General government questions and administrative issues

government by the People

Federalism

This is the sharing of power by and between the national, state and local governments (Longley, 2011). It is the opposite of centralized governments in such countries as England and France where the national government exercises total power. The 50 States of the Union have their own constitutions but they all comply with the U.S. Constitution.

The national government exercises exclusive powers as well as shares other powers with the state and the local governments. Its exclusive powers are to print money, declare war, create an army and a navy, enter into foreign treaties, regulate local and international trade, set up post offices and issue postage, and create laws to enforce the Constitution. On the other hand, state governments exercise exclusive powers to establish local government, issue licenses, regulate interstate trade, conduct elections, ratify amendments to the U.S. Constitution, provide and maintain public health and safety, and exercise other powers not within the jurisdiction of the national government. And the national and state governments share the power to set up courts, create and collect taxes, build highways, borrow money, legislate and implement laws, charter banks and corporations, spend for the improvement of general welfare and confiscate private property but with just compensation (Longley).

The two types of federalism are dual and cooperative (Drake & Nelson, 2002). The dual type prohibits the national government from invading states' exclusive powers. The cooperative type argues that the national government should be allowed to expand its power, even overlap with state powers and functions, for the sake of general welfare.. Advocates of the cooperative type ground their argument on the "general welfare" and "necessary and proper" clauses of the Constitution (Drake & Nelson).

Media and Special Interest Groups

Fierce economic competition compels the media to present situations and information that will appeal and elicit desired emotional responses from the public (Fog, 2004). It takes advantage of the people's preference for topics like danger, crime and disaster. In the process, the media chooses ways to make the people perceive the outside world as more danger it may be. This situation substantially influences the democratic process towards authoritarianism and intolerance. The media's competitive environment inclines it to choose and frame reports in a way that deters the democratic system to confront and solve local social problems and international situations realistically and appropriately (Fog).

On the other hand, special interest groups make strong demands on the government (Magleby et al., 2010). These groups may be economic or occupational, ideological, public interest, foreign policy or ethic and racial. They often organize themselves into movements. They assert their influence through their size, resources, cohesiveness, leadership, and funding, and most importantly, their relationship with the political and governmental environment. Lobbying is their chief activity, although they also connect directly with the public through mass mailings, advertising campaigns and cooperative lobbying. Lobbying is chiefly aimed at public officials, particularly legislators, and the policies they sponsor. Lobbyists may accost legislators to directly influence their vote on a certain issue. Lobbyists fulfill the important role of providing information for legislators' decision-making, educating and forming public opinion, and even contributing to and testifying to certain legislations. Lobbyists are mostly involved in the electoral process through the use of political action committees (Magleby et al.).

Creating the Constitution

The original framers designed the Constitution for ordinary people who were not perceived to be able to run a government unchecked (Magleby et al., 2010). These originators were wary that those who would hold political power would abuse it. Hence, they separated and distributed powers in varied ways. They also wanted the national government to be strong enough to solve national problems so it was given a broad range of power. This would allow the constitutional system flexibility and adaptability to changing conditions and situations. The judiciary received the power to veto acts of Congress, the executive branch and the states as unconstitutional. The American government is based on the British model but differs sharply from it because of this checks-and-balances feature and judicial review (Magleby et al.).