Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker
The Government and You
By Seth Carter
12th Grade
The United States of America has become one of the world’s lone super powers. America has done this in an unconventional manner. We have never given into the tyranny of a dictatorship, or the brash rule of communism; rather we have become a super power on the ideology of democracy. Following the ideas of democracy we have created a strong system called a centralized government. Our decision at first to become a Democratic nation was criticized. Many wondered how an idea such as Democracy could ever work in a society. We put democracy into play and created a strong centralized government. It became prosperous and well liked. Ultimately, this form of unitary government has enabled us to become a leader of nations.
There are several distinct advantages to having a strong centralized government. We are envied by several countries for how well we live. America is a fair and safe place due to its control policies. We have a system in which not one particular branch of government can become too powerful. Our operation is one that has a checks and balance system, not enabling our government to have too much control of our lifestyles. For the most part we are still able to make daily decisions on our own. The powers that be have done a good job of not interfering with our daily means. This form of government has proven itself to be successful, and long lasting. Great Britain is also a centralized government, so there are several cases of it being successful.
This process does come with some disadvantages though. The basic idea of the United States government is that we do not allow one particular branch too much power. All branches are composed on the intentions of being equal. If one branch is too powerful and is making outlandish laws, the other branches have the ability to veto them. Veto means having the ability to override the previous decisions made. This can be also be a disadvantage in the fact, that the people may want a law passed, and one branch does, but in order for this to occur the bill has to pass every branch without veto. This can become a long drawn out process that can take months and even potentially years. These affects can cause a potential strain on the American people, which ultimately affects our basic way of life in which we have become accustomed.
I believe the proper role of the government is to be a watch dog not a dictator. When the government starts pressing laws upon people, I believe it is going too far. Choosing the people we are allowed to marry, and being able to decide if I am going to keep child should be left up to individuals, not a government. Decisions like that need to be made with emotion, not a majority vote. The government should be there as a moderator not a dictator. We do not live in a communist society nor in a society that has a dictatorship so why act like one. We have the right to be free, and the government pressing restrictions imposes unalienable rights.
The Constitution should be upheld in our every day society. Although, I believe it should be interrupted loosely. We should still use some of the basic ideas and knowledge it has presented. Even though the society we live in today has evolved greatly from the time the Constitution was made, we live almost in an entirely different world. Our principles and even some of our morals have changed. Though, the Constitution has made attempts to try and stay current by making amendments and ratifications, it is still not current enough. I still believe the Constitution is an important part of heritage and culture, but I believe it is far too outdated in our world today. We still have some organizations that up hold the principles of the Constitution, such as the ACLU. I believe it is their responsibility to see if laws passed today are deemed as constitutional. With groups like these in place, I think the Constitution is represented well and accordingly in our society.
I personally believe the way our society is run; and the current government we have in place works extremely well. We have an outstandingly high literacy rate, which shows our education policies work, and work quite efficiently. When compared to other countries, our famine level and homeless population is very miniscule. So does our government need to become more centralized? I believe the answer is yes. There is always room for change and improvement. Many people believe if it’s not broken, then don’t try and fix it. We as Americans believe that term only applies to mediocrity, and will strive for perfection in our government, our society and our lives.
No Answers To Questions Re: Required Reading
Disqualified For Prizes