American Government System Essay

The American government was originally designed to stay small. The Founders had experienced the “big government” in Europe and that eventually led to their fleeing of the country. In the new world, the settlers wrote a system of checks and balances into the Constitution to prevent the government ever becoming the same size that it is in European nations. This separation of powers has created a mold that the current government has to follow. There isn’t any room to expand without infringing on another branches’ responsibilities or the the territory the states or local governments control. Even now, the US government is trying to implement a common core education curriculum throughout elementary schools, but multiple states are fighting

Dividing up government between so many branches and furthermore, having the political parties divide the branches makes the system even more inefficient. The weak political system was initially formed with the thought that there would be no need for political parties, however, parties began forming rather quickly and instead of the government adapting with the change in parties, it stayed the same leading to incredibly weak parties today. While a party may have a certain set of ideals, and a politician may agree with those ideas, it is common and almost encouraged for officials to vote outside of the realm of their party in favor of gaining constituents. In America, citizens “prize autonomy and responsiveness to [the politicians’] own constituents” (p.11). In the United States, candidates run their own campaigns rather than the party as well leaving little to no contact between the two. The true meaning of government, being to help the people, was tossed out the window once the idea of competition was introduced. Most politicians view being in office as a time to impress their voters to ensure reelection rather than focus on the good of the country as a