University of California Irvine Introduction to American Government Essay

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Humanities

University of California Irvine

Description

You must write one comprehensive essay between 10 and 15 pages (not including
references) using Times Roman 12 font, double-spaced.
Because this is an open book assignment, you are allowed to quote from the readings
and your lecture notes. If you quote from the readings, some form of citation is
necessary (Citations do not need to be formal; just provide enough information to
allow the reader to look up the source material). You should NOT use any outside
sources for this essay. Try to show how much you have learned from this course,
focusing on the key points that were covered in the class material.
Be sure to cover all the aspects of the statement below in your comprehensive essay. In
general, it is wise to follow the order of the points as you see them in the prompt. You’ll
naturally want to write more on some aspects than others, as the degree to which the
readings and lectures focused on each aspect varied substantially. You can agree with
all, some, or none of the statements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place yourself in the role of assistant to the op-ed editor for the Orange County Register
newspaper. A staff writer submits an op-ed about the current state of democracy in the USA.
Your boss asks you to evaluate all the statements in the article based on the knowledge you
obtained from your introduction to American government course at UCI. The piece reads as
follows:

American democracy is clearly failing. The 18th century horse and buggy constitution that
the USA is stuck with was not designed to deliver the efficient response to problems that is
required in the 21 st century for good governance. The system of separate institutions sharing
powers repeatedly leads to frustrating gridlock that accomplishes nothing for the American
people. The people themselves have proved the doubters of democracy prescient concerning
the inability of typical citizens to participate meaningfully in self-government. The lack of
public information about political matters in the USA is stunning and disheartening. Of
course, this state of affairs can be partially blamed on the American mass media’s regular
focus on sensational stories that will earn them the most profit. And to make matters worse,
the fragmentation of the media environment has led to a situation where most voters only
hear from the side of the political spectrum that they agree with. This situation could be
ameliorated by the political parties taking clear opposing stances that could get through to
voters, but all too often the Democrats and Republicans obscure their issue stands with vague
rhetoric. Furthermore, when it comes to governing the parties all too often lack coherence in
action, as they cannot compel their members to vote the party line. Finally, American
elections are full of biases, such as: 1) the outsized importance of unrepresentative early
states in the presidential nomination process; 2) the travesty of the Electoral College allowing
a candidate to win the presidency without the most popular votes; and 3) the low turnout
among certain demographic groups and in comparison to most other established democracies.
In sum, the United States should NOT be held up as a model democracy.

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Explanation & Answer

Attached. Please let me know if you have any questions or need revisions.

Running Head: INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT

INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Date

1

INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT

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INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT
Introduction
The limitation of the constitution characterizes the United States government. The government is
formed basing on the constitutional democracy of the state. The United States is one of the
superpower nations whose government formation process should be emulated by other nations in
the world. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the united states government, elections, and
public involvement in the formation of the government follow the required procedures as much as
democracy is concerned. The united states constitution forms an outline of separate branches
comprising of the congress, the presidency, and the court, which have to work simultaneously in
enhancing the democracy of the country. As an op-ed editor for the orange newspaper, I have to
use the knowledge learned in the class to evaluate the statements made by one of the writers
concerning the American government. With a look at the piece provided, there is a need to make
recommendations on several aspects in order to make other people understand the American
government better. The piece links with the problems relating to the 21st century for good
governance and the 18th-century constitution of the USA. The writer claims that the democrats and
republican aspects of American governance affect democracy. The piece also states that the media
of the country is biased as it allows the citizens to listen from one side of the political part.
Moreover, voting with the political parties is not guarded with required standards as much as
democracy is concerned. This essay will use the knowledge of the ‘Introduction to American
Government’ course in UCI to evaluate the allegations made by the writer concerning the
American government, democracy, elections, and others.

INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT

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The system of separate institutions sharing powers in United States and how it Affects
Democracy
It is quoted in the piece provided that the system of separate institutions sharing powers leads to
frustrating gridlock that accomplishes nothing for the American people. I disagree with this
analogy because the separation of powers in the USA ensures that the government is properly run
in terms of democracy hence satisfying the American people. With reference to the American
constitution's course resources, we find that the American government is separated into the
legislative branch, the executive branch, and the Judicial branch. The legislative is made up of the
congress, which is responsible for creating laws in the government. Two chambers of the
legislative branch (the upper chamber (the senate) and the lower chamber (house of
representatives) ensure that the American people are subjected to the law. Congress's sole authority
is t make laws, levy taxes, declare war and print money, and other political powers. Furthermore,
the federal budget is also made by the American congress.
The executive branch is formed by the presidency of the federal government. The American
president is elected after every four years. The president enforces the laws made by congress since
he is the commander- chief of the American armed forces. The judicial branch involves the
implementation of the laws made by congress to ensure that law is maintained in the country. The
American supreme court, which is the largest court, helps in the implementation of the law in the
country. A good linkage between the three arms of the government shows that the separation of
powers in the American government exposes Americans to good governance and the government.
Several institutions sharing powers in America cannot, therefore, frustrate the Americans.

INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT

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Democracy and Self-Government
According to the piece provided, it is argued that people have approved to be doubters of the
democracy prescient concerning the inability of typical citizens to participate in self-governance.
Democracy and the aspect of self-governance in the USA give Americans mandates to practice
their political rights. It is the democratic right for the citizens to participate fully in the formation
of the government. First of all, when we hear about democracy, the concept of a corporation
usually comes to our minds. The USA is considered a democratic nation as it allows its citizens to
have a say in the government. There is a representative...


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