Government Essay, Research Paper

The political system is an assembly of organizations and activities that connect

together government, politics, and public policy. There are many components that

construct the political system into a cycle. It begins with the people. People do not

always agree on the right course of action that should be taken when a political issue

develops. For instance, Question Two, which would give constitutional protection to the

state s current definition of marriage as being only between a man and a woman

(Section B of the Review Journal), a political issue that will be posted on the November

ballot. It is then taken to the linkage institutions. Linkage institutions are the media,

elections, political parties, and interest groups. With the issue of gay marriages in

Nevada, political parities and interest groups will campaign to get their issue high on the

governments policy agenda and to sway peoples decisions the way they want them to

vote. If the group or party is for the right for gays to get married in Nevada they will put

in an abundant amount of effort to get it passed; and vise versa. Policy agenda is the

next part in the cycle of the political system. Policy agenda is the myriad of problems or

subjects that the government is paying attention to at any given time. The government

will decide if the issue of gay marriages in Nevada has a high priority to be presented to

the policymakers, the core of the political system. The policymakers, Congress, the

President, courts, and the Bureaucracy, review what is on the policy agenda, elect

some of the issues for application, and make a public policy. If Question Two is passed

by the poilcymakers gay rights to marriage will not be allowed or the policymakers could

decide that the question will go the other way and gay marriages will be allowed. Once

a decision is made the policy is implemented. After it has been implemented it goes the

policy impact stage. Policy impact is the outcome that the policy has had on the people.

The people then send judgment back to the linkage institutions and the process starts

all over again.