INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction to American Government

Introduction to American Government

This paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of American government in democratic age. This paper is divided into three parts. The first section is based on the consumer finance protection. The section covers the judicial selection process, while the third section covers the long term project. This project is based on the theme mentioned above.

Paper 1: Consumer Finance Protection Agency

The Consumer Finance Protection Agency (CFPA), based in Washington, D.C., is the nation's largest consumer advocacy group. It is an umbrella of organizations and includes labor unions; state and local consumer organizations; and senior citizen, low-income, labor, farm, public power, and cooperative organizations.

There is evidence that the CFPA can go toe to toe with other powerful Washington lobbies on behalf of consumers. The CFPA is particularly alert to scams and rip-offs and hazardous products. It has been very successful at using surveys and exposes to generate free media. Today, the CFPA is readier than it was to accept market forces as part of the solution. This pragmatism is evident in its positions on energy markets. consumer protection regulation is generally grounded in issues related to hazard avoidance, information disclosure, and privacy protection. Consumer protection regulation is an ongoing process and evolves over time; it adapts to the economic, technological, political, and social forces.

Paper 2: Judicial Selection and Independence

There are five principal methods of judicial selection in the United States: legislative appointment, executive appointment, partisan election, nonpartisan election, and merit selection.

The selection of professional judges involves issues of political power and the absence of transparency in methods of selection. Nevertheless, the weight of politics is counterbalanced by substantial decentralization in the real choices of judges and by the influence of an informal group of lawyers in the United States.

It is from these groups of lawyers that politicians find persons who are eligible to become professional judges. Once installed, professional judges almost always serve for life. They are, in addition, largely sheltered from disciplinary procedures because such procedures are difficult to implement.

Some commentators, for example, assert that countries that give judges life tenure will have a more independent judiciary, one that places itself above the fray of ordinary politics, while those subjecting judges to periodic checks conducted by the public or elected officials will have a more accountable judiciary. This debate underscores the fact that not only are the types of institutions that govern the selection of judges fundamental to discussions about judicial independence versus accountability (or interdependence), but also that they convey important information about the values that a society wishes to foster.

Long Term Project: How should we govern and what should a government do

The United States of America is a liberal democratic country, and the basic elements of democracy (majority rule, government by popular consent, one person one vote, and competitive elections, to name a few) are revered. In this liberal democratic country, certain core values have persisted since America's founding. The American creed stresses such values as individuality, liberty, unity, ...