Improving the US Government - Essay Example

?Improving the US government Introduction The United s of America is currently the strongest economy globally. The country has a number of strong economic sectors that function effectively offering job opportunities to its population and the ever-increasing number of immigrants. Additionally, the country is arguably the strongest democracy in the world1. The country has an elaborate constitution that respect the value of humanity thereby detailing the bill of rights through which it defends the freedoms and liberties of its population. Every citizen either born or lives in the country is free and enjoys a number of liberties envisioned in the American constitution. The country tries to protect the interests of American citizens living out of the country. In order to secure a a safe society for her citizens, the country tries to develop working relationships with other countries in the international community. After more than a hundred years of independence, the country has grown both economically, socially and politically to become the world super power it is today. However, the government is still not ideal and therefore deserves a number of changes in order to create a government that protects the interest of the citizen2. An ideal government exists only in an ideal society. This implies that before changing the government into an ideal government, the society must also change to represent the different social groupings all of who must exist peacefully. Peace is an essential attribute and a tool of governance that most democracies such as the United States try to create in their countries. A peaceful society is conducive for development and depicts a just society that values humanity. Human rights still is an issue in the country’s social spheres. While the country has developed through the years to result in the creation of a liberal society in which everyone is free and at liberty to make his or her own choices. The society has shown some extent of laxity in accepting dynamism among its population. The victimization of minority groups such as the gay and lesbians depicts a society that is slow to accept those it considers strange. An ideal society is one in which everyone lives freely enjoying their differences3. By victimizing a section of the population, the population portrays a failure by the government in creating a free fair and just society. Political leadership make policies and their acceptance of such minority groups compel adherence to such decrees thereby improving respect for humanity despite the diversities that humanity present. The country has an effective legal system, one that shows respect for humanity and offers equal opportunity both for the defense and for the plaintiff to present their argument and thereafter determine an effective judgment followed by a culpable punishment. The legal system works in unison with other arms of the government through which it obtains the legislations it implements. This requires unity in the operation of the different arms of the government. An effective judicial system coupled with an ineffective correctional facility is equally unrealistic. The correctional facilities must portray respect for human rights thereby defend them. It is in jails that people exist lawlessly and carry out activities that demean the value of humanity. The government should therefore develop correctional facilities that do not only restrain offenders from interacting with the rest of the society but just as the name suggests changes them thereby making them better citizens. Rehabilitation of behavior begins from the recognition of the equal value of humanity in the inmates thereby defending such. However, the system must be punitive enough to earn the plaintiff the satisfaction of compensation. The United States of America is not as peaceful as it may appear. The tranquility that the country enjoys currently exhibits deeper social injustices and past transgressions that the government must address in the process of becoming ideal4. For a long time the country experienced some of the worst racial segregation in the world some of which some people still ascribe. A peaceful society is a result of reconciliation and the abolition of the historical injustices. Since the country is multi-racial, the different ethnic groups must live together in peacefully. To achieve this, the government must carry out expansive reconciliation programs in order to appease those previously offended by the national composition. Different races cohabited different regions in the country, which thereafter had relative development programs. Additionally, the different races had varying opportunities in accessing such important services as education and health thereby resulting in different quality of lifestyles. In order to develop a just and an ideal government, the current government must ensure equality in every sector of the government. The fact that the incumbent president is from a minority group is a positive indication towards the achievement of a just and ideal society but the government must not exhibit discriminating personality and strive to create a social society in which people interact freely and therefore conduct their businesses without biases or intimidations. This is achievable by offering more job opportunities to the population regardless of their ethnic or racial affiliation. The population must access effective and quality education in order to qualify for the different job opportunities. This therefore compels the government to offer effective academic services and ensure equality in doing so. Every citizen in the modern society demands effective education in order to live a quality lifestyle. An effective educational system imparts the value of humanity on the students thereby creating an increasingly knowledgeable population capable of defending their rights and liberties. The liberalization of the economy making every citizen capable of affording some of the basic products and services is in order5. An ideal society is hunger free; this is only achievable if the people have the capacity to afford goods and services from the market. The liberal American market is a result of the development of a just and social economic system. However, the market currently still exhibits features of capitalism as few international corporations monopolize the market thereby determining the prices and the quality of services for the population. This is an indication of weaker government policies since monopolistic economies exploit the people. The government cannot therefore develop an ideal society while few corporations still exploit the people. The government has a number of businesses in several sectors through which it tries to pacify the market thereby eliminating the effects of monopoly. Such public corporations in the transport and energy sector provide other private operators with an effective competition capable of influencing their pricing policies. However, the government needs to develop more realistic market policies that are capable of quelling the effects of monopolies. It is only after developing a just and ideal economic and social society that the government can possibly changes its governance apparatus to create an ideal political society. The currently is currently a democracy, most countries in the world are democracies which as Abraham Lincoln once defined is a government for the people and by the people. However, democracy presents a number of challenges key among which is the development of majority dictatorship; the majority will always have their way regardless of the minority in this instance. Once elected the government tries to serve every divide of the population but the amount of public criticisms and opposition owing to the high number of people who opposed the leadership may at times stifle the operations of the government6. The past two elections experienced the most intense competitions. The presidential candidates had nearly equal votes thereby splitting the country into two halves with each section supporting a different candidate. Such politics polarize the country resulting in a highly divided population that may take some time to heal a time within which governance becomes difficult. While there is no alternative to democracy, the country should institute effective democratic systems, which do not divide the people during the political campaigns. Such a political system is one in which the population have a wide variety of leaders to choose from. For several decades, only two political parties have been active in the politics. While this shows a level of political maturity, it limits competition among the citizens interested in seeking the mandate to govern the country. It is therefore advisable that the country gives prominence to the other smaller political parties most of which often present the interest of the minority groups. Bibliography Beachler, B. K. (2005). Mind the Gap: Economic & Social Polarization & the Prospects for Labor Revitalization in London. New York: OUP. Carl, B. (2009). To Count New Stimulus Jobs, Help Really Wanted. New York: Wall Street. Jonathan, K. (2005). The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. New York: crown. Johnson, M. P. (2002). Reading the American Past: Selected Historical Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. Read More