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U.S. GOVERNMENT
Origins: the people who wrote our Constitution had only recently arrived in the "new world." They left behind a Europe whose primary forms of government were theocratic (religous) and monarchial (kings, hereditary). Hundred year wars had been fought concerning matters of faith and royal succession. Crusades had been launched. At one point the Catholic Pope had final say in the appointment of kings.
The founding fathers drew upon earlier forms of government: democracy from Greece, the Senate from Rome, electors from the Holy Roman Empire.
Democratic - Constitution Based - Republic - Representative
Democratic - The people get to vote on a regular basis. Access to the ballot has generally increased since the nation's founding.
Constitution - Written in the late 1700's it is among the world's oldest and shortest constitutions still in use.
Republic - The government has many layers: national, state, county, city, etc.
Representative - Generally, we do not make direct choices, we elect people to speak for us.
The U.S. Constitution
The three primary writers of the US Constitution, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin, all owned slaves. The Constitution in its orginal form counted slaves as 3/5 of a person. These points illustrate a feature of the constitution, that it can be changed, it can be amended. The first 10 amendments, passed along with the constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.
The Constitution has 27 amendments covering topics such as Presidential Succession (25th); the militia bearing arms (2nd); no poll taxes (24th); womens right to vote (19th) and alcohol prohibition (18th).
In matters were the constitutionality of the law is in question, the Supreme Court can decide.
National (Federal) Government
There are three branches that make up the federal government: executive, legislative and judicial. The three branches serve as "checks and balances" against each other, lessening the chances of a particular branch dominating the government.
The executive branch consists of the President, the President's cabinet, and the Department of Justice. The President serves 4 year terms and is limited to two full terms. The people vote for the President, however the President is elected by the "electoral college." The cabinet is made up of the department heads (secretaries), of the various departments, such as the Department of Energy or Defense. The Department of Justice is headed by the Attorney General. The FBI, DEA, ATF and U.S. Marshals are all parts of the Department of Justice.
The legislative branch is the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate (2 parts/bicameral). The House and Senate, together, are called the Congress. Congress makes the laws and apportions the money. Representatives serve two year terms and are distributed to the states based on population. Wyoming has one representive, whereas, California has 53. U.S. Senators serve six year terms -- each state gets two Senators. The U.S. Senate has the added duty of confirming department secretaries and supreme court/federal judges. Federal judges serve lifetime terms.
The judicial branch consists of the the Supreme Court and related federal and disrict courts. There are nine judges on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court determines if laws are constitutional. The Supreme Court has been dominated by Conservatives dating to 1969. Conservatives currently hold a 6-3 advantage.
An important note concerning national level government: the 10th amendment to the Constitution says: powers not delegated by the constitution are reserved for the states, or the people. This is a key issue in political debates: personal vs states vs national rights, whose take precedent?
Monetary Policy & the Federal Reserve
The constitution does not dictate an economic model. The constitution gives Congress the ability to collect taxes and regulate interstate commerce. In 1909 the 16th amendment enabled Congress to collect an "income tax." The ability to "make money" -- to set up a mint and distribute coinage and currency was originally given to the US Congress. In 1913 the "Federal Reserve" was created and from that time forward would be in control of the U.S. money supply. The board that oversees the "Fed" is appointed by the President for 14 year terms.
About $1 is in circulation for every $60 of wealth. The M1 Money Supply was greatly increased after the 2008 market crash, and, in response to the 2020 pandemic.
National Defense
Congress has the power to declare war. In limited, emergency situations the President can deploy troops without Congressional approval. The President is considered the Commander in Chief of the military. His orders are carried out by the Joint Chiefs of the military services and Secretary of Defense.
Military spending levels are determined by Congress. As of the year 2021, the U.S. spends about $750 billion per year on defense. Globally, only three nations spend a larger percentage of GDP on matters of war.
State Level Government
The leader of a state's government is called the Governor. Most states have a Representative / Senate set-up like the national government. Each state has its own constitution and collects taxes. The state has its own law and order apparatus and controls the prison system. The individual states also control a military component, the National Guard and to a lesser extent the "Reserve," who are also subject to being deployed (called up) by national level authority.
Any topic not covered in the national constitution, is reserved to the states (or people), as presented in the 10th amendment. Laws vary considerably from state to state. Some people cross state lines to avoid laws they find undesirable.
The states are further sub-divided into county and city governments. Counties are often led by a "commissioner," and its law and order duties carried out by a sheriff. Cities are led by a mayor, assisted by councilmen, its law and order administered by police. Local level politics include school boards, who decide what material our children learn. Want more science and less creationism? School boards are where the action is.
Taxes
As our government exists at many levels, so do taxes. Our income is taxed at the federal level: federal income tax, FICA, Medicare, etc. Most states tax income also. We pay sales tax on the goods and services we buy. Many endeavors have government fees attached to them. Profits we make on investments are taxed. Property owners are taxed.
The extreme complexity of the tax codes favor those with the means to employ accountants, tax lawyers and hedge fund managers. Rich people have LEVERAGE, they often can negotiate more favorable terms (tax breaks), especially at the local level.
Taxes have varied a lot over the decades. After WW2, rich people paid as much as 90% federal income tax on some of their earnings. Until the 1980's corporations carried a much larger share of the tax burden. Conversley, today (2021) many large corporations pay zero tax. Tax rates on the rich are at historical lows.
Political Parties and Ideology
The Democrat and Republican parties dominate U.S. government. A few Libertarians and Socialists are sprinkled into the mix. During WW2 we fought fascists. How do these competing worldviews compare?
Selected Issues
Social Security - Started paying benefits in 1940. Part of Socialist FDR's "New Deal" policies. Republicans want to privatize it, give money to Wall St.; want to cut benefits and raise retirement age. Democrats want to expand social security to poor people, widows, etc. The Social Security Fund faces a solvency issue: it has a surplus, but it is in "securities" not cash. Thus payouts, now, with a rapidly retiring populace, has to siphon money from current tax receipts, driving deficits.
Unlimited Secret Money in elections - After Nixon, laws were passed to keep large corporations from donating to politicians. In 2010 the GOP controlled Supreme Court said unlimited secret money is OK, even from foreign powers, as long as it is washed through SuperPAC's.
Voter Suppression - as demographics continue to favor Democrats, the GOP has turned to tactics such as closing polling locations in poor neighborhoods and not letting out of state students vote.
Minimum Wage - The minimum wage has not been raised since 2009 (Obama's first year). Minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation and increases in productivity.The gap between the rich and minimum wage has increased 15X since 1957. Republicans feel the minimum wage is too high. Biden has already signed executive orders raising it to $15 among federal contractors.
Education - Education is connected to the property tax base. Republicans prefer private schools, with taxpayer funded vouchers and tax breaks to pay for them. Democrats want more funding for public schools.
Energy - Democrats tend to favor sustainable non polluting energy such as wind and solar. Republicans cater to the oil and coal industries.
Transportation - The new Biden administration is fully supporting high speed rail. GOP has voted to defund Amtrak.
Cannabis Legalization - States that still imprison people for cannabis tend to be majority Republican.
Diversity - Women and people of color who are politicians tend to be Democrats.
Filibuster - In the U.S. Senate, a lone Senator can block a bill. The block can only be removed by a 60% majority.
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