How Your Government Really Works: a Topical Encyclopedia of the Federal Government: A Topical Encyclopedia of the Federal Government

The U.S. government is an ever-more-complex system that few American citizens comprehend in any detail. Even some of its most basic operations, seemingly clear in concept, are in reality intricate and obscure. Although textbooks explain how the government is supposed to work in theory, they don't reveal how it actually works in practice. This book offers a concise and objective explanation of government operations, mapping the federal government's branches, departments, agencies, corporations, and quasi-official bodies—and the bureaucracies that support them. The authors effectively bridge the gap between the government's ideal, balanced structure, laid out in the Constitution, and its actual institutionalized form today, making this a superb resource for students and citizens at large.Coverage of the government's inner workings includes such subjects as executive-branch appointments, domestic and foreign policy development and execution, the federal budget, the legislative process, the Congressional committee system, the drawing of Congressional districts, the levels of the federal judiciary, aides in all three branches, and the various government offices and oversight agencies. Contents......Page 6 Alphabetical List of Entries......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 Founding of a New Nation......Page 18 Road to the Constitution......Page 21 Constitutional Articles and Amendments......Page 25 The First President of the United States......Page 29 2. Structure of the United States Government Today......Page 32 The Executive Branch......Page 34 The Legislative Branch......Page 48 The Judicial Branch......Page 53 Entities Outside of the Three Branches......Page 56 Checks and Balances Among the Three Branches......Page 57 Relationship of the Federal Government to State Governments......Page 58 Civil Servants......Page 60 Profile of Civilian Workers in the Federal Government......Page 61 How Federal Employees Perform Their Jobs......Page 62 Laws Protecting the Rights of Federal Employees......Page 64 Agencies Overseeing the Civil Service System......Page 66 Ethics in Federal Employment......Page 68 Government Outsourcing (Privatization)......Page 72 Political Parties......Page 74 Campaign Funding......Page 78 Presidential Campaigning......Page 83 How Congressmen and Congresswomen Are Elected......Page 91 Purpose and Powers of Congress......Page 96 Congressional Law Making......Page 98 Presidential Approval of Bills......Page 103 Interest Groups and Lobbyists......Page 104 Purpose of the Executive Branch......Page 108 Executive Orders......Page 109 Agency Rules and Rulemaking......Page 110 Appointment of Federal Judges......Page 116 Powers of the Judicial Branch......Page 118 Federal Court Cases......Page 120 U.S. Court of Appeals......Page 124 Supreme Court Cases......Page 125 Administrative Hearings......Page 128 8. United States Foreign Policy......Page 132 The President’s Foreign Policy Agenda......Page 133 Evolution of Foreign Policy During the Twentieth Century......Page 136 Foreign Assistance......Page 140 Allies, Enemies, and Treaties......Page 144 Trade Agreements......Page 149 U.S. Membership in NATO and the United Nations......Page 151 The Group of Eight (G8)......Page 154 The United States as the World Police......Page 155 Military Tribunals......Page 157 Immigration......Page 160 9. United States Domestic Policy......Page 168 The Executive Branch and U.S. Domestic Policy......Page 169 The Legislative Branch and U.S. Domestic Policy......Page 178 The Influence of Citizens on Domestic Policy: Examples......Page 181 Protecting U.S. Citizens......Page 185 Religion and Government......Page 195 Equal Rights......Page 198 Freedom of Information Act......Page 201 The U.S. Economy......Page 206 The U.S. Federal Budget......Page 214 U.S. Debt......Page 221 The U.S. Federal Budget Process......Page 222 Appendix A: Timeline of U.S. Federal Government History......Page 230 Appendix B: Glossary......Page 260 Appendix C: How to Read Legal and Statutory Citations......Page 274 Appendix D: List of Relevant Web Sites......Page 276 Appendix E: The Declaration of Independence......Page 282 Appendix F: The Constitution of the United States......Page 286 Appendix G: The Presidents of the United States of America......Page 304 Appendix H: Organizational Chart of the United States Senate for the 110th Congress......Page 308 Appendix I: Independent Agencies, Commissions, Boards, and Government Corporations......Page 310 Appendix J: Patriotic and Charitable Nonprofit Organizations......Page 312 Appendix K: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justices and Associate Justices Since 1900......Page 316 Appendix L: Member States of the United Nations......Page 320 Appendix M: Members of the World Trade Organization......Page 326 Appendix N: United States Embassies......Page 330 Bibliography......Page 332 A......Page 338 C......Page 339 E......Page 341 F......Page 343 H......Page 344 I......Page 345 M......Page 346 O......Page 347 P......Page 348 S......Page 349 T......Page 350 Z......Page 351 The U.S. government is an ever-more-complex system that few American citizens comprehend in any detail. Even some of its most basic operations, seemingly clear in concept, are in reality intricate and obscure. Although textbooks explain how the government is supposed to work in theory, they don't reveal how it actually works in practice. This book offers a concise and objective explanation of government operations, mapping the federal government's branches, departments, agencies, corporations, and quasi-official bodiesand the bureaucracies that support them. The authors effectively bridge the gap between the government's ideal, balanced structure, laid out in the Constitution, and its actual institutionalized form today, making this a superb resource for students and citizens at large. Coverage of the government's inner workings includes such subjects as executive-branch appointments, domestic and foreign policy development and execution, the federal budget, the legislative process, the Congressional committee system, the drawing of Congressional districts, the levels of the federal judiciary, aides in all three branches, and the various government offices and oversight agencies. How the United States government began Structure of the United States government today Federal government employees Federal elections The legislative process The executive process The judicial process United States foreign policy United States domestic policy The United States federal budget. Provides details about the historical framework and inner workings of the United States government, discussing elections, legislation, foreign policy, and other related topics