The Influence Of Public Policy In The United States

The U.S. government’s expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl of conflicting cross-currents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government’s

Chapter one of American Public Policy, by B. Guy Peters, gives an in depth explanation of what American public policy is. The definition that Peters gives of Public policy is the” sum of government activities whether pursued directly or through agents, as those activities have an influence on the lives of citizens” (4). This definition of public policy can be categorized into three levels that will make differences in citizen’s lives. The first level is policy choices. This level is when, “decisions made by politicians, civil servants, or other granted authority that are directed toward using public power to affect the lives of the citizens” (4). All of these choices that are made by the president, congressman, or others can evolve into a

Being two of the most respected and qualified academicians on public policy, Charles Murray, and Robert B. Reich have never been short of making controversial and contradicting statements which arguably serves only their interest of getting an audience. Public policy as it is has been subjected to lots of changes throughout the history leading to different reactions and opinions from different individuals. “What it means to be a Libertarian-A Personal Interpretation” written by Charles Murray, explicitly describes how the society should view the government by claiming it can help in achieving overall happiness and allowing members of the society to have a right to individual freedom when coping with the changes brought by public policy. On the other hand, Robert B. Reich’s “Aftershock the next Economy and America’s Future” talks about overcoming our problems by keeping a tier of classes. This paper discusses the contradicting views of these two writers.

Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2015). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. ISBN:

The U.S. made many daring decisions at the end of the 19th century. These gambles the U.S. made helped to guide the country to the path of greatness. At that time, the U.S. was looking to expand economically and improve its grip on the world. The U.S. government knew making some good choices would be critical to set the U.S. on the path to success in the following decades. The purchase of Alaska in 1867 and the annexation of Hawaii in 1898 were two of the crucial decisions. The outcomes of these decision aided the U.S. throughout the end of the 19th century and into the present. Both of these allowed for the expansion of land and had a positive influence economically for the citizens. Many things that people are accustomed to today would not be available if the U.S. did not challenge what others believed and do what the government thought was right at that point in history. The purchase of Alaska in 1867 and the annexation of Hawaii in 1898 greatly benefited the U.S. on a worldly scale in many different aspects.

It is a well-known fact that the government makes laws that benefit it, and sometimes to the detriment of the average citizen. Take, for example, the tax laws. You would be hard pressed to find a taxpayer who believes that paying taxes is fair. In fact most people would complain that they pay taxes all year by having an amount held out from their check, only to owe additional monies every April 15. This form of governmental taking is probably the most popular, but there are other actions that result in a private citizen losing their property to a governmental agency. However not every instance of a taking leaves the average citizen without a remedy, and in some instances not every instance of taken results in the person having less than when

Policies are systems of principles that are created with an intent to regulate and fix problems within a given society, and morality is based on principles of right and wrong. The United States contains a history of people unsatisfied with their government; it was founded by American colonists who resented the British government and started a Revolution against Britain. The common situation of dissatisfaction with the government urged the United States to develop policies intended to benefit U.S. interests and needs; however, there is a controversy as to whether the nation’s policies are considered moral. Some regulated policies in the United States include civil rights, foreign, and domestic policies. Civil rights policies are intended to

Unlike the first type of bias that is clear and apparent because of the direct actions taken, this form of bias is contingent on a bureaucrat’s unwillingness to act. For most, the bureaucrats are the bridge between people and the government, forwarding petitions, applications, and requests. And though rules are in place to diminish bureaucratic bias within agencies, (thus making the decision process more fair), the ultimate decision to pursue matters and the way in which they address concerns is up to the employees themselves. The effects of implicit bureaucratic bias and its resulting discrimination is most notable in the unequal distribution of fiscal resources in urban communities where social classes are clearly divided by race and socioeconomic status. And though the speed at which the various races are granted access to various governmental assistance is rather equal, the tone and treatment of individuals varies widely, with ethnic minorities suffering worse treatment than their counterparts. This form of bias proves to be especially malicious in its rather deceptive nature. Though a paper trail serves a record and attempts to place accountability on individuals, for most bureaucratic decisions, the written records are not an effective way to deem bias. Instead, they are no more than simple explanations, lacking the

In the United States, you will find several public policy issues, some ranging from small issues to bigger issues. Public policy issues are a system of laws that are publicly funded and regulated. You have multiple issues that keep recurring such as education the more education you want the more money you will need. Then you also have the minimum wage laws stating that if start at a job you have you have no lower seven twenty-five unless you are a waitress/waiter. One of the major public policy issues that surrounds the U.S today is public assistant. Public assistant are programs that are governmentally funded made to help a certain class of people usually the poverty level people or sometimes even middle class. However not everyone able to receive this help to receive these benefits you need to qualify. This means that you must make either gross a certain amount monthly and or yearly to qualify. Some public assistance programs include Medicaid, food stamps, temporary assistance for needy families. Public

Racial injustices and inequality have been in place in various areas of operation within the society. The existence of the notion that a given race is more superior to another has been the main source of the constant injustices across different communities. The inequality and racial injustices within the societies are deeply rooted which it makes difficult to develop policies and strategies that can have a significant impact if the past events and actions are anything to buy. Thus, the increasing inequality across the United States is based on wealth and social status where racial consideration is key in many societies. Even though there have been efforts to ensure that there is better engagement among different races within the country, there are no significant steps that have been made as the inequality among races keeps increasing.

The government of the United States would not be able to function without the various structures and fundamentals that were created in the country’s early establishment and history. The Founding Fathers, along with the many other strong leaders who led the country’s development, created a strong and secure system of government that made the United States the powerful and functional nation that it is today through their meticulous and detailed work in the United States’ Constitution. The strong foundation of government that the U.S. has created would not be possible and would not have been able to last the past 239 years without its unique ability to control and distribute power to different branches of government. The specific make-up, function,

Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2015). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. ISBN: 9781483345789.

Healthcare has been at the forefront of United States public policy for decades. Ever since President Roosevelt proposed healthcare reform during his 1912 run for president, reform has been a policy position often espoused in American politics, culminating with Social Security in the 1930s, Medicare in the 1960s, and finally the Affordable Care Act in 2010 (Palmer 1). While the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to provide care for every American, the United States has never fully adopted a single payer system; a healthcare system that provides universal care to every American. Furthermore, current systems within the United States that maintain single-payer attributes are subject to scrutiny from politicians and activists alike. While

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect union…” (Madison 1787) This statement represents that the law and policies that govern a nation should be best suited for the many and opposed to a specific group or set of people. No one political view point or party should be able to dictate policy for the many. Every political group has an agenda and things that their policies should be in place for all, but the truth of the matter is that in order to keep the peace we need to implement policies that may be more liberal but yet more can agree to follow than policies that are specific to a particular party and expect the masses to prescribe to that particular way of thinking. It shouldn’t be said that we do not take other political party’s views into consideration, however no one party should be able to dictate policy for all. Also, there are certain political fashions that will mainly focus on social issues and ignore policies concerning defense, legal, industry, transportation, etc. In order for a government to be effective I think you need a healthy mix of social policy and economic policy, and others. Political parties that focus on just social issues could cause problems because that is not only the focus of a government.

The role of the government has always been a widely debated topic in American history. While some Americans argue for little government involvement, others argue for the government to play an active role in their lives. By analyzing past legislation and major events, it is evident that having a government which is involved in an individual’s life triumphs a passive government. From the 1860’s to the 1980’s, governing with an active government has proven to better the lives of Americans by advancing the rights and privileges of African Americans and by providing new federal reforms which helped to stimulate the economy.