Consumer protection - what average citizen should know

There are many topics that are not public knowledge. More than that, some issues are surrounded by myths and misinformation. In order to protect you from this, here are some basic facts that you should know regarding the election process, public officials, institutions, and their authority. You will see what you can hold your elected officials accountable for, and how each of them influences changes and application of the law.

Presidential power

The first thing you should know is that the presidential powers are very limited. Even though we hear presidential candidates promising lower taxes, spending less money, etc. these are not the things they can influence directly. The President doesn�t pass laws, this is the work of the Congress officials. In addition, the President can�t declare war to any foreign country. All these facts are little known, and presidential candidates often use this in order to get voters on their side. The Presidential powers are described in the Article two of the United States Constitution.

The power of U.S. Congress

Before we get acquainted with the power that Congress wields, let�s go through some basic information regarding this institution. The Congress consists of the House of the representatives. Officials for the House are elected directly by the citizens, and they answer to the citizens. The Senate is another part of the Congress, and it�s consisted of two representatives from each state.

Congress is where the bills turn to laws. Moreover, Congress is the only institution in the United States permitted to raise revenue. In addition, the United States Congress House of the representatives is the only place where public spending can be permitted. In short, Congress controls where the money goes, and where the most of the money comes from. All Congressional power is determined in the Article One of the U.S. Constitution.

The Senate is extremely important part of the Congress. Senate is the one that ratifies treaties, confirms the appointment of a large number of public officials, including Supreme Court Justices and Ambassadors, as well as cabinet members.

The Supreme Court

Members of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president. They are afterward confirmed by the Senate and they have a lifetime mandate. The work of the Supreme Court, in short, is to clean up the legislative mess that Congress makes, intentionally or otherwise. The power and obligations of the Supreme Court are depicted in the Article Three of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court has to decide on some difficult public questions such as the legality of the abortion, same-sex marriage, etc.