Why Do Government Have The Authority To Do Things They Do?

Every government in the world has basic functions that they provide for their citizens. “The preamble, to the constitution, alludes to two basic kinds of services that cannot easily be accomplished without government, and their provision accounts for two functions of every government of the world.” (Maltese 11) The two functions are providing and maintaining order and safety, and providing public goods, such as national defense. Governments can also provide any functions that they see fit to help promote the general welfare of their citizens. These government functions are designed to keep countries from becoming too chaotic, while still not completely controlling the people. While these are the main functions that governments perform they can do many other things, and often once a government is in place, the people will want to be provided with other services. However there are also people who believe

Why is government necessary? In the words of Alexander Hamilton, “Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint” (Federalist No. 15 137). Men have a sin nature and must have an authority set in place to keep them from falling into anarchy. America has federal and state governments with a system of checks and balances for exactly this reason, but one sector of the government has overstepped the bounds that were set for it in this country’s infancy. In order to answer the question of whether more power should be put into the hands of the federal or state government, three things must be considered: the history of state’s rights in America, the differing types of government, and the constitution itself.

I believe that Jefferson feels that the function of government is to serve the people. Whatever things the people need or demand the government should be able to provide and/or offer its people. The very reason we have man-made governments is to protect our natural rights, not to interfere with them. The power and authority governments have are given with the people's consent and limited to their protection. The people elect the government because the people believe that those in power will be adequate enough to take care of

In our life, God has placed authority over us. We may not like it but we have to abide by what they say. He has put different levels of authority. Levels include that of authority over the whole nation, over specific regions, and over something as small as just a state. These authority figures are best known as “The Government”. The Government gets to set the laws and tell us Americans what we can and cannot do. We may not like the rules, or even who is making the rules for that matter, but we have to listen to them.

It states clearly in the Declaration of Independence that the government is designed to protect the rights that everyone receives. These are known as unalienable rights meaning that the rights can't be taken away from them. These rights should never be violated and if they are, the rights of the citizens come into play. The declaration of independence states, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish

With this in mind, there are four main principles that became the base of the American government. In the Declaration of Independence, it is agreed that “all men are created equal.” This notion of equality does not mean the equality among ability nor the traits of the people and the way they live. In this case, equality among men means that no one is born more powerful than the other. Indeed, all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (“Declaration”) These unalienable rights cannot be justly taken away from the people because they are innate and given by the Creator, which also means that no king– or anyone in a higher position– can take away these natural rights. Additionally, popular sovereignty is also one of the important principles. According to the Declaration of Independence, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” This means that the people are the source of the authority of the government. In other words, popular sovereignty is the power of the people. Finally, people have the power to abolish the government if “any Form of Government becomes destructive [of the unalienable rights of the people].” (“Declaration”) This principle gives citizens the consent to have the right to

It is the job of the government to promote and if possible, provide sufficient protection, greater democracy, more freedom a better environment, broader prosperity, better health, greater fulfillment in life…

Since the beginning of humanity, there have always been the rulers, and the ruled. The rulers have always been the government, and the ruled has always been the people. One would believe that the government would be truthful and be interested in their people's well being, but clearly, this is not the case. In fact, lies are often more common than the truth. Facts are changed based on the governing party's current needs. The government wants to control their people, to have an unquestioning, thoughtless population that make them more powerful, as this is their main priority. As a generalisation, the government is more interested in their well-being than that of the people who drive it.

The purpose of the government is to protect the people’s natural rights and to act in conjunction with the general will. If the government fails to do so, the people have a right to revolt. The sovereign is not permitted to transgress the law. Yet, if he does, the people maintain the right to dismiss the sovereign and establish a new legislative body. “The community perpetually retains a supreme power of saving themselves from the attempts and signs of anybody, even of their legislators, whenever

The government is made to secure these rights. The government only gets its power from the people. That means you vote and you get a say in what happens which

The role of a government is to control a state or community using just values which benefit the general population. There are a multitude of perspectives one could take as to what extent the government is justified in its ruling of a people. Both John Steinbeck and David Thoreau write on the American government and where it falls short of it’s duty as a governing force. Steinbeck in Chapter 17 of The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the families which have taken the role of government into their own hands, forming communities which abide by their own rules. Thoreau in On The Duty of Civil Disobedience writes on the injustices of the American government at the time and expresses his belief that people should primarily adhere to their own morals and

A logical starting point in an investigation of legitimate government would seem to be an account of the original purpose of government. Problems arise, though, in discovering this original purpose; any and all attempts seem to consist of mere speculation. Government is a social convention created by man.* It is doubtful whether or not there can ever be an empirically accurate account of the

For all of history there has existed the struggle between the strong and the weak. The establishment of government gives the power to a particular group to decide the amount of freedom the majority is allowed, however, though not ideal it provides necessary order. The benefits of security that limitations on freedom provides must be balanced with the individual's pursuit of happiness for citizens to be content. To prevent the governed majority from destabilizing the rulers and seeking power, the government will oppress political and personal freedom of thought. In result, the majority will live under the illusion of contentment and not wish to revolt; those enlightened to the idea that the government should be ruled by the governed, would associate happiness only with ignorance and consequently seek freedom.

The exercise of authority and power are facts as old as time, throughout the ages men have tried to explain and understand how and why political authority is organised. Sovereignty is a concept used to explain political power, to

Have you ever wondered about the role of government in society? Henry Cloud, a leadership expert and psychologist, claims that “every human being must have boundaries in order to have successful relationships or a successful performance in life” (Cloud). However, on the broader spectrum, can this message also apply to our government? Even if you have not considered these two questions, you will certainly have expectations from the government, which may be related to your wellbeing and/or the society’s wellbeing. Since each individual has different expectations, it is easier to analyze the role of government by considering societal expectations. Societal expectations are commonly shared views about the role of an exceptional government, which would include security, right to equal opportunity, and economic prosperity. Thus, the role of a government is to ensure that the country is moving towards economic prosperity along with providing security to its residents. However, does this mean that all of the government’s decisions are directed towards this responsibility? Unfortunately, this is not always the case; there are many times of when a government oversteps its boundaries by hindering economic progress or sacrificing domestic security. One example of this would be the USA’s decision to send its military aid to Pakistan for fighting terrorism. Nonetheless, there are also many times of when a government acts within its boundaries by ensuring the protection of its residents.