A government is a group of people who make the rules that we live by. They also make sure those rules are followed, and they judge any conflicts between different sets of rules. The United States government has three main branches: the Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Supreme Court. The Branches work together to put the laws into action, but each one has some powers that are separate from the others. For example, the president can veto laws that Congress passes. Congress can approve or reject the president’s appointments, and the Supreme Court can overturn unconstitutional laws.
The role of government has changed over the years. At some times it has been in charge of making the rules, and at other times it has taken care of people. Most governments today have both of those roles.
Governments take care of the needs of their citizens by collecting taxes and spending money on things like education, public transportation, and health care. They can raise these funds by charging fees or by borrowing money from investors. They distribute the money through programs that help those who need it, such as unemployment insurance and social security.
Some things that are needed by everyone, like national security or education, cannot be provided by the market because they require a lot of people working together and sharing costs. They are called “public goods.” Governments provide them because they can tax the entire population and draw upon all their resources. They can even compel citizens to cooperate.
Most problems can’t be solved by the market alone, either because of “market failures” or simply because the problem is too big for any one business to handle. Governments can solve these problems by addressing them before they have a chance to get out of hand. That’s the role they play in reducing poverty, fighting crime, and taking care of the environment.
One of the most controversial things governments do is redistribute wealth from rich to poor. They do this by collecting income taxes and other fees from individuals and businesses, and then they spend that money on programs like education, social security, and public defense. People often have strong opinions about how much the government should redistribute wealth, and they also have varying opinions about what kinds of programs should be offered.
Many people believe that the government should be of the people, by the people, and for the people. This sentiment is very old and has been expressed in many ways, including in Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. In general, lower-income adults take a more expansive view of the government’s role than middle- and upper-income adults. This is probably because they feel the government should do more to protect them from economic troubles and provide benefits that all people need, regardless of their income level. However, the vast majority of Americans think that the federal government should focus more on the economy and less on individual benefits.