The Government Makes a Country

A good government can provide a healthy government, but a corrupt government can break a nation. Throughout U.S. history we have predominantly two types of governments. The two types have been around since the beginning of America. Both have their unique abilities. Although we have a presidential system we are divided between Republicans and Democrats. Both parties want the best for the country, however, both parties go about it in different ways. One believes in a central government the other believes the state should hold more power than a federal government. As a country which government is better or should we get rid of one or even both? Are the two types of government conflicting the government, creating diversity in the United States?

In Greek roots Demos means “people”; Kratos means “rule” or “power.” The democratic party was originated in Athens Greece around the fifth century B.C. The leaders thought citizens could give their opinions and vote. They did not let slaves or women vote. This was the beginning of Democrats. The people of Athens believed the people needed to have a voice; also what we the people of the U.S. believe (study.com). The Democratic party is based upon equality to all citizens. Democrats believe in equal opportunity and education despite race religion gender or sexual orientation. A democratic system is a system based on central government. A central government means the federal powers are stronger than the state’s power. They believe in a closer community. They feel if were are divided we are not as strong of a country.

The democratic party has historically represented farmers, laborers, and ethnic minorities. It has represented middle-class citizens for years. The party opposed big unregulated businesses. The Democrats want to tax the richer more. They wanted the wealth to be spread evenly by taxing people differently depending on income (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus pg. 208).

In the United States, the democratic party is one of the largest parties along with the Republican party. The Democratic logo is a donkey. The donkey was created during Andrew Jackson’s campaign because everyone thought of him as a jackass. The democratic party has changed throughout the years during its two centuries of existence. During the 19th century the party supported or tolerated slavery, and it opposed civil right reform after the American Civil War in order to retain the support of the south. By the mid 20th century the party had changed supporting organized laborers and minorities (britannica.com). The democratic party became more involved with middle and lower class citizens. By supporting the majority of citizens, middle and lower class the democratic party quickly grew in the United States.

The democratic party was also known as the Federalist party. The Federalist party was led by Alexander Hamilton. They believed in a central government and lied the groundwork for the democratic party. The federalist believed that the Constitution was open for interpretation. They believed there were unmentioned rights in the Constitution. The federalist wanted to have diversity in the economy, so the United States could compete with European powers (ohiohistorycentral.org). This led to the opening of a national bank. The national bank provided an incentive for businessmen to invest in industries. Hamilton also believed that only the wealthy and educated white men should govern. There was only one Federalist president, John Adams, and the party only lasted until 1812 (ohiohistorycentral.org).

The modern Democratic Party has evolved their beliefs with time. The Democratic Party fully supports same-sex marriages. Democratic Party also supports the civil rights of minorities, and they also support a safety net for individuals, backing various social welfare programs including Medicaid and food stamps (britannica.com). The Democrats want to provide and support minorities and lower class citizens. They wanted to provide a way for lower citizens to vote. Democrats support environmental protection programs and gun control. The Democrats seek to preserve the environment9 and protect for the next generation. Democrats have made efforts with programs like the Environmental Protection Agency, which issued new fuel- economy standards.

Under President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency to take steps to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are the largest concentrated source of emissions in the United States (democrats.org). The ongoing climate change has the Democratic party worried. They keep fighting to make laws and protect the world from climate changes. Gun control is becoming a growing problem in the United States, with much violent shooting a year taking many lives. Democrats take a firm stand on improving control. Their focus is to prevent irrational people from obtaining deadly firearms.

Democrats want to obey the Second Amendment, but stricken laws. After many shooting, it opened a policy window, which the Democrats took and proposed a law to ban assault rifles. President Bush proposed a law to enforce gun laws, but it failed to pass (ontheissues.org). The Democrats, however, passed the Brady Law and the Assault Weapons Ban. The laws increased federal and state and local gun crime prosecution by twenty-two percent since 1992 (ontheissues.org).

Abortion is a big deal which goes against morals but some deem to be necessary in cases. Abortions are affirmed by the US Supreme Court confirms the legality of the Fourteenth Amendment. In 2015 there were 638,169 abortions. Democrats support a women’s right to chose. The democratic party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v.Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy. The Democrats believe in not choosing for women and letting it be their own choice. They understand some situations it is better for the parent. They also want to provide alternative programs for women who can’t support their child, and that doesn’t want to abort their child. The other major political party is the Republican Party. The party was called the “Grand Old Party,” in the 1870s. The party’s official logo, the elephant is derived from a cartoon by Thomas Nast (britannica.com).

The Republican party was adopted in 1792 by supports of Thomas Jefferson. The party was also know as Anti Federalist because they opposed a centralized government.They believed in a decentralized government with limited powers. The Republican party traces is roots to the 1850s, when antislavery leaders joined forces to oppose the extension of slavery into Kansas. The first Republican nomination for president was John C. Fremont. He did not get elected although he got the vote of many states north and south. The party quickly began to replace the Whigs as the main opposition to the dominant Democratic Party. One of the first Republican presidents was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln won eighteen northern states, and received sixty percent of electoral vote, but only forty percent of popular vote.

Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a very well liked president in the south. He was mainly hated for freeing the slaves with the Emacipactoin Proclamation. Although he was Republican the southerners didn’t feel he was one of them. His election provoked the seven southern states to leave the Union. Soon after the souther states left the Union the American Civil war began. The Republicans would go on to have and up and down time in the White House. In 1932 election Republican Herbert Hoover was beaten by Democrat Franklin D Roosevelt. After this loss the Republican party was considered a minority party. Roosevelt held the office for three terms longer than any president before and longer than any after. Most Republican opposed Roosevelt’s New Deal social programs by the 1950 the party had largely accepted the federal government’s expanded role and regulatory powers. The modern day Republican party has won twenty-four of the last thirty-eight elections. They have recently dominated the election in the last century. With the most recent president Donald Trump also a Republican the party has a strong hold in the United States. The Republicans have power in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Most modern Republicans reside in the South.

They also believe that all material things are earned, not owned. The party seeks to lower taxes for Americans. They see taxes as a drag on the economy (conservapedia.com). The Republicans have concerns about a big government controlling issues. Republican president Ronald Reagan said “Government is not the solution it’s the problem.” Like most Republicans he doesn’t believe in a big government having all power.

The Republican party is pro life. They don’t not want anything living thing to die without a choice. The party highly despise aborting unborn children. The believe even if the pregnancy wasn’t planned there is an alternate way to take cars of the child. This idea serves as the morals for the party and is what the ideology of the party stands for. The party also has firms believes against same sex marriages. They believe it is immoral and is not an act of God. They also believe the Founding Fathers wouldn’t approve, because the Founding Fathers said a marriage is only between a man and woman. The belief if a healthy household requires a man and woman, and two of the same gender parents do not create a safe environment. I believe this to be true, but it should be up to the individual to choose who they should marry (republicanviews.com).The government shouldn’t make someone be with a certain person. The Republican party also thinks it is up to each individual state to decide on laws. With each state creating their own laws every state would be different creating a very diverse country, and it would divide the country in a way (www.republicanviews.com) .

Immigration is increasing and is and ongoing problem. The Republican party has a firm stand against immigration and has made laws to protect the United State’s borders from illegal immigrants. They want to make sure illegal immigrants aren’t given the same opportunities as legal citizens. The party believes they will take jobs and opportunities from true Americans. They will warmly welcome legal immigrants. The party has implemented programs such as the Save Program, to help stop illegal immigration. The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program is an online system designed to help benefit-issuing agencies, institutions, and licensing agencies determine the immigration status of applicants. The Republicans also want to see the SAVE Program implemented nation wide (www.republicanviews.com).

The Republican also believe the Constitution is a set law that will not change. The Second Amendment is the right to bear fire arms . This is a right that is guaranteed to us in the Constitution, and that is further confirmed by the Second Amendment, and which should not be imposed upon by the government (www.republicanviews.com). This law was made so that each citizens has the right to protect himself from an irrational person seeking to do harm. Following the Republican Party beliefs they think the individual states should make laws for gun control.The Second Amendment has been forged by cultural influences. Most people in the midwest and south are traditionally know as hunters. As hunter they use guns and have been using them for years and have a strong outlook on having their own control of their guns. They feel guns can’t be taken from them. They are supported by the Second Amendment, but recent actions by irrational people have led to a policy window allowing talk for more gun control laws. The recent policy window has had law makers puzzled because they don’t want to take guns away, but they want to prevent gun violence( www.republicanviews.com) .

The Republican Party has reduced taxes this and year and plan to keep taxes low. The party believes that budget surpluses have caused Americans to be overtaxed-a condition that is not only threatening their financial prosperity, but is also hindering (and possibly even reversing) growth to the country’s economy. They also want to limit the top marginal rate, believing it punishes those who have worked hard and invested well. This idea is well accepted throughout the United States causing many voters to think about which party they vote for. Although the party wants to cut taxes, and help the people they also realize cutting taxes too much will hurt the economy. Over-cutting taxes will take money away from the government, and if too much money is taken from the government they can not provide for the country (www.republicanveiws.com) .

The Republican Party is pro environment. They believe in keeping the ecosystem safe, but still able to have recreational hobbies outside. They support hunting, fishing, and many other outdoor hobbies. Although they support these hobbies they make laws and efforts to protect endangered animals and environments. They believe that the government should provide market-based incentive to develop technologies that will meet environmental standards, allowing us to better the environment while simultaneously creating jobs, saving businesses money, and overall improving the economy. With a safe ecosystem and a growing economy everyone is happy and thriving, creating leisure and safety (www.republicanviews.com).

The Republican Party believes that the government needs to focus on getting those who receive welfare into jobs, and therefore out of the welfare program. To accomplish this they plan on reforming the welfare program. To fix the welfare program, the Republican Congress of 1996 passed a welfare reform that gave states greater flexibility in managing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The Republican Party’s main focus in welfare is to help single mothers and women who can not partake in education, because they must support for their child. The party strongly believes that every American needs to have the chance to earn a paycheck and experience the pride of providing for his or her family (www.republicanviews.com) .

The two major parties both seek to help the United States. The Democrats and Republicans may have two different outlooks on the Constitution, and the way a government should be ran, but is there honestly a right way to run a government and have everyone happy? We see flaws in both systems, one government wants to have all federal power, and the other wants the states to have individual powers. The government and america is highly divided through the belief of these two conflicting parties. I believe the two parties are not good for our country. To stand as a United Nation their should only be one party. On television we see two candidates bashing one another, just to win the country. A true american wouldn’t want to disrespect another, but instead should help and meet agreements to help the country and not their own political career.

As we watching the latest election between President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton we see what Americans are truly like. As a country we shouldn’t want to be known as the country with our candidates calling each other liars and sexist. We do not see any another country doing this. Are we doing this for publicity, or is this our country’s true colors. Our first President George Washington said “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” As we look through recent elections this seems to be what political parties have come to. They are becoming less about the people of the United States and more about the candidate. George Washington warned us the potential threats of political parties, and didn’t heed his warning and our beloved country could be the cost.

Ray Bradbury an american author who wrote Fahrenheit 451 once said, “I hate all politics. I don’t like either political party. One should not belong to them – one should be an individual, standing in the middle. Anyone that belongs to a party stops thinking”. A person can find this to be true in modern day America . Many Americans say since they are Republican or Democratic the other party is stupid, or full of lies. They say this because they are blinded by their party’s beliefs and don’t think rationally. A party’s beliefs should be your guide, not your law you must follow blindly. As the country continues to grow we will learn from out mistakes and hopefully correct our mistakes. We must follow the president set by our Founding Fathers, and amend new laws as the times change. If we don’t adapt with the time we will be lost. To grow we must become one United party and see the world through one eye to help benefit the people and future generations of the United States of America.