Democracy and the Federal Bureaucracy - Essay Example

? Democracy al Affiliation: Government During the ancient times, Aristotle categorized regimes in accordance with the magnitude of those being ruled and the ruler ship that existed. These regimes are: First, a tyranny which is a form of regime whereby the leader exercises unchecked authority. Mostly the leader is on a self-satisfaction role. Second, an oligarchy which is a form of rule whereby authority is vested to individuals of the same family on the grounds of economic or financial might. Under modern classification there exist a number of different types of regimes as suggested by Tilly (2007). These are: First dictatorship which is a regime under the principle, one country, one state, one ruler. A single individual has all the powers with no other individual or body to challenge his powers. There exists a single political party under such leadership. The merit of such leadership is that decision making process is fast because the stage of consulting is not there or is minimal. The disadvantage is the oppression of people’s opinions and misuse of power by the dictator. Dictatorship is mostly encouraged when there is obsequiousness by the public on a certain leader or ignorance on the part of the electorate on another form of leadership. The electorate should be sensitized on different leadership styles and many parties should be given a platform for their formation so as to give the public diverse ideologies to choose from. Second, democracy is basically ruled by the people, by the people and for the people. The advantages of such rule are that priority is given to the needs of the people. Leaders are chosen by the people and work on their demands. Many political parties with divergent ideologies strengthen democracy whilst one party system weakens it. The existence of many political parties increases the cost of selling the party's ideology to the people and the election process. Federalism This is basically the principle of giving powers to diverse bodies and such like institutions. These bodies have the capacity to govern independently. The central government strictly deals with authority in security as well as alien policy though these bodies can have worldwide responsibilities. Federalism emerged due to the desire to avoid centralized rule. The scholars associated with federalism pushed for autonomy and diversity in administration, policy making and resource use. They disagreed on the arrangement of having a single unit possessing all this authority. Federalism thus takes away excess powers from a single unit to avoid misuse and inefficiency and distributes it to other units. In most cases this encourages growth. Federalism should be more encouraged especially in states where power seems to be given to a single institution or ruler. Such a situation has made it very easy for there to be a misuse of authority or oppression of the minorities. One of the institutions that could be easily used to allocate powers to different institutions and check these powers is the judiciary. It translates according to the constitution what powers each and every body should posses thus promoting federalism. In most instances parliaments, if given too much power, discourages federalism. This is when it makes bills and without much consideration to what the public desires passes this bill into law. Equal Opportunity Equal opportunity means the scraping off of those legislations that would probably bring about discriminations. These might be in the political field, economic or social. In the past political undertakings were strictly reserved for men. They occupied policy-making offices as well as implementation and administration. Women never got the chance to have a say. In a society that has equal chance ideologies; several factors must be visible in the guidelines guiding such equal chance policy. First there must be the range into which policies made pertain to. Second the deeds to be explored must be laid out. Third ways of putting into operation the guidelines as well as those in charge Last there should be a supervising and reassessing body. Lack of equal treatment was first witnessed in 1955 during the tension created when Rosa Park an African-American activist refused to get up from the seat of a bus demanding equality between the whites and the black. This resulted in blacks protesting against city buses in Montgomery as suggested by Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry (2011). Equal opportunity gives those once oppressed the feeling of acceptance and relevance therefore, increasing the chances of growth in a society. They engage in development matters because they know that their activity also counts. States that do not recognize a certain section of the population experiences a slow growth rate compared to an all inclusive, equal chanced society. To encourage equal opportunity, there must be specific institutions in place that advocate the minority rights. This could be private organizations, public institutions or the parliament. In some instances special seats are highly regarded positions in public offices are reserved for the minorities. This creates the sense of consideration to their welfare. The chance for equality could however be hindered if no one seems to care for disadvantaged or no measure is taken to champion for them The Media The media as an institution that fights for the well being of the public has evolved over time. In the past it faced multiple hurdles thus the message dispersed favored a group of people. Intimidation of journalists was a normal trend. The regimes in power either owned the media houses thus controlled the contents or took minimal measures to see to the safety of news makers. However now the media is experiencing massive freedom with fewer restrictions and it informs amuses and teaches the masses in relation to political, social and economic matters. The media has also got more diverse and sophisticated ways of relaying information to the public unlike the past whereby print media was largely used. Nowadays there exists the internet, mass media and phones, all easily accessible and faster means of news relaying. The media has been made stronger, autonomous or a vital instrument to champion for democracy when it is made sovereign. This means that it is free from control or intimidation from anyone. It should be allowed to report on what it deems critical for smooth running of the society by those in authority. The constitution should also see to it that the right of the media is dealt with. There also should be restrictions on the powers of the media so as to avoid misuse of its freedom. The media is weakened when it is owned by the state or a few individuals who manipulates what comes into the media house and what leaves. Also intimidation of journalists puts pressure on the freedom of reporting that the media posses. Voting Behaviour and Interest Groups The voting patterns of individuals have been in a curve mode from the past. At times the expected trends got from voters reflected nothing expected. In the past it was normal to accept a given section of the population in election matters. Mostly these were the women and children. However with more sensitization and equality there has been massive inclusion of these groups in political, social and economic matters. More women turn out to vote and they do choose leaders regardless of gender. The more people become aware the less they vote due to the influence of tribalism, allegiance or coercion. The emergence of interest groups such as the civil society has also influenced voting trends. Some of these groups have made it a mandate to sensitize the mass on what is essential when it comes to voting. Civic education has also been a major tool in a democratic society as it informs the less informed on what is expected of them according to Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry (2011). With more and more outlets for sensitization, voters have been able to move from ignorant voting for a more informed thus a significant change in voter’s manner. Interest groups resilience and dedication for mass enlightening has played a major role too. These interest groups being either international or local With international observers for instance present during a voting exercise, voters turn out more confidently and in high numbers expecting transparency and fairness in the election result. Interest groups are made more vigilant and vibrant if their autonomy and sovereignty is guaranteed and stipulated by the constitution. Mostly, the government must show the will to advocate for such groups and to put into consideration what the group’s fights for. It should also encourage the formation of more private and independent and even at times fund their operations either financially or in terms of technology know-how. Oppression of the interest groups by the state or constant intimidation either by use of force or refusal to allow them to use state machineries to air their views weakens them. As for voters voting behavior, there should be constant civic education and public scrutiny of the leaders so as to give the public an opportunity to get familiar with those who aspire to hold public offices. This should be done during election time. Congress This is made up of two distinct arms, the senate as well as the House of Representatives. The most conspicuous duty of the congress is law making. In times of insecurity, it is the mandate of the congress to pronounce the war although the head of state and representative chambers must agree with such declaration. Congress sees to the national tax collection. Any monetary decisions and debt settlements fall squarely on the congress. The different states in the United States engage in trade therefore it is the responsibility of the congress to regulate such trades. All in all, the congress acts as the major arm of the administration although it has many other bodies like the judiciary and non-governmental organizations checking its duties and regulating where it deems necessary. The congress is made stronger when it is given powers that override other institutions making it to have overall say on National issues. It however is clear to see that the congress is a hurdle to democracy in that at times the government might pass laws that are not favourable to all but due to the overall authority of the congress or lack or quorum to overturn a presidential decision then it apparently undermines public interest. Existence of more bodies to check the powers of the congress encourages democracy in that it weakens the excess powers the Congress might have and might want to use negatively over the public. Federal Bureaucracy The federal bureaucracy handles three major tasks in government, that is, implementation, administration and regulation. The implementation involves putting policies into practice. The federal bureaucracy in its administrative task issues permits, collects fees, and gives tests in as far the implementation is concerned. It then makes regulations via the administrative practice referred to as rule making according to Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry (2011). The federal bureaucracy is a part of the executive branch which is made up of the Executive Office of the President, fifteen cabinet and independent agencies. Through the Judiciary Act of 1789, the congress established the three federal courts level. They include the district court, court of appeal and the Supreme Court. The special courts and legislative courts usually work on particular types of cases that involve slight legal issues. The courts get involved in federal bureaucracy when matters of law and constitutionality come up. Therefore the court is made stronger when the constitution gives its mandate to overturn any issue deemed unfair to the well being of the public. It gets its sovereignty in matters that goes opposite to what stipulated in the constitution. However this could be made difficult if the extent of the courts to dispatch or overturn orders negative to the public is restricted either by the constitution or a more powerful institution such as the executive arm of government. Reference Edwards, G. C., Wattenberg, M. P., & Lineberry, R. L. (2011). Government in America: People, politics, and policy (15th Ed.). Boston: Longman.  Read More