Does anyone actually know what form of government we have in the United States?
445276
Our government is a Republic, which in the U.S. is a representative Democracy.  We elect our Congressional delegates, our representatives, to pass laws by which we will govern ourselves.
865275
I don't know of such a plan, but if it existed, James Madison et. al. took care of that when they drafted the 10th Amendment to the Constitution (part of our Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791). \n\nIt says that any powers not expressly given to the Federal government belong to either the individual states or to the people.\n\nSure would be nice if Congress re-read its own Constitution from time to time, wouldn't it?
1059627
Federal goverrnment oversees the states. Imagine each state as it's own country then giving them a higher authority to answer to.
862916
what government , what country, what century, what decade, what form of government. \nwhy ask vague questions?
29829
There are way more than two types. There's direct democracy, representative democracy, presidental, parliamentary, etc.
809090
The USA is not a democracy we are a Republic.\nThis is a Republic\nOur Nation, The United States of America, is a REPUBLIC UNDER LAW not a democracy which was anathema to our founding fathers. The Constitution is the law, not popular opinion. \n\nA democracy is basically a 'majority rules' form of government, which is great for those who are part and parcel of the 'majority' but has the ability to deprive the minority of life, liberty and property. They can do this because all laws are determined by majority opinion which has no higher authority to answer to. A republic, on the other hand, is governed by law which cannot be changed by just any whim of the majority. \n\nOur nation is made of 50 states each with it's own Republican form of government [a prerequisite to statehood] and governed by it's own constitution.  In order to function as a whole, the states needed some form of federal government to handle matters which were beyond the scope of any one state's government; thus was born the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution granted clearly defined and limited powers to the Federal government in the areas of national defense, international affairs, interstate commerce and little else; the rest was left up to the individual states just as it was for the previous 150 years under their Charters from Great Britain [it was the usurpation and misuse of those powers by the King of Great Britain that eventually resulted in the war for independence]. \n\nThe Declaration of Independence says that God, our creator, has given us "certain unalienable rights" among which are "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". The Constitution gives teeth to the Declaration by providing a permanent [they hoped] rule of law which would extend these blessings to many generations of our posterity. \n\nLiberty is precious, many have died for it. Obviously in any society liberty must be limited to prevent one person's liberty from encroaching upon the liberty of another, thus the need for governments [in our case the Constitution]. When one person uses their liberty to deprive another person of his or her life, liberty or property; it is the job of government [state government under the Constitution] to mete out justice which may require a loss of liberty, property and possibly life for the offender as he or she is forced to make restitution. \n\nThe founding fathers knew very well that men are easily corrupted when given too much power as any reading of James Madison's notes on the Constitutional Convention will make very clear. In light of this they went to great pains to assure that our new federal government would stand the test of time without degenerating into tyranny of which they were sorely afraid. All states were given equal representation in the Senate regardless of population and the government was divided into three branches: executive, judicial and legislative with a design to provide checks and balances on each other so no one of them would get out of hand. It has indeed stood the test of time and, if fact, has become the model for many other constitutions worldwide.
871642
Article 4 Section 4 of the US Constitution states: The United States shall guarantee to every State in the Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.\n\nA republican form of government refers to government by representatives.  We are often referred to as a democratic republic because we elect representatives though a democratic process.  In a true democracy, they are no representatives, every action of government is voted on by the people.
514178
The federal government is made up of three branches which theoretically have the same amount of power.  The head of the executive branch is the President, currently George W Bush.  His office is in the White House in Washington D.C.\n\nThere are 50 states, each of which has it's own separate government.\n\nEach state has a varying number of cities, each with it's own separate government.
286099
What government are you talking about? For the U.S., check out http://www.findlaw.com/. It has the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Code, Federal Regulations, U.S. Supreme Court desisions, and a bunch more. There is even a section for State laws.
178047
Don't confuse the American government with the American people.\n\nWe don't have the greatest government in the world, just the one that most people want on their side.  The world asks a lot of our government - come first in time of disater, stand up against tyranny, pay for the common good, help without question. When was the last time you heard that the first people in to rebuild a fallen damn or drop medical supples were from New Zeeland or Greenland? The world asks a lot of America. \n\nMost Americans want what most citizens of the world want. We want the ability to provide for our families, feed and clothe ourselves and have lives that matter. Yes, we have idiots that don't know all of us can eat and provide, and it isn't a wrong thing. But know that 99% of Americans are decent people who want what's best.
653218
If you're asking if America is a democratic nation, then the answer is yes.\n\nThe United States of America is actually a democratic republic.  It is a democracy, in the fact that there is direct election of representatives.  However, these representatives are the ones that actually make the decisions, the ones that make the laws (hence the Republic).  \n\nA republic is a form of government that has a special "class" or elect that make the governmental decisions (laws, etc) that govern the nation.  In our case, the elect are the representatives and senators at the federal level, as well as your local representatives (state, local) that make the decisions.  \n\nBecause these members are elected, then we have a democracy as well.  However, a true democracy would require the votes of everyone on every issue (direct democracy).  It would be a little bit tough with a population of 300 million.
464159
Since it's (IMO) a comparative judgement, it's the best one out there - by far.\n\nI speak of our own unique system of government, not of the characters currently occupying the Executive Branch - they come and go every four to eight years, whether they like it or not!\n\nStill, there are LOTS of problems and issues with the Federal government but, hey, without those little things, life would be awfully booorrrrriing, no?\n\nAnd besides, who in this country would opt for, say, Japanese, French, Singaporean or even British-style government?  Nothing really wrong with any those countries' systems of government but the average American, given a choice and a list of pros and cons vis-a-vis what they've come to understand and expect of our government and what they'd get from any of those countries' governments, would not wish to live under any of those countries' systems of government.
90656
By "us gov" I assume you mean the current administration.  Or do you mean to include congress?  In either case, the answer is generally, no.  I'm terribly disappointed.  Or rather, not really disappointed, because I did not expect much from GWB.  But the structure of our government is still pretty good, and our Constitution is just fine, thank you.  Don't you wish the current crop of idiots paid attention to it once in awhile?\n\nThe problem I see in this country is that the vast majority of voters figure their choices are limited to the two largest parties.  Problem is, they have been trading off power trips and making back-room deals between them for so long, that does not give us much in the way of a choice.\n\nBut we have a strong and promising third party coming up fast: the Libertarian Party.  We libertarians believe that a government should be small enough to fit inside the Constitution.  We would disassemble the beaurocracy, stop butting into other countries' business, and trust the individual adult citizen to make his or her own choices about private matters.  We believe market forces would solve many of the problems that protectionism and favoritism only make worse.  And we believe that taxes should be eliminated if possible, or at least reduced to no more than it would take to run those operations that cannot be accomplished any other way.  \n\nIf the state can do it, then the feds should let them.  If the county can do it, the state should let them.  If the individual can do it, then let him alone.  If the individual cannot do it, let voluntary organizations and other structures at the local level help.  Because the larger the unit set with the task of solving a given problem, the less efficient it will inevitably be.  Perhaps the coordination necessary for defense operations would require a federal structure, but I personally cannot think of anything else that needs to be done on such a scale.  Can you?
694838
The U.S has a constitutional government and operates as a representative democracy through a congressional system under a set of powers specified by its Constitution.\n\nCanada is a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada as head of state, and a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions.
417204
Our democracy (as it is in the UK and the US) is seriously flawed.  There is a two party state and a lot of unelected officials wielding power but, ultimately, we can hold governments accountable and throw them out if we don't like them.
337042
Your question is a little vague so I will approach it from the perspective of type of government.\n\nThe United States has never been a democratic form of government -- it has always been a republic.\n\nThe difference is that in a democracy the people have a direct vote.  In a republic, the citizens appoint (elect) individuals to represent them in office.\n\nOn the federal level our republic includes the president and both houses of congress.  On the state level, we have the state legislature and the governor.
1100328
Government is a system of social control under which the right to make laws, and the right to enforce them, is vested in a particular group in society. \n\nGovernments are distinguished by whether power is held by one man, a few, or a majority. Today, it is common to distinguish between types of government on the basis of institutional organization and the degree of control exercised over the society.\n\nOrganizationally, governments may be classified into parliamentary or presidential systems, depending on the relationship between executive and legislature. Government may also be classified according to the distribution of power at different levels. \n\nThe basic law determining the form of government is called the constitution and may be written, as in the United States, or largely unwritten, as in Great Britain. Modern governments perform many functions besides the traditional ones of providing internal and external security, order, and justice; most are involved in providing welfare services, regulating the economy, and establishing educational systems. The extreme case of governmental regulation of every aspect of people's lives is totalitarianism.