Court is the most superior court in the United States and has powers over the state and local governments. This court decides if people of the state and local governments are going by the laws of the Constitution of the United States. The Supreme Court has authority over most of the government.
The second branch is the Legislative Branch. This branch is made up of two houses which are the House of Representatives and the Senate. The main duty of the Legislative Branch is to make the laws of the land. There are 2 senators from each state that make up the Senate. Therefore, there are a hundred senators. In the House of Representatives there are 435 members. It depends on how many people live in the state in determining how many representatives will be representing each state. The Senate and the House both elect leaders.
The Executive Branch of the government is another branch in the United States. The President is the main leader of the Executive Branch. The President carries out the approval of laws of the Legislative Branch. The President hires in all the cabinet members and its officials. The President also acts on the main decisions for the military when actions of war are required. The Vice President and other members of the cabinet are also part of the Executive Branch. The Execute Branch also includes the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and a few others.
Federalism
Federalism is a way for local and state government to have their own power without the federal government getting involved. It gives authority for state and local government to make and vote for their own laws within their own jurisdiction. They also have the right to vote and change those laws without the federal government intervening. They also have rights to the federal government like being able to vote for Presidents and other members of the federal government. An argument for federalism is that a localized government is a more effective government. The one bad thing about a localized government is if we needed to go to war and some states didn’t want to go. The government would have a hard time winning any wars and defending the country. The country could be taken over very easily if that ever happens.
Our founding fathers chose federalism for our nation because they wanted a free republic. The founding fathers did not want the government having all or too much control over the citizens. When they gave more power to the states it took some power from the federal government. The government of the United States now has a federal, state, and local government.
America is not close today to the founding fathers idea of federalism. In today’s society, if something is wrong with the states ruling on a case or law the state can make an appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court which is federal. In this situation, it is still giving the federal government authority over the state and local governments. The federal government can also step in now and change what happens inside the states and make them abide by federal laws. Even though this can happen, it is still the majority of the citizens that vote in these officials that make the laws we go by.
Advantages of the Government
There are several government actions in a person’s everyday life. Governments affect how much people pay for things, the market for these things, and also how they are sold to the public. The government also provides plenty of job opportunities healthcare for the sick and safety for the endangered. People wouldn’t be able to get to work safely if they government didn’t provide