Democracy precisely means a type of government where the people have sovereign powers, and they exercise the powers either directly or through their elected officials. Globally, the United States of America is respected as the father of first liberal democracy. The USA adopted a constitution on 1788 that stipulated the requirement for an elected government and safeguarded the civil rights and liberties of its citizens. In the early days of the constitution, democracy became a way of life.
The US Constitution divided the national government into three sections, namely; the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. The constitution was designed to ensure that each branch is not independent of one another. The aim was to ensure the creation of checks and balances so that no branch claimed superiority of the other. The checks and balances to some extent operate efficiently. For instance, the legislative wing of the US government has the powers to make laws. For instance, the legislative wing checks the judiciary and Executive branches. First, the Senate, that is a branch of the legislature, has the powers to approve presidential appointments and treaties. Most presidential appointments have always passed by the Senate for approval. The Legislative branch also has checks over the judiciary since it can create lower courts and approve the appointment of judges or impeach any judge. Hence, over the past years, the legislative arm of the government has excelled in performing checks and balances, an indication of the effectiveness of the US constitutional system.
The US electoral process has faced both positive and negative criticisms in the recent past. Issues have been raised over campaign financing that has been a thorn with regards to the election process. The electoral process is not fair and needs a couple of improvements. First, there needs to be regulations on campaign financing to avoid giving advantage to wealthier candidates. The voting system also needs a change from the winner-take-all system to one that ensures inclusivity. For instance, the US ballot provides a choice of voting for only one candidate. Such a system may appear democratic, but it only empowers the two-party system. Additionally, the Electoral College also needs some changes to reflect the popular will. For instance, Alaska has three electoral votes while California has 55 electoral votes. The difference in population of these states would make the disparity in the number of electoral votes in the two states fair. However, the percentage breakdown holds that Alaska’s voters hold more power than those of California. Such issues require urgent attention to ensure the electoral process is fair to all.
The media and interest groups have generated a lot of controversies in the recent past. To some people, these two groups are the reason for the problems in America. However, other people view these two groups as significant parts of the US democratic system. The media have optimistically impacted on the US democracy. The investigative reporting that has unraveled some of the biggest scandals has even led to the resignations of some presidents. The media provide an efficient and reliable watchdog (Coronel, n.d.). Interest groups have also played a positive role in the US democracy. Most interest groups influence policymakers by becoming involved in the election process. Additionally, the interest groups always put pressure on the government to implement policies that benefit all the Americans and not a particular class of Americans. Hence, both the media and the interest groups have contributed positively to the American democracy.
The US government has over the years implemented different programs to try and fix some of the problems the Americans face. Some of the programs have been a great success. However, the effectiveness of some of the programs has not been optimum. Among the key successes of government programs include the improvement of interstate highway system during the Eisenhower administration. The success of social security and Medicare programs has ensured that those who retire do not spend their lives in illness and poverty. Most importantly, legislation to protect consumer and their implementation have played a big role in protecting the citizenry from unscrupulous and dangerous products (Rosenfeld, 2004).
References
Amy, D. J. (2007). Government is Good - The Forgotten Achievements of Government. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=7
Coronel, S. S. (n.d.). The Role of the Media in Deepening Democracy. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan010194.pdf
Rosenfeld, R. N. (2004, May). [Essay] | What Democracy?, by Richard N. Rosenfeld | Harper's Magazine. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://harpers.org/archive/2004/05/what-democracy-the-case-for-abolishing-the-united-states-senate/
