Summary Of America The Unusual By John Kingdon
American Government
2/20/2006
America the Unusual
A look at John Kingdon's factual exploration.
America the Unusual, by John Kingdon, is a series of observations and discussions as to the unique nature of American politics and government. America is considered "The Land of Opportunity" by many - but what makes it different from other countries? How does it provide more opportunity than other systems of government or politics? In his book, Kingdon continually poses and answers questions regarding the truly individual nature of American government, and helps explain not only why things are done in the manner of current times, but how it came to pass.
Kingdon's first and primary point that seems to continue throughout his writings is the …show more content…
While it permits more freedom to its citizens, it also neglects to properly provide things such as health insurance, something every other industrialized country makes centrally available. Public policy in the United States has been in perpetual swing, from the increased participation during the Great Depression in the form of the New Deal, to the decreased government regulations in the 70's. An exception is made in the form of the American military, which is highly regulated and funded. Defense is a huge part of America's culture due to the requirements of being one of the world's superpowers. Kingdon suggests that defense spending began as a response to the threat of communism. Since the end of the cold war, spending for defense has decreased and will most likely continue to decrease, but it represents a large branch of the government that is run and regulated out of private hands. Another exception to this public regulation rule is education the U.S. government provides universities, colleges, and trade schools for public use, the number of which trump many other
2/20/2006
America the Unusual
A look at John Kingdon's factual exploration.
America the Unusual, by John Kingdon, is a series of observations and discussions as to the unique nature of American politics and government. America is considered "The Land of Opportunity" by many - but what makes it different from other countries? How does it provide more opportunity than other systems of government or politics? In his book, Kingdon continually poses and answers questions regarding the truly individual nature of American government, and helps explain not only why things are done in the manner of current times, but how it came to pass.
Kingdon's first and primary point that seems to continue throughout his writings is the …show more content…
While it permits more freedom to its citizens, it also neglects to properly provide things such as health insurance, something every other industrialized country makes centrally available. Public policy in the United States has been in perpetual swing, from the increased participation during the Great Depression in the form of the New Deal, to the decreased government regulations in the 70's. An exception is made in the form of the American military, which is highly regulated and funded. Defense is a huge part of America's culture due to the requirements of being one of the world's superpowers. Kingdon suggests that defense spending began as a response to the threat of communism. Since the end of the cold war, spending for defense has decreased and will most likely continue to decrease, but it represents a large branch of the government that is run and regulated out of private hands. Another exception to this public regulation rule is education the U.S. government provides universities, colleges, and trade schools for public use, the number of which trump many other