The political system in America. State structure and political system of the USA. Basic elements of the US economy

In accordance with the constitution adopted in 1787, most of the powers in the field of government were transferred to the federal government of the United States. At the same time, a significant share of state powers is under the jurisdiction of each individual state.

According to the constitution of the United States of America, the principle of separation of powers is decisive in the country. In accordance with it, the federal government is divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, each of which acts independently of each other.

In the political system of the United States, the highest legislative body is the Congress, which consists of two chambers. The lower one is the House of Representatives, the upper one is the Senate of the United States.

The highest executive authority in the country is the President of the United States. He is not only the head of state, but also the commander-in-chief of its armed forces. There is also the post of vice president, who is the second person in the country after the president. Previously, representatives of competing parties became president and vice president in the United States, which made it possible to reconcile the ambitions of the warring parties. Today, both top officials in the United States are elected from the same party.

The supreme judicial body in the United States is the Supreme Court. It consists of 9 judges, one of them is elected chairman. Usually the US Supreme Court acts as an appellate court, but in some cases (for example, when considering cases involving diplomats), it functions as a court of first instance.

There are two main parties in the US political system: the Democratic and the Republican. They have been waging a political struggle among themselves for more than 150 years. The US Democratic Party was founded in 1828 and is the oldest party in the world. The donkey became her unofficial symbol, which speaks of the stubborn overcoming of any difficulties. The US Republican Party has been active since 1854, its unofficial symbol is an elephant, which shows power. In addition, other smaller parties operate in the US, but their voices are invisible in the political arena.

School education in the US begins at age 5-6 and lasts 12 years. Basic information about school education in the US can be found here.

After leaving school, the US education system offers several options for continuing education: in a two-year community college or in a four-year college of higher education.

After a two-year study at a community college, a student receives a professional Associate’s degree of one of two types:

• professional AD, which allows you to work in junior positions in offices, in production, in medicine, but is not credited when entering a university. As a rule, this is the degree of associate of applied science degrees. Also, some community colleges issue students not diplomas, but certificates of completion, which, most likely, will also not be read by the university as part of the bachelor's program.
• academic AD - actually replaces the first two years in undergraduate programs, is recorded as Associate of Arts or Associate of Science.

Entering a four-year college of higher education, a student moves to a new level in the American education system - higher education.

The higher education system in the United States consists of three stages:

The first level is unergraduate: undergraduate. During the first two years of undergraduate programs, students receive a general education, and a specialization, major, is chosen in the 3rd year of study. Specialization is a block of items required to acquire a particular profession. However, the uniqueness of the US educational system is that the specialization can be changed several times during the course of training - although this will most often require additional training time and costs.

The second level is graduate: master's degree. As a rule, in the USA, a master's degree is received by those who plan to build a scientific career, as well as a career in psychology, education, and engineering. A significant part of the master's programs are study programs consisting of classroom and independent studies and a final written thesis - it is called “master's thesis” or “master's project”.

The third level is postgraduate: postgraduate study. A master's program prepares a student for this level, but he can also immediately enroll in a program leading to a PhD degree, having received a master's degree in the process of studying as an intermediate. The PhD degree is awarded after defending a dissertation.

All of the listed levels of education in the United States generally correspond to European educational levels. Read about how the education system in the USA and Russia compares and differs here.

The educational system in the United States is also rather unusual in terms of assessing student work.

The education system in America is highly flexible and variable, which attracts students from all over the world.

Political System of the USA

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states. Each state has its own government ("state government*"). In some ways the United States is like 50 small countries.

The government of the USA act according to the Constitution which was signed by the first thirteen representatives of thirteen original American states in 1787. The document was written in 1787 and since that time twenty six Amendments have been added. The first ten Amendments were simply rights or the Bill of rights. According to the Constitution the USA is a republic. So, the officials of any rank are elected by US citizens. Every citizen has rights which cannot be violated.

The Constitution proclaims a federal system of government which keeps both the states and the federal power from getting too much power. It means that the federal government is given certain powers, for example, to make peace or war, to issue money and to regulate the trade and so on.

The federal power is located in Washington, D.C. It is based on legislative, executive and legal branches of power.

The legislative power is vested in Congress, which consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives, There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators in Congress. Each state elects two members for the Senate.

The executive branch is headed by the President who is assisted by the Vice President. The President enforces federal laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shall overrule him. The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of the death of the President, assumes the Presidency. The President of the USA is chosen in nationwide elections every 4 years together with the Vice.-President. The President can not be elected for more than two terms. The Cabinet is made up of Department Secretaries. The most important of them is the Secretary of State, who deals with foreign affairs.

The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life.

Federal courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between citizens of different states.

Constitution has been amended twenty six times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of word, religion and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, granted the vote to women and color people and allowed citizens to vote at the age of 18.

US political system

The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states. Each state has its own government (the "state government"). In some ways, the United States is like 50 small states.

The US government operates under a constitution that was signed by the original thirteen representatives of the original thirteen American states in 1787. The document was written in 1787 and since then 26 amendments have been made. The first ten amendments were simply the rights of man, or the bill of rights. According to the Constitution, the USA is a republic. Thus, officials of any rank are elected by American citizens. Every citizen has rights that cannot be violated.

The constitution proclaims a federal system of government that keeps state and federal power from overreaching. This means that the federal government is given certain powers, such as deciding whether to be peace or war, printing money and regulating trade, etc.

The federal government is located in Washington, DC. It is based on the legislative, executive and legal branches of government.

Legislative power is vested in Congress, which consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 senators in Congress. Each state elects two members for the Senate.

The executive branch is led by a president who is assisted by a vice president. The president signs federal laws and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president can veto the bill, but two-thirds of all congressional votes against the president's decision override it. The vice president, elected from the same political party as the president, acts as president of the Senate and, in the event of the president's death, assumes the presidency. The President of the United States, along with the Vice President, are elected by popular vote every four years. The President cannot be elected for more than two terms. The cabinet consists of secretaries of the department. The most important of these is the Secretary of State, who deals with foreign policy.

The judicial branch consists of federal district courts, 11 federal courts, and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the president for life terms.

Federal courts deal with cases where federal law is violated, as well as conflicts between citizens of different states.

The constitution has been amended 26 times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual freedoms: freedom of speech, religion, and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, granted the right to vote to women and people of color, and gave the right to vote to citizens over the age of 18.

Questions:

1. What is the main document of the USA?
2. When was the Constitution of the USA signed?
3. How many Amendments have been added to the Constitution since 1787?
4. What does the Constitution claim?
5. What powers is the federal government given?
6. Where is the federal government located? .
7. Where is the legislative power vested?
8. How many members are there in the House of Representatives?
9. Who is the head of the executive power in the USA?
10. How often do the President's elections take place?
11. Who deals with foreign affairs in the USA?
12. What does the Bill of Rights guarantee?

Vocabulary:

to consist of - consist of
own - own, own
to sign - sign, sign
original - building first
amendment - amendment (to a resolution, bill)
according to - in accordance with, according to
officials - officials, officials
citizen - citizen
to violate - violate, trample, transgress
to proclaim - proclaim; to announce
certain - precise, definite
to issue money - issue money
to regulate the trade - regulate trade
federal power - federal power
to locate - to be located
to vest - to give (the right), to give rights, to vest with the right
branch - division; branch (of power)
legislative - legislative
executive - executive
judiciary - judicial
Congress - Congress
house - zd. ward
Senate - Senate
House of Representatives - House of Representatives
to assist - help, assist
Vice President - Vice President
elections - elections
to enforce - to force, to force (to smth.) "to force; impose (on someone)
commander-in-chief - commander in chief
armed forces - armed forces
to veto - veto (on smth.), prohibit
bill - bill
overrule - reject, refuse; cancel (someone's decision); reject
chairman - chairman
to assume - accept, take on (responsibility, management, etc.); get (position)
Cabinet - Cabinet (of ministers)
Department Secretaries - ministers
Secretary of State - Secretary of State, head of the US Foreign Office
Federal District Court - Federal District Court
Supreme Court - Supreme Court
federal judges - federal judges
to appoint - appoint
to amend - make changes, amend (into a bill, etc.)
to abolish - annul, cancel, abolish, declare invalid
slavery - slavery
to allow - allow, allow

It is determined by their main Law - the Constitution, adopted back in 1787. The main principles and defining concepts of the system are also indicated in amendments adopted somewhat later, or in other laws. The powers of the Constitution transfer to the federal government of the States. The main Law of the country also defines the principle of separation of three powers, according to which the Federal Government consists of independent bodies: legislative, executive, judicial. They, in turn, act separately from each other.

The US Constitution consists of several parts:

• the preamble, which describes in detail the main goals of the adoption of the Constitution, their number is 85;
• articles - 7 pieces;
• amendments - 27 pieces, the first ten of which are the Bill of Rights.

The political system of the United States: the legislative branch of government

The highest body in the United States is the bicameral Parliament, which constitutes the US Congress, which consists of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. In the Senate, each of the 50 states has 2 representatives. The specific number of persons who can represent a particular state is determined every decade, it depends on the population in a particular state. However, even if the number of citizens living is small, each state has at least one representative in the US Senate. Senators are elected for 6 years, representatives for two years. Each of them can be elected an unlimited number of times.

US executive branch

Executive power in the United States is exercised only which is very voluminous. Everything is in his direct subordination, including ministers, heads of departments. The President directs the entire mechanism of the executive apparatus.

The executive apparatus together with the president form the presidential power in the state. The President is responsible for the formation of the administration, the Cabinet of Ministers and executive boards. The Cabinet of Ministers, in turn, is not authorized to adopt government acts, it is an advisory body, so the President may not follow the advice given to him.

Form of government in the USA

It reflects the way of organization and structure of the supreme power, the principles on which the interaction between its different institutions is based, and the participation of the population in the formation of the country's power units.

The form of government has several basic properties:

• the way in which the echelons of higher power are formed;
• structure of authorities;
• principles underlying the interaction of authorities: legislative, executive;
• interaction between the citizens of the state and the authorities;
• the degree of ensuring freedoms for the population on the part of power structures.

The US political system is determined by the republican form of government, which is guaranteed by the State Constitution (Article IV). in America it is implemented in the form of a presidential republic and has the following principles: The President of the Republic (in this case, the United States) is the head of government and state, the government is not accountable to Congress, the President does not have the authority to dissolve the chambers of Congress.

The political state power in the country is built on the principle of separation of powers. This principle in the conditions of the United States was reincarnated into the Actual relations existing between the three bodies that form the power in the state - the President of the United States, the Congress, the Supreme Court - undergo constant changes, but the principle of separation remains unshakable.

The USA is a federal republic with a presidential form of government. The constitution entered into force in 1788, includes 27 amendments adopted from the date of its ratification (26 of them are in force - the XVIII amendment, which introduced Prohibition in 1919, was repealed in 1933 by the XXI amendment). The first 10 amendments - the Bill of Rights - were adopted in 1789. The amendments come into force after their ratification by the Legislative Assemblies (legislatures) of 3/4 of the states. Universal suffrage applies to US citizens who are 18 years of age or older.

Administrative division? 50 states and the District of Columbia. The states are divided into counties (districts) (in the state of Louisiana - a parish), which, in turn, are divided into municipalities that exercise self-government in cities, and townships, which represent self-government in rural areas.

The functioning of the US state mechanism is based on the constitutional principle of "separation of powers", which provides for the existence of 3 branches of power - legislative, executive and judicial - and excludes the possibility of abuse of power by any one of its branches.

Legislative power is exercised by the US Congress, which consists of two chambers - the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators (100 people - 2 representatives from each state) are elected for a 6-year term; every 2 years there is a renewal of the composition of the Senate by 1/3. Elections to the House of Representatives are held every 2 years, during which all 435 representatives of the corresponding number of constituencies are re-elected. Constituencies are determined according to population. The House of Representatives also includes 3 representatives of the Federal District of Columbia with an advisory vote. Officially, the chairman of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States (he participates in the work of the Senate and votes if during the voting on any issue the votes of the senators are divided equally). In this case, his vote becomes decisive. In the absence of the vice president, the Senate is led by a president pro tempore. The work of the House of Representatives is led by the Speaker - a representative of the party that has the majority of votes in the House. In the Senate and the House of Representatives, the heads of standing and special committees and subcommittees, as well as the leaders of the majority and minority and their deputies - "whips" are elected. In each of the 2 chambers, there are 20 permanent committees functioning independently of each other on the main areas of legislative activity; as well as 3 joint (joint) committees. Joint meetings of both chambers are convened to consider especially important issues of domestic or foreign policy. The Congress of each convocation works in the format of two annual sessions. The tradition of numbering sessions of the US Congress has historically developed - after the 2002 congressional elections, the 108th session is running.

Congress has broad prerogatives in most areas of government activity, primarily finance. He approves the federal budget, establishes taxes and other fees, regulates foreign and interstate trade, controls the activities of government departments and their spending of federal funds. Control over public funding is carried out by Congress through specialized agencies created under it: the General Financial Control Department, the Office for Technology Assessment and the Budget Office.

Along with the powers exercised jointly or separately by both houses of the US Congress, each of them has its own functions. Thus, all bills in the field of budgetary policy, including the approval of the annual budget, can only come from the House of Representatives, the Senate has the right only to discuss them and amend them. The House of Representatives is given the right to elect the President of the United States if none of the candidates for this post received more than half of the votes of the members of the Electoral College, and to bring charges of impeachment of the President or Vice President. The US Senate, "on the advice and consent" of which the most important presidential decisions are made, has the right to declare war, a state of emergency, approve international treaties, make amendments and additions to them, approve candidates for office positions and a number of senior positions in the state apparatus, heads of diplomatic US missions abroad, members of the US Supreme Court, federal judges, and also makes the final decision on the impeachment resolution passed through the House of Representatives. The Senate does not have the authority to approve appointments to positions in the White House apparatus.

Local legislative power is exercised by state legislatures, which consist of two or one (Nebraska) chambers.

The President is the highest official of the United States - the head of state and at the same time the head of government. His residence is the White House, located in the federal capital of Washington. The President is elected for a term of four years and, in accordance with Article XXII of the Constitution adopted in 1951, cannot be elected for more than two terms. The Vice President is elected at the same time as the President. Candidates for president and vice president are nominated and approved by delegates to the national party conventions, convened every 4 years. Elections for President and Vice President (as well as elections for all members of the House of Representatives, 1/3 of Senators and up-and-coming state governors) are held on the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November of each leap year. The American electoral system provides for the election of the president and vice president by the votes of members of the Electoral College, elected in each state by popular vote from among local party activists. Voting for this or that presidential candidate, the ordinary voter simultaneously votes for the elector of a particular party, who, as a rule, is obliged to support the candidate of his party. Each state elects a number of electors equal to the total number of representatives of that state - senators and members of the House of Representatives - in the US Congress. Electors elected by popular vote meet (separately by state) in their state capital on the 1st Monday after the 2nd Wednesday in December of a leap year and elect the President and Vice President of the United States by filling out special forms. If a presidential candidate does not receive a majority of the electoral votes, the question of the future president is transferred to the US House of Representatives, which elects the president from the 3 candidates who received the largest number of ordinary votes. Under the XX Amendment to the US Constitution adopted in 1933, the official date of entry of the president into office is noon on January 20 of the year following the election year. In the event of the death or inability of the president to perform his duties, the vice president becomes his successor. In the event of the death or absence of the vice president, the order of succession of power provides for its further transition to the speaker of the house of representatives, the interim president of the senate, and then to the members of the cabinet of ministers according to the chronology of the creation of the relevant ministries - the State Department, defense, finance, etc.

The president can be a US citizen "by birth", over 35 years old and lived in the country for at least 14 years. The constitution does not provide for a higher age limit for persons elected to the presidency. The constitution gives the president wide powers. He has the power of legislative initiative, represents the country abroad, is the supreme commander of the armed forces, appoints (with subsequent confirmation by the US Senate) members of the cabinet and senior officials of government agencies, as well as federal judges, including members of the Supreme Court and ambassadors. The President has the power to enter into international agreements in the form of an executive agreement, not subject to the approval of the Senate, but having the same legal force as an international treaty. The Constitution grants the President the power to pardon and reprieve the execution of those convicted under federal law. He has the power to convene emergency sessions of one or both houses of Congress and the power to adjourn ordinary sessions of Congress. The President submits the draft federal budget to Congress and has the right to veto bills approved by Congress, as well as the issuance of presidential orders, which are practically equivalent to laws. A presidential veto can be overridden by a second vote of 2/3 members of Congress. In the event of acute international or domestic crises, the President may resort to the use of emergency powers. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the President of the United States has the right to send troops into the territory, airspace or territorial waters of a foreign state for up to 60 days without the approval of the US Congress.

The functions of the vice president in a particular administration are determined by the president, but are predominantly representative in nature. A resident of the same state as the president's residence cannot be elected vice president.

The structure of the executive branch of the United States includes: a cabinet of ministers consisting of the heads of federal departments of the highest category - 15 ministries (State Department, Defense, Finance, Justice, Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security), non-government departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; Executive Office of the President (including the White House staff, advisers and assistants to the President); Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Economic Council under the President; National Security Council (NSC); Office of Defense Policy and more than 60 federal agencies and departments, including the Federal Reserve, CIA, National Science Foundation, Export-Import Bank, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Small Business Administration, Farm Credit Administration, Postal Service USA.

The head of executive power in the state is the governor, elected for 4 or 2 (New Hampshire, Vermont) years, who directs the work of state administrations (governments). States have autonomy in matters of state building and socio-economic regulation. Executive power in the city is exercised by an elected mayor or an appointed manager (elections and appointments are the prerogative of the City Council).

The supreme body of the federal judiciary - the US Supreme Court consists of 9 federal judges, including the Chief Justice. Members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president for life terms with the right to retire at will. There are also 94 federal district courts at the federal level, special courts including 12 regional appeals and bankruptcy courts, and a foreign trade court. The US judiciary also includes the courts of individual states and districts (counties).

The basis of the political process in the United States is the existence of a two-party system. The leading parties are the Democratic (organizational took shape in 1828, received its current name in the early 1830s) and the Republican (founded in 1854), between which the struggle for the leadership of the country is mainly waged. Relying on various social groups in society, the Republican and Democratic parties share the starting points that underlie the American political and socio-economic system. They can be distinguished by approaches to solving specific issues of domestic and foreign policy, determining the degree of state regulation and reforming the socio-economic life of the country. The symbol of the Republican Party is an elephant, the Democratic Party is a donkey.

At certain stages of the historical development of the United States, there were many other parties that never managed to get their candidate for the presidency of the country or to occupy a dominant position in the US Congress. Usually, 5 to 8 parties take part in presidential elections, including the two leading ones. The so-called third parties do not have any noticeable influence on public policy. Only once in the entire history of the country, the "third" party - the Progressive Party of T. Roosevelt - was able to push one of the two leading parties (Republican) to 3rd place in terms of the number of votes received in the presidential election (1912). "Third" parties have repeatedly succeeded in gaining significant support from the traditional electorate for one of the two main parties, thus preventing it from winning elections. The Communist Party of the USA (founded in 1919) never represented a significant political force, but regularly participated in the presidential elections of 1924-84. 900 thousand votes.

Financing of party activities is carried out mainly through voluntary donations through fundraising among supporters of the respective parties. There is no clear organizational structure and official membership in the parties; the popularity of a party and its political influence are determined only in the course of election campaigns by the number of votes cast for their candidates. The little-noticed day-to-day activities of the leading parties are led by the national committees of the respective parties, headed by national chairmen. Branches of national party committees exist in all states. Their activity (mainly in the form of fundraising and election campaigning) is manifested only on the eve and during election campaigns. The formal leader of the party is the incumbent president of the country, nominated by a particular party, or (until the next election) a candidate for the post of president of the country from the party that was defeated in the previous election.

There are over 2,500 independent trade unions and associations in the USA. The leading trade union association - the American Federation of Labor - the Committee of Industrial Trade Unions (AFL-CIO) unites 63 branch trade unions (13 million members). In total, about 16.2 million people are members of trade unions. (13.2% of the national labor force). In the beginning. 21st century there is a further reduction in the number of trade union members: in 1983-2002 their number decreased by 6.9%. Trade union membership is dominated by men and blacks; about 40% of trade union members are civil servants and less than 10% work in the private sector. The most widely covered by trade unions is the transport sector (23.8%). The average weekly wage of employees who are union members is $740; the average wage of non-union employees is $587. The largest number of union members live in the states of California, New York and Illinois.

There are more than 25,000 major national associations and societies in the United States and more than 53,000 regional, state, and local public organizations. The largest of them are the American Automobile Association (45 million members), the American Association of Retirees (32 million members). In the 1960s and 70s in the United States there were a large number of public organizations opposed to the war, in defense of civil rights and freedoms, for racial equality, as well as women's and youth organizations. To con. 20th century many of them have ceased to exist or have significantly reduced the scope of their activities due to the decrease in the social relevance of the problems they raise. A similar situation is observed in the activities of extremist organizations of a racist or anti-communist nature (Ku Klux Klan, John Birch Society, etc.). The largest of the organizations of black Americans is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (500,000 members), which annually (since 1915) awards African-Americans a medal to them. Springarn for high achievements in various fields of political and social activity, science and culture. Significantly increased the activity of public organizations acting in defense of the environment and civil rights, consumer interests. The main organizations of the US business world: the National Association of Industrialists (18 million members), the US Chamber of Commerce (215 thousand), etc. Feminist organizations deal with gender issues: the National Organization of Women (500 thousand members), the League of Women Voters of America (150 thousand .) and etc.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the country is the President of the United States. They are directly managed by the Ministry of Defense. The department's headquarters is a building in Washington, DC, known as the Pentagon (Pentagon). The secretary of defense is appointed by the president (with the consent of the senate) from among civilians. The Armed Forces include the Ground Forces (Army), Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The general leadership of these types of aircraft is carried out by the ministers of the army, navy and aviation, as well as the commander of the marine corps. Ministers and employees of the apparatus of ministries are civilians. The working body of the Ministry of Defense is the Committee of Chiefs of Staff (KNSh), consisting of the chairman, deputy chairman, chiefs of staff of the army, air force and navy and the commander (commandant) of the marine corps. The KNSh exercises operational control of the country's Armed Forces.

The number of regular armed forces is 1.3 million people in active military service. 86% of US military personnel are men. The aircraft are recruited on a voluntary basis from persons who have reached the age of 18; All military personnel receive a salary. Military personnel who are demobilized with an impeccable record of service enjoy advantages in enrolling in higher education institutions, obtaining a preferential housing loan and in employment. In addition to military personnel in active service, in the US Armed Forces there are 650-750 thousand people. civilian personnel. The Armed Forces also include the National Guard (about 470 thousand people), consisting of the Ground and Air Forces, as well as organized reserves of the army (about 780 thousand people). The National Guard is designed to defend the territory of the United States in the event of the landing of enemy troops, performs certain air defense tasks, and is also used to combat riots, the consequences of natural disasters, etc. United States Coast Guard troops are subordinate to the Department of Transportation in peacetime; in wartime, they are transferred to the department of the Ministry of the Navy.

The National Security Council (NSC) is the coordinating body under the President of the United States, directing the activities of all government agencies in the military field. The National Security Council consists of permanent members of the council: the president (chairman of the council), vice president, secretary of state, minister of defense. By decision of the president, it may also include the chief of staff of the White House, the ministers of finance, justice, homeland security, and some other responsible government officials. As permanent advisers, the chairman of the KNSh and the director of the CIA participate in the meetings of the council as the main advisers to the president on military issues and intelligence. The National Security Adviser (Assistant) to the President is the head of the working apparatus of the NSS.

US military spending is (at current prices) $347.99 billion (3.2% of GDP, 16.96% of the federal budget) (2002).

Crime and the penitentiary system. Serious crimes per 100 thousand people. - St. 500. The number of prisoners - 1.3 million people.