Question 1
Political ideologies are the windows through which people view and believe the government should be run and public policies implemented. I believe in a combination of both the liberal and conservative ideologies. This is because the beliefs of both ideologies vary depending on the issue at hand. As far as gay marriages are concerned, I believe the conservative ideology is more logical. This is because conservatives believe in preservation o the traditional marriage. This means they appreciate the negative effects that gay marriages will have on the balance that exists in society due to the traditional home setting. Liberals believe that gay marriages are just one of the ways of promoting citizens’ freedom in society.
However, the detrimental effects of legalizing gay marriages would result in numerous detrimental effects to society. Therefore, the liberal ideology is not the best alternative as far as the issue of gay marriages is concerned. However, as far as provision of health care facilities is concerned I believe the liberal ideology is stronger and more humane than the conservative beliefs. This is because liberals believe in the provision of free healthcare facilities to all citizens while charging these costs to the government. Conservatives, on the other hand, are less concerned about the welfare of the citizens since they advocate for privatizing the provision of healthcare. They believe that the costs associated with healthcare are too high and as such should not be entirely charged on the government, but on individual citizens. The two ideologies also differ as far taxation is concerned.
Conservatives are more concerned about the growth of the economy in general as opposed to the improvement of citizens’ welfare and the maintainance of equality in society. As such, I believe the liberals are better placed by recommending for a progressive tax system that imposes a larger tax burden on high income earners as compared to low income earners. This is as opposed to the conservative beliefs that high income earners should not be taxed heavily to encourage investment. Generally, conservatives provide a logical argument as far as social issues are concerned while liberals provide a better one as far as political and economic issues are concerned.
Question 2
The U.S government is similar to other governments in other nations across the world since it is based on the constitution as the main determinant of how the government should be formed and run. The constitution allows for changes to be made through various amendments that are made to it. However, this system of government is also unique due to the existence of several state governments and a federal government that oversees these state governments. The federal government is principally responsible for handling foreign affairs and settling of any disputes that may arise between states. The U.S has been able to effectively run on this system of government with a greater degree of efficiency than most countries.
However, the only disadvantage of this system of government is the variance that arises in the laws across the different states. This means that certain activities may be legal in one state and illegal in another one such as gay marriages. This may result in segregation between the various states and affect the general unity of the country. Therefore, the U.S may lack a sense of unity in its character due to the lack of a common set of laws across all states. However, this also shows the high level of democracy that the U.S constitution provides for its citizens across various states. The people are provided with an opportunity to change the laws that govern them through the representatives they elect to congress.
The U.S government system is also democratic since it has checks and balances to prevent a dictatorial government from arising. This is especially due to the fact that no single person is allowed by the constitution to serve as president for more than two terms. This is as opposed to various nations that have a person serve as president for over two decades. Elections in U.S are also free and fair and hence limiting the chance of occurrence rigging of elections. This means that generally the U.S government system is an example that many nations across the world seek to emulate. It is especially superior because of the respect the constitution is given and adherence to the rule of law, even by influential political leaders. Despite the various challenges that the U.S government faces, I believed that it has managed to attain exemplary performance in comparison to other governments in the world.
Question 3
The U.S constitution is the source of all the order that exists in the whole nation. The constitution clearly speculates the separation of powers among various branches of the government. Each branch is given specific functions to deliver on independently. The constitution allows for making of new laws, so long as it is approved by both the House of Representatives and the House of Senate. The constitution gives executive powers to the president. Furthermore, it ensures control on the various functions of the governments through the setting up of the Supreme Court. A balance of powers between the congress and the president is established and controlled through the Supreme Court that is expected to act independently.
The bill of rights were set up as part of the U.S constitution to help ensure that the basic rights and freedoms of the American citizens. This was made as an amendment to the American constitution to help ensure that congress does not pass laws that tend to infringe the rights and freedoms of the citizens. This includes the upholding of the citizens’ freedom of expression and association. The American constitution through the bill of rights is advantageous over other constitutions due to the allowance it provides for representatives to amend the constitution. This is, however, disadvantageous since it may be difficult to limit inclusion of new and perverse cultures into the cultural values in the American society. This has led to a dilution of important cultures that ought to exist in any society culture. This is one of the reasons why some states have legalized gay marriages.
Question 4
The U.S election system is different from that in other countries in several aspects. Most countries have several political parties at the time of elections. This is because the constitution in such countries allows for the formation of several parties before the election period. However, the U.S political system provides for only two parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Leaders are then expected to join either of these parties depending on their affiliation or political beliefs. Interest groups show their support to either of the two political parties depending on how much their interests are expressed in the manifestos of the political parties. Campaigns are very vigorous and are carried out in various states and counties in America. This is similar to the campaigns that are carried out in other countries.
However, U.S has shown a distinct difference in the vetting of the candidates through carrying out national debates to critically evaluate the ability of a leader to deliver positive change. Other nations have taken up a similar structure to help ensure they vote in efficient leaders. However, the U.S is far ahead as far as voting techniques are concerned. It uses electronic voting systems to carry out the voting and polling process. This prevents delays and inconveniences that come with manual voting systems. It is also fast, effective and reliable in carrying out the whole voting process. Most countries lag as far as incorporation of technology into the voting process is concerned. However, most have tried to use such methods in the polling process, thus emulating the systems used in U.S.
Question 5
The US economy is crucial in the growth of the nation. However, challenges have existed in the economy. More recently, the economic crisis of 2008 affected the nation significantly. Gas prices have also gone up in the recent past, and this has resulted to increased outrage from the public. The recovery process from the 2008 economic crisis has also been slow. According to Elliot (2013), indicators such as growth rates, factory outputs house prices and jobs growth indicate that the recovery from the economic crisis has indeed been slow.
The economic debt in the United States is increasing at significantly high rate. Todhunter (2013) suggests that the increase in outsourcing of manufacturing and economic policies has increased the debt to about 16 trillion dollars. This ideally has contributed to a massive reduction in job opportunities. Such trends in the economy of the United States could affect the strength of the dollar in the international market. The dollar is strong owing to its use in the various oil transactions. Most of the Arab nations dealing with oil use the dollar. Any indication of a weak dollar owing to a poor United States economy may result to this oil countries looking for an alternative. In an effort to avoid crisis, the United States responded by printing more money (Root, 2013). This is no way to pay the debt as it only aggravates the situation.
China has become a major competitor to the United States. It is funding more projects around the world. Matthews (2013) indicates that the United States economy increased by 2.3% in the year 2012. This has been predicted to decrease to about 2% in the year 2013. On the contrary, the economic growth in China, in 2012 was at 7.8%, which is expected to increase to about 8.5% in the year 2014.
Question 6
The United States in the past has played a more interventionist role, globally. This can be seen in its presence, in countries such as Afghanistan, where war has been a major part of the country. Additionally, the United States is increasing its involvement in other countries where crises have risen such as Syria. The interventionist role of the United States needs to have a more non-militarily approach. It is essential that the United States be for peace in the different countries around the world. However, it needs not to interfere in the governance of countries where stability has been achieved. Furthermore, in trying to help countries like Somalia, the United States need not have other ulterior motives such as oil access and exploration. Further, having a more non-military interventionist approach could save the country a lot of money. Many finances have been spent in the wars, in Afghanistan.
In the coming years, the United States should focus on an interventionist approach that has minimum interference with the governance of other nations. The United States needs to be involved more in the developing of other countries. Therefore, on certain issues in the different countries the United States needs to take an isolationist approach, which may increase the independence and stability of the various countries and prevent the likelihood of increasing neocolonialism.
References
Root, W. A. (2013, April 18). Is the U.S. Economy on the Verge of Epic Collapse? – Wayne
Allyn Root - Page full. Conservative news, politics, opinion, breaking news analysis, political cartoons and commentary – Townhall. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://townhall.com/columnists/wayneallynroot/2013/04/18/is-the-us-economy-on-the-verge-of-epic-collapse-n1570834/page/full
Elliot, L. (n.d.). Three reasons why the US got itself out of an economic mess | Business | The
Observer. Latest US news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/19/three-reasons-us-economic-mess
Matthews, D. (2013, January 23). The U.S. economy is slowing down, and 8 other takeaways
Todhunter, C. (2013, May 17). Dollar crisis and the coming collapse of US global hegemony –
English pravda.ru.English pravda.ru: Russian news and analysis. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://english.pravda.ru/business/finance/17-05-2013/124594-dollar_crisis-0/
