A government is the governing body or institution of individuals, usually a country, who decide on the rules and policies for a community. A common example is a government of a country which decides the rules of taxation. These institutions often have an official head known as a president or a prime minister. The head of a government is called the “leader”, whereas the members of the institution are known as the “lieutenants”. It is not uncommon to have institutions and governments at different levels in various parts of the world. Examples include political jurisdictions at the federal level as well as locally at the local level.
Most governments have their own form of constitution, although there are some exceptions where a country has adopted a republic form of government. There are many federal government offices such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the General Services Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. Some examples of political subdivisions of the government include: state government at the state level, the municipal government at the city or town level, territorial government at the federal level, providences at the county or regional level and even Indian tribal governments at the sub-divisional level.
Most Americans do not realize that the United States of America was created through a constitutional convention. This convention, known as the Articles of Union, established the national government of the United States of America through a list of individual states. Among the states that ratify these Articles of Union are Illinois, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia.
The Articles of Union set forth the powers that each state possessed over its own government and over all the States. The Articles also established the federal government’s powers over the states, including legislative autonomy, right to audit federal agencies, powers of a federal court, control over national laws relating to foreign affairs, powers to tax and tariffs, and terms and conditions for representatives of the states. In order for the Articles of Union, to be valid, each state must have been admitted into the union on a ratifying convention. All the notifications to the Articles of Union have to be done through a convention led by one of the States in the union.
One of the most significant aspects of the Articles of Union is that it establishes the federal government’s authority to control the states through the distribution of taxes. It also establishes the powers that the federal government has to impose tariffs and other charges against the states. It does not, however, limit the states’ powers to taxation. It does, however, require that all tax collections have to pass through the states before they are applied. Thus, it is important for local governments to understand the connection between the Articles of Union and their respective responsibilities to their citizens.
Although the Articles of Union establishes the general powers of the states, each state has the sovereign right to determine how those powers will be exercised. Each state also has the power to define its own laws and the procedures that it will use to impose its laws and regulations. Thus, the Articles of Union are a source of dispute between the federal government and the state governments. Ultimately, it is up to each State to decide how to use its powers and whether or not the Union can be effective.