Summary: The United States Government System

The American system of government as established the rules and laws in the United States Constitution was deliberately designed to remediate or eradicate the potential for tyrannical governance. This key value of opposing totalitarian rule in any form became a central value which led to the development of a system of checks and balances among the three branches of U.S. government. While installing this system has undoubtedly accomplished the goal of protecting citizens from the rise of any tyrannous regime it has caused other unexpected pitfalls in the American governmental procedures. Among the most glaring instances of these difficulties is the complex and often convoluted process of passing a bill and creating new laws. Although this too can protect American citizens from the drafting of unjust and poorly devised laws it often leads legislators to adopt darker and less favorable political tactics. In theory the ideal process of a bill becoming a law includes a complex but decidedly fair set of procedures. The process begins when a member of Congress presents a piece of legislature which …show more content…
Firstly, though a bill must be presented by a member of congress the initial idea for the legislation often comes from a special interest group. These groups frequently represent large industries or sectors of the American economy such as pharmaceutical companies, health insurance companies, and the health care industry. The size and wealth of these interest groups allow them to use economic influence in the form of lobbying and political contributions and even advertising campaigns to sway public opinion and legislative decisions in their favor. As a consequence important political boundaries may become blurred and the wellbeing of the majority may be overlooked in order to further the interests of a select