Wednesday, January 30, 2013
WELCOME TO GOVERNMENT CLASS
Before we get to the ins and outs of Government, and even before we get to the purpose of government we need to be able to define government. This may sound simple but give it a try. You can look to dictionaries but the definitions are not very satisfying.
What IS Government? What makes it different than any other organization of people?
Answer these questions in a comment below with your name at the top. Write a comment on other people's definitions.
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Government is a system that controls a large population that can contain smaller organizations. It is different than other organizations because, in theory, its only goal is to take care of the people it is governing. Other organizations have different goals, for example: a business’s goal is to earn money.
ReplyDeleteIn theory yes, but people's motivations change when they become government officials? Do they lose their self interest?
DeleteNo, in real life, people keep their motivations when they become government officials. This is one of the main problems in any government, because those in control abuse their power.
DeleteI agree Anna. I meant to ask the question "But DO people keep their motivations...."
DeleteCatherine Tiland
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization that's concern is the people. They should look out for the people and not be concerned about money like other companies. This makes it different because in theory the money it makes doesn't affect it because their only concern is the people.
Jake Mackie
ReplyDeleteGovernment is the organization of peoples to create and dictate rules that should be dispersed among the populous and followed by all citizens under said government, whether voluntary or involuntary.
A government is a group of elected officials that should strive to provide for the people. Their job is to have to people's best interest in mind and they have more power and authority than most other organizations. There are sub groups that have different jobs to keep the United States running and those sub groups balance and check each other to make sure no one has too much power. There is no one person or sub group that has superior power over the rest of the organization like other companies and organizations.
ReplyDeleteYou have to remember government exists outside of the U.S. and other governments function differently and to different effect than ours, for instance an eastern dictatorship will have different goals, purposes, and functions. I just think this is a little to specific to the american government.
Deletea group which all or most of its subjects allow to exist, with the purpose of bettering itself, or preferably the being of its subjects through the implementation of authority. What sets it aside from other organizations is its geographical subject base, which all within its borders are subject to. It's also the highest power in the land, under which all other organizations and people function.
ReplyDeleteGabby Beard
ReplyDeleteThe government is a group of people that create rules and guidelines for large populations of people. They work on different levels, such as local, state, and national. This makes them different from other organizations because other organizations deal with smaller groups of people. Government also has more of a say over life rules that people have to follow while other organizations create rules that only pertain to that activity.
I agree with you but what do you mean by "life rules?"
DeleteAnna Koon
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization created to control, dominate, and guide society. I think that what separates it from other organization is its scale. Governments organize on huge scales, giving them power over smaller, less powerful organizations.
Margot New
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a group of people whose purpose is to lead and care for a society of people. Government's purpose is to protect and care for the people while other groups have different purposes.
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DeleteA government, at its heart, exists to provide order. Any action it undertakes is to preserve this order. This is what a government should do, not necessarily what they will do. A government's decisions are based on the desires of the people, no matter how shortsighted or self-destructive. Ultimately, a government should strive to preserve order not only within its own borders, but between other nations. This does not mean occupying every country that a country believes must be 'liberated'. However, that is an entirely different discusion regarding the rights of a nation to intervene in another.
ReplyDeleteGovernment differs from other organizations due to the fact it must weigh the interests of groups and communities within its borders, and ensure all of their interests are satisfied, to a point of course. A government cannot show particular favoritism to one group or another, for this disrupts the order which is the government's imperative to preserve.
Alex Selin
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization of people that the majority trusts to take responsibility of the law, whether it is making the law or enforcing it.
The government is different from other organizations of people because it is an organization that most people trust to solve there problems and make decisions that will effect there lives. Government is for the people and organizations are using run by people that have money and religion in mind, not just the people. Also the government has more power, it limits the actions of what the other organizations can do.
Jordan Coleman
ReplyDeleteA government is a group or organization which structures the way everyone lives. The American government is not the same as every other government in the world so we can't say that it strives on the opinions and desires of the people of the country. Many governments don't function this way. Our government is meant to be the voice of the people and represent the country.
The government is different from other organizations because the government's decisions affect everyone living in the specific territory it rules over. Obeying the government is involuntary versus other organizations which can be voluntary and not directed at everyone in the country or area.
Good point about government not being a voluntary organization. This makes taxes non-voluntary and therefore........?
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ReplyDeleteHailey McPhee
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a group of people who help define and regulate the laws of a country. There are different jobs in the government and more than one level: local, state, and national. Government states the rules people need to follow and consequences when they do not follow rules. Government provides services for things such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. The government has far more authority than any other organization. Many of the jobs in the government are elected positions, unlike in regular organizations people are hired or volunteer. The government is funded by the people (taxes) so they have to be fiscally responsible.
fiscally responsible?
Deletehttp://www.usdebtclock.org/
Response to Mr. La Greide,
DeleteThe deficit is going down. and how much of that is government spending has come back to the people, and how much of it is due to bad policy forcing the government to spend money, ie iraq wars, repeal of Glass-Stegall?
It is true that the deficit is going down, but only compared to the previous years unprecedented spending. It is far more than 4, 5, or 6 years ago even though those amount were large also. The debt however continues to rise. As for it coming back to the people, the questions for me are to whom and in what form. Why not leave it in the hands of the people to use in their desired manner instead of a manner that they might not desire, or even approve of.
DeleteOn One level I agree, Much of what that money could have been saved, or spent on more beneficial, rather than two wars that have only inspired american hatred. And sadly these days the debt has already been accrued and however much we dont like it we as americans have a duty to pay it back, and the only way i see that happening is through spending cuts, and raising the taxes. Nobody wants either, but we have let our government become irresponsible and we must pay for it. And yes at one point we did have a surplus, and it is a shame that went away, and it is going to be a long road back to that.
DeleteAlex Edmonds
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organized group that regulates others and has an authority over them. Their main purpose is to protect and guide society. What makes them different is that they are meant to regulate a larger population and they obtain a bigger amount of power than any other company or organization. Someone else in our class said that government affects the well-being of others, which is something I agree with considering that the government has many aid programs.
Government is a organization that has ultimate power over the laws and enforcing them in order to provide safety and well being of its people and also ensuring that democracy is being followed.
ReplyDeleteChloe Lai
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an group of people who create the foundation of society; allowing society to grow while still being under the safety net, which is government.
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ReplyDeleteSydney Cao
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a group of people who create and enforce policies among the society. My group and I stated that the government strives to protect the society and keep them in control. While an organization has more of a specific goal and deals with a smaller group of people, the government manages a much larger population of people.
Samuel He
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organized system that has authority over a community. The basic purpose of a government is to protect a community from threats. Giving a portion of freedom for this protection, individuals within a community are able to pursue their wants and needs without the fears that are present in a state of anarchy.
A government is different from other organizations because it controls and upholds the law, which gives it more power than other organizations. A government also deals with more people.
Another person said that a government is a non-voluntary organization. This was a very good observation and important point to make.
The government is a group of people in charge of leading and protecting a country. They make sure laws are enforced and fair so that society can run smoothly. They also represent the country in decisions and foreign relations.
ReplyDeleteGovernment is different than most organizations because it is mandatory, and people are not really given a choice whether they follow the laws made it or not.
Annie Savaria-Watson
Colin Kent-Daggett
ReplyDeleteThe government is a group of people who are supposed to protect a country from not only people outside of it, but domestic threats as well. They also must keep their country's best interests at heart when they make decisions, because they represent that country to the rest of the world and they are supposed to make choices which are good for the people, because that is who they serve.
It is different than most organizations because it is mandatory. It also has more power than a normal organization of people can have, but they also have more responsibility than a normal organization.
Tristen Wilson
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a group of people with the ability to exercise control over the actions of the country and the citizens. This is different from other organizations because, government controls the masses as a whole, while individuals organizations can choose to listen. With government there is no option.
I agree with what your saying, but don't you think that with some governments that exist outside the United States, they don't listen to their citizens, and just attempt to better themselves?
DeleteMackenzie Ancien
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a group of officials elected by the people and for the people. Their job is to do the best they can to secure the common good for whoever they are governing. They are different from other organizations because they are given a far more vast responsibility of enforcing laws to protect the well being of the population they are in control of.
Alex Burns-Miller- government is an organization of elected officials with the job of making rules and regulations that allow the citizens to carry out their lives in an effective and lawful way. government is different from other organizations because it must keep everybodys ideas in mind and look out for the whole rather than the few.
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ReplyDeleteJake Zusman
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization of officials that the people have given consent to run their country. It creates and enforces laws that give citizens the ability to live their lives in a safe manner.
The government is different than other organizations, because it must take the interest of all people that live under it into account, before taking action on anything. People must follow the laws put in place by the government,they don't receive a choice.
But in many types of government, people both have a choice in the laws and those elected to formally choose the laws. Therefore wouldn't you say the public can have a say in their government and laws?
DeleteI really like your definition of government, but do you really think they are looking out for everyones best interest?
DeleteGovernment is an organization that has control over a large group of people in order to both care and manage them, a goal seemingly distant when compared to the personal goals of organizations. For example, America's government aims to achieve a safe environment for citizens, while a personal business's goal could only be profit.
ReplyDeleteGeorgina Bruder
ReplyDeleteA group of people that governs a community or unit. It sets and administers public policy and exercises executive, political and sovereign power through customs, institutions, and laws within a state. A government can be classified into many types--democracy, republic, monarchy, aristocracy, and dictatorship are just a few.
Government is a system which runs a community. It overlooks and helps give the people what they need while also enforcing living standards and policy. It helps the people live while the people keep it going. What makes it different then other organizations of people is that is effects everyone as a whole, its decisions effect everyone. Government has much more responsibility, and it helps the well being of the people more than other organizations of people would.
ReplyDeleteHanna Minns
ReplyDeleteThe government is an organization that provides structure, rules, and enforced authority for large populations but consists of people with many different views on how to run it. The government is different than any other organization of people because it takes on responsibilities that no other organization could ever think about. It works on a much larger scale. While only certain groups of people follow other, smaller, organizations, every citizen must follow the guidelines of the government.
Jack Elsener
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an institution made up of people elected or appointed by citizens to create and enforce laws of a society. A government should represent the ideas and political will of the people of the society it represents.
Government is different from other organizations of people because government has authority over the people it consists of. If a group of people are a member of a club or other social group, that club has no authority over its members.
Jeremy Nuss
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a structure built around rules with the purpose of providing general welfare for a larger population of people. The individuals inside the population are united around a common ground, for example the United States' government provides for all citizens of the U.S.
Tao Oulman
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a public organization that provides rules and regulations to create structure in society. There are many views on how a government should be run which makes it so controversial. It takes on responsibilities larger and more important than that of any other businesses or organization. Everyone within in a governments territory must obey it's laws for the public good.
Kieran McTague
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a public organization created to provide order and regulations in a civilized society. Unlike private entities and businesses, the purpose of the government is to provide and allocate resources for the population and any residents currently situated in that area. Any residents of the communities in the territories that the government controls are forced to obey the enforced laws and imposed policies.
You say citizens are forced to obey laws and policies, but isn't that the same in any business? Obey their rules and policies or find another job.
DeleteBut Jonah, at least there is another job where you might not have to move. You can also start a business for yourself but you cannot succeed from the government.
DeleteJust to clarify, do you mean 'succeed' or 'secede'?
DeleteNeelie Servo
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization set up to provide rules, regulations, and protection to a community. The difference between government and an organization is that organizations have a specific duty or role and work with a smaller amount of people, the government works with a lot more people and has less specific duties to fulfill.
Asher Finkelstein
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization of the people, elected for the people. It is their job to watch over the citizens and make rules for our society. The difference between government and any other organization is that the government is in charge of all the people, where as other organizations are specifically designed to support a item, or a , limited amount of people.
Camilla Fuller
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a collection of people who’s job it is to lead a country. In theory, government should act as a guardian, always protecting its people and making choices based on what will make the people most happy. Government’ role is also to guide society and enforce rules in order to make the country successful.
Government is different from other organizations because it holds so much power. With this immense power, comes extreme responsibility. Where other organization’s goal may be to be individually successful, the goal of the government’s goal should be to please the people.
Richard Cervantes
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization that rules over a region. It governs the actions of people to some extent. It also provides guidelines for the population, the extent of this varies.
Government is the society of people that not only hold the ethics and responsibilities of a society, but should enforce it on others to encourage peace among its subjects. In the United States of America, the government is split into branches that help maintain order and stability for the whole population. Government is different and unique to other social organizations because it controls aspects of society that money can’t, using the law. Also, it is an organization solely for the people (hopefully) and is top among all other groups of power.
ReplyDeleteKayla Lanker
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization that works for the people and their interests. It creates and enforces laws in order to protect the common welfare of the people. What makes government so different from an organization is that it operates on a much larger scale than an organization, controlling a considerably bigger and more diverse community. A normal organization usually only contains members who’s interests are similar to one another. However, a government controls everyone whether they agree with the policies set forth or not.
Rachel Davis Per. 1
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization created to help a group of people residing in that area. It main duty is to protect its citizens rights and ensure citizens can live a safe life. The Governments job is to allow citizens the fair opportunity to succeed in life, however that may be. The Governments job is not to control its residing citizens, where that is counterintuitive and takes away rights of its people. Government is not an like any other organization that controls small changes in communities. Government has the control on every precaution to ensure citizens safety and well being, on an extremely large scale. The government is to support it's citizens by taking action when something unjust occurs.
Government, in our nation, is a group of people who are elected by those who care enough to vote. As a whole, government represents the general views of our nation. Our governments main job is to provide structure and enforce the law amongst every citizen.
ReplyDeleteThe government is different from any other group of people because, for the most part, it is elected by the people. Also, the agenda of the government should be striving to better the community. Whereas other organizations may only attempt to better themselves.
Lilly Berry:
ReplyDeleteThe government is an organization created to have power over and to make and enforce laws for a certain geographical area and those who live in that area. The government is either a voluntary or involuntary representation of the people living in the area that the government controls.
What makes the government different than other organizations is that the government, being the ruler of certain areas, has to take all aspects of life into account while other organizations are simply concerned with their area of expertise. Also the government has power over all of the other organizations and people. Government has the means to enforce their power and rules.
Melanie Kerger Period 1
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization of individuals that are elected to perform services for the people. Their job is to establish and regulate laws that serve the greater good with the people's best interest in mind. The difference between governments and another organizations is that most of the people in the government must be elected into the position. Also, the government does not have specific tasks to complete, their decisions and work is all based on what will be best for the community.
Sam Swindell Period 1
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization leaders and officials who are elected to their position by the citizens of the governed body. There are three branches of government, executive, legislative, and judicial. The job of the government is to act in the best interests of the people, promote liberty, and protect the people. They do this by regulating and enforcing laws, building relationships with foreign countries (both peacefully and violently), and by making decisions based on the country's situation and best interest.
What makes government different from other organizations is that it is obligated to act in the better interests of ALL citizens, and also that they have much much more power than other organizations.
Arielle Alferez P.1
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization or group of people put in place to protect its citizens. Creating and enforcing laws and making choices based on the well being of the public. Its goal is to look out for the best interests of the people. What makes government different from other organizations is that a government has the power to control just about anything that falls under it, where as other organizations can only control a small part of something. Also there are some organizations that are only there to look out for themselves and make a profit, but the government is created to look out for everyone's best interests.
Tinh Nguyen
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization that has the authority to rule and protect its own people and its own country. Government is different from other organizations because it is an organization that has a huge responsibility of enforcing laws and keeps a large population of people under the control in their territory. Other organizations don’t have to deal with a large population of people and don’t have the authority to keep people under control therefore government has the more power than other organization.
Madeleine Fox p.7
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization that is able to enforce it's rules onto the populous within a certain territory. Government is an organization unlike any other because of it's ability to enforce it's rules on people even if they aren't part of the government themselves.
Madison Bingham-Nelson p.7
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a organization of people who's job it is to create and enforce rules to provide order and a safe environment for large populations of people. What sets government to be different from other organizations is that it is an organization that a majority of people trust to make decisions for them.
Theo Jayle p.7
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization that makes some lands become a country, and which has to rule this country, control and protect it. It is different from any other organizations because the people ruled by it do not choose to be part of it, and cannot withdraw from it. It has much more responsibilities than any other organizations, and thereby MUST provide to the citizens all it is supposed to: security, peace, justice, education.
John Jackson Period 7
ReplyDeleteGovernment is an organization who has the ability to run and help its country out in ways they think are positive. the government protects its people by creating and enforcing laws. The government is different from any other group of people, because it has a much larger responsibility. The people in the government are elected by the people in the community, therefore t should be trying to improve the community for the people.
my comment disappeared
ReplyDeleteGabriel Sullivan- Government is an organization designated to create and enforce rules that apply to all under which it governs. It serves many different purposes, but primarily works to create a better place to live through order and protection.
ReplyDeleteHow does it differ from other organizations?
DeleteHughsten Smith- Period 7
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a large organization, much bigger than any other organization, that is created to conduct policies and rules for a society, or whoever it is governing. It provides protection and tries to keep everything economically stable, to keep all of the people happy and living good lives. Government is way bigger than any other organization and takes on much more responsibility and they can make people do things against their will, like pay taxes for example. They have much more power than any other organization.
Government a group of people that are in charge of our ways of living basically. They can seize your bank accounts if they please, they control the things we eat, and they give us set rules to follow, we don't follow them then they the power to lock you up.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a lot of power but it seems true right now.
DeleteHow does it differ from "Private Organizations?"
Jasnery Valenzuela Period 7
ReplyDeleteGovernment is a system used to control a people or to protect the rights of the people. It can play a large role in a civilization but also can be there just to keep people in check. What sets governemnt apart from other organizations of people is that is has the ability to set rules everyone has to follow. For exapmle, the United State's consitituion specifies what can and cannot be allowed in the country. All the bills that are written have to be constitutional in order to become laws. Only the government has the power to write and enforce the constituion. Other organizations can have rules, but not everybody has to follow them becasue it doesn't have the power that a governemnt has.
Government is the organization that has the ability to run and help its country in ways they think are positive. The government protects its people by creating and enforcing laws. The government is different from any other group of people, because it has a much larger responsibility. The people in the government are elected by the people in the community so that it is fair for everybody. The government is supposed to do whatever they can to make most of the people happy
ReplyDelete