Introduction to the American Government II

Introduction to the American Government II

The United States is a constitutional democracy in which the federal government is composed of three separate arms of the government. The branches that are outlined by the constitution include executive (presidency), judiciary (courts), legislature (congress). The congress is the arm of government which is responsible for law creation. It has two chambers, the upper chamber called the Senate and the lower chamber, which is the House of representatives (Powers, 2017). The governmental-issued policy from the branches includes civil rights and civil liberty. Civil rights refer to the reasons which guarantee equality in protection under the law despite the religion, age, race, background, social and economic status, and other personal characteristics. Civil liberty includes fundamental freedom and rights, such as free speech, movement, and privacy. The current political problem in civil rights and civil liberty is the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) discrimination.  This paper will discuss the legislative branch of the government, American civil rights, and civil liberties. Besides, LGBT discrimination and the solution to the problem will be addressed.

Legislative Branch of Government

Congress is a branch of government that has been granted crucial powers by the constitution. It is the only arm of government that can make new laws or make changes to the laws that exist. The executive branch implements laws under the authority provided by the laws created by the legislature. The president has the ability to veto the bills passed by congress, but congress can override the veto by two-thirds in both upper and the lower chamber (Powers, 2017). The powers of the congress are enumerated by article 1 of the constitution. The legislature takes part in the establishment of the annual budget of the government. The government services are funded by the taxes and tariffs that are levied by the congress. In case the government lacks enough funds, the legislature can authorize borrowing to fill the gap. The Senate and the House of the representatives have powers to force the testimony or evidence at any cost provided it is crucial. The members spend most of their time in holding investigations in committee. The House of representatives can officially validate trade agreements and the vice president confirmation. On the other hand, the Senate can ratify treaties by two-thirds votes (Powers, 2017).

Civil Rights

Civil rights refer to necessary actions that the government needs to take so that it can promote equality and protection of every citizen of the United States of America. It is mostly linked to the protection of minorities such as Hispanics, women, black Americans, and LGBT individuals. In courts, most of the civil rights cases compete. For instance, a plaintiff right and the defendant’s right which has been violated. Civil rights act (1964) was intended to combat any form of discrimination, for instance, racism and discrimination against gender. It is a significant key to the American civil rights movement, and it is the fundamental U.S. law. Civil rights, therefore, is a primary political value in the united states (Domino, 2017).

Civil Liberty

The fundamental human rights are supposed to uphold and respected by the federal government. Civil liberties protect citizens against the actions of the government. The bills of rights grant everyone the freedom of worship. The government cannot deny someone the freedom to join any religion they want. The civil liberty protected by the bill of rights is composed of:  the freedom and rights such as petition speech and religion, and liberties and rights associated with crimes. American Civil Liberties Union is a legalized organization that was initiated to protect the rights of the Americans through legal actions (Granger, 2018).

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Discrimination

The civil rights protect everyone against gender discrimination. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals have faced discrimination for a long time. Therefore, it has become a major political issue that is being addressed by the U.S. federal government. Attempts to change their gender identity and sexual orientation forcibly has been made. They have faced violence, hatred, exclusion from the organizations, and social institution and employment. According to Casey et al. (2019), LGBT discrimination leads to adverse consequences to the health of the individuals and even their mental and physical status. They also face discrimination in healthcare institutions (Casey et al., 2019). For transgender individuals, housing is a significant concern. LGBT black Americans face employment problems in companies.

The solution to Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Discrimination

The federal government has the responsibility of monitoring and preventing violence (Domino, 2017). Specifically, the legislative branch of government should enact laws that guide and facilitate appropriate actions to be taken against those who violate the law. LGBT victims should receive support from the institutions and the federal government. Campaigns and public awareness of the existence of LGBT can be an excellent strategy to prevent hate crimes. The campaigns should be accurate and easily accessible to people both in rural and urban areas. The companies should respect the rights of LGBT individuals like the rest of the people.

Reference

Casey, L. S., Reisner, S. L., Findling, M. G., Blendon, R. J., Benson, J. M., Sayde, J. M., & Miller, C. (2019). Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Americans. Health services research, 54, 1454-1466.

Domino, J. C. (2017). Civil Rights & Liberties in the 21st Century. Routledge.

Granger, M. P. (2018). The protection of civil rights and liberties and the transformation of Union citizenship. In Moving Beyond Barriers. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Powers, V. (2017). Power in the U.S. Legislature.