As I begin this most important column, I would like to do so with a little bit of humor and then I am also going to chastise the voters in my home state of Arkansas for being dead last in voter turnout in the last presidential election.

Now, the humor: as the late Will Rogers has said, “Just be glad you are not getting all the government you are paying for.” One time I spoke at a banquet in Claremore, Oklahoma, and was seated next to Will Rogers’ sister. Her husband, Clem McSpadden, was the master of ceremonies. She was very nice. For some time, I have looked forward to writing this column as it has far more control over our lives than any of the others.

            The United States of America is a democracy, meaning the people rule and we have the right and also the obligation to vote for those who will lead us. Our lives are controlled by the United States Constitution, written by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and ratified on September 17, 1787. Now, I am going to give a complete rundown of the various levels of government but what I want you to know, if you don’t already, is that if you pay taxes or file a tax return, all these people work for you. This is why it is so important for every taxpayer and citizen to go vote. It’s a privilege many people in the world do not have.

Now, to what our constitution says. It calls for a Separation of Powers between three branches of government: the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch, and each has separate and distinctive powers.

            It also calls for a series of checks and balances. Each branch of government can change the acts of other branches. For example, the President can veto legislation created by Congress and he also nominates heads of federal agencies and high court appointees. Congress, with a Senate and House of Representatives, confirms or rejects the President’s nominees. It can also remove the President from office in exceptional circumstances. The Justices of the United States Supreme Court are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they can overturn unconstitutional laws.

The United States Congress has two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representative. There are 100 members of the Senate, two from each state, with a six-year term, and 435 members of the House of Representatives with a two-year term. The two major political parties in our nation are the Republican and the Democratic parties, and the one that has the most members in each house controls the major committees and gives them the most power. This is a good system when our government is responsible and manages its resources well, but we have a terrible problem of irresponsibility right now, as our nation has a national debt (money we borrowed) of $34 trillion. As stated in another column, a trillion is a thousand billion, and that is real money.

Let’s briefly look at the local government. Local government generally includes two tiers: counties (also known as boroughs in Alaska and parishes in Louisiana) and cities or municipalities. They vary greatly in size and generally take responsibility for parks and recreation, with police and fire departments having powers granted by the states. There is much more to government and just think, they all work for you.

—(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)