Government - an authoritative body established to manage society and

provide the basic benefits it needs to properly function, including economic

prosperity, secure national borders and the safety and well-being of the
citizens, which is insured through healthcare, education, infrastructure for
transportation.

Politics - excersising previously gained control in a government to set and

achieve certain purposes, especially those related to national resource
division.

Economical systems and political governments are NOT the same. They
are often confused with one another, however, which is because they
frequently go hand in hand, or develop next to one another.

In the US the poli-economical duo is the dichotomy of democracy and

capitalism, which just happened to thrive in America at the same time. They
are based on similar principles, including in giving the power to the
individual, which often makes people think they're the same thing.

However, democracy can exist next to other systems, such as socialism.

Even though most of the assets are - as opposed to capitalism - in
possession of the government, the people can still live a good and stable
life, thanks to some of the governmental programs socialism supports,
including free healthcare or education.

Capitalism relies on the people being sustained by the government and the
market. The market delivers private goods (tools, clothing, edibles,
housing) while the government takes care of public goods (education,
national security).

Institutions like fire departments, police departments and schools are also
provided by the government and free of charge, though schools can also
be private, in which case they charge a fee for their services, called a
tuition.

The common goods, such as fish products or clean drinking water, are
protected by the government.
However, this all means nothing without proper management. This is why
people elect their representatives to the Congress, state legislatures and
city councils. These bodies make laws to govern their respective
jurisdictions and raise money through taxing. Budgets are set to determine
the way revenue's gonna be spent on matters.

Local level funds are spent on education, police and fire departments and
the maintenance of public property. National level funds are spent on
veteran pensions, military equipment and salaries, social security, federal
courts and prisons' maintenance and the management of national wildlife
reserves.

Local, state and national governments also make laws to ensure order and
efficient functioning of society. One way to do this is ensuring the fair
operation of business marketplace. The governments make sure the goods
provided by the market are of acceptable quality, healthy and safe to use.
This way, companies have to meet certain standards, and capitalism is
regulated.

Representative democracy means people choosing their representatives to

make their laws and decisions for them. Decisions are made by the
majority, though the rights of minorities are protected and in effect as well.
Direct democracy means people directly engaging in politics and making
impact on the matters concerning them. In the US, one element of this is
the presence of referendums.

Non-democratic forms of government include monarchies (systems

enabling single rulers - usually hereditary ones - to exert political power on
their own), oligarchies (power exercised by a certain group of people) and
totalitarian governments (the people being controlled and oppressed by the
all-powerful and unrestrained government).
Some people genuinely believe America is ruled by a small set of
individuals, effectively being an oligarchy. These people are believers of the
elite theory. Those who believe the American government is made up of the
many are believers of the pluralist theory.
Elite theorists think the wealthy control the governments, blocking the
economical advancement of the lower classes and distributing resources in
a way convenient to them, while forcibly maintaining the social order. An
example of evidence supporting this is the fact that one third of the US
presidents got to graduate from Ivy League Universities, something most
US citizens aren't able to.

The pluralist theorist argue that political power is distributed throughout

society. Governments co-operate with various groups, organizations and
unions, who speak for the needs and interest of the ordinary citizens.
This competition of groups is what shapes governmental policy.
Compromises are made to determine a result pleasing both sides. Such is
the case with the freedom of speech. Due to the First and Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution, federal and state governments must
protect the right to the freedom of speech. However, they must also make
sure said freedom never interferes with the freedom to excercise one's
rights.
Sometimes people clash over energy sources. Fracking, which is
supported by those in favor of inexpensive gas as a source of energy and
job opportunities, is rejected by those concerned with health and
environment impact of the initiative.
Other matters in which the governments try to balance the outcome to fit
the conflicting interests of two or more groups, are, for example, oil
extraction or firearms ownership laws.

Civic engagement can increase the power of ordinary people to influence

government actions. Even those without money or connections to important
people can influence the policies that affect their lives and change the
direction taken by government. This was the case during the abolition of
slavery, the Civil Rights movement, or the fight for women's rights. All these
causes, though spread and advocated for by underpriviliged groups, were
successful and changed the landscape for said groups for the better.
Activism can also improve people's lives in more minor ways, i.e. those
regarding infrastructure, public order or public space. Individuals who are
familiar with problems surrounding them can push for addressing and
solving them by supporting and voting for candidates they think are best
suited for the job.
There are several ways to stay civically engaged:
- keeping up with the state of affairs in the country
- contacting political representatives in regards to issues
- voting
- attending political rallies
- donating money for campaigns
- signing petitions
- volunteer work
- civil disobedience/protests/boycotts
A majority of Americans - about 70% of all adults - is engaged in politics.
The least populous group here is the youngest one: 18-29 years old. Young
people are turned off by many things.
One is partisanship, which is the political tendency to serve one's party's
best interests, ignoring those of the nation. Thus, the people feel less
represented and more ignored.

There is also the matter of ideology. It is harder to affiliate oneself with a

political part when it does not reflect one's worldview or beliefs. Other major
factors determining a person's civic engagement are wealth, education, or
the way they feel about current political issues.
Key Terms
private goods - goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply
democracy - a form of government where political power rests in the hands
of the people
direct democracy - a form of government where people participate directly
in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do
this for them
elite theory - claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group
of people
government - the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates
authority in order to accomplish collective goals
ideology - the beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and
eventually policy
intense preferences - beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings
regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time
latent preferencesbeliefs and preferences people are not deeply committed
to and that change over time
majority rule - a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should
have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole
minority rights - protections for those who are not part of the majority
monarchy- a form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one,
holds political power
oligarchy - a form of government where a handful of elite society members
hold political power
partisanship - strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular
political party
pluralist theory - claims political power rests in the hands of groups of
people
political power - influence over a government’s institutions, leadership, or
policies
politics - the process by which we decide how resources will be allocated
and which policies government will pursue goods provided by private
businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them
public goods - goods provided by government that anyone can use and that
are available to all without charge
representative democracy - a form of government where voters elect
representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the
people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws
social capital - connections with others and the willingness to interact and
aid them
toll good- a good that is available to many people but is used only by those
who can pay the price to do so
totalitarianism - a form of government where government is all-powerful
and citizens have no rights