We hear about government in the news, on social media and in conversations. It’s something that’s essential to our lives, but what is it? Government makes laws, enforces them and protects the people in a country. It also provides stability and important services like free public education, police and fire departments, and mail delivery. Government also ensures that everybody can make their needs and opinions known to public officials. This is what makes a democracy different from an oligarchy ruled by a small group of people.

There are many levels of government, from local city councils to the United States Congress. Each has its own responsibilities and functions, but they all work together. They all raise money through taxes and spend it on goods and services for the citizens they represent. This is how the United States can afford to send its military to fight wars around the world, maintain national parks and provide free medical care for all of its citizens.

The United States Congress, which is made up of the Senate and House of Representatives, is responsible for making laws that set federal policies and regulations. The President, Vice President and Cabinet are part of the executive branch, which carries out these laws. The Supreme Court and other federal courts are part of the judicial branch, which evaluates how well these laws are working.

All of these branches are a system of checks and balances, which helps make sure that any one branch doesn’t become too powerful and take over the whole government. History has shown that when this happens, big problems arise, so the founders of the United States put in place rules to keep the three branches in balance.

For example, the legislative branch might make a law that restricts how much the FBI can listen in on your phone calls or how freely newspapers can print information. But if the president thinks the law isn’t working, he or she can issue a veto and stop it from taking effect.

Some people are worried that the government is out of control, but others see it as a necessity to protect society. Without it, there would be chaos and poverty in the world. Other people believe that a government’s role is to solve problems that can’t be solved by individual people, such as pollution and global warming.

A government that’s not working properly can have a bad impact on people’s lives, so it’s very important to make sure the government is doing its job. The best way to do that is to hold government officials accountable for their actions, successes and failures. This is the idea behind the system of elections and parliamentary debates, which allows voters to choose who should be their representatives in government.