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Income Inequality In The United States Essay

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The United States has a system based on the principles of equality, majority rule and the preservation of minority rights. It is the oldest remaining democracy and has the oldest written constitution in the world today. Not only that, but it also is one of the first systems to embrace the idea of popular sovereignty. When researching this case in comparative politics, one of the overall themes was that political competition occurs consistently in the United States. Examples include federalism and the separation of powers, which allows voters in the United States to go to the polls far more than compared to other democracies. It can also be seen through the separate party system that causes division between groups, hence the competition. Another idea revealed in the case is that …show more content…

Furthermore, the case also addresses that, while the U.S. is one of the most economically powerful countries in the World, it still faces economic challenges into today’s society such as the dramatic increase in income inequality. The inability to reduce this inequality is mainly due to the extensive racial divide in the country. However, in my opinion, the most important part of the case concentrated in the book has to be the United States political regime, legitimacy, and the origins of its system. “The United States has a highly legitimate political regime” (O’Neill 93) due to the Founders establishing a democratic regime governed by the rule of law. The United States acts under Rational-legal legitimacy which is institutional and comes from within. In this case the United States has institutions that form laws with the intent to be beneficial to the people. With this said, the laws are then rationalized by the institution and those who form the laws, also should enforce the law. However, one of the principles the United States abides by is the concept that all citizens are equal before the law, and no one, even political leaders (those who enforce

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