Government is considered to be the machinery through which a state/ nation is run. (Shaffrey & Fonder, 2002) That said, the United States consists of the Federal government and the state governments. The federal US government is also the central government, established by the United States Constitution. It is in charge of the whole United States while the state governments are in charge of their respective states. State governments that were/are responsible for the creation of the federal government.
Consequently, the United States President is the head of the federal government where as the Governor of Texas is the head of the Texas State. This paper seeks to examine the role and function of the Texas Governor in comparison to that of the US President. Moreover, compare and contrast the structure and operations of both the federal US government and the state government of Texas. Structure. In the federal government, which is also the central government, the President is part of the executive branch which wields power.
Others who constitute this branch include the Vice President and Congress. (USA. gov, 2008) The President is the chief decision maker. He makes major policy decisions that pertain to the economy, foreign policy and the military that consequently affect all the American citizens. His powers are provided for in the Constitution and he is advised by Congress. In the Texas state government, it is the Governor who holds the power. He is the central power therein although still subordinate to the President. (About. com, 2008) This then brings into focus the element of formal and informal power.
Formal power is the kind of power that is provided for by the Constitution. Informal power is not. The powers of the President are provided for in the Constitution and this signifies that he holds formal power. This means is that the federal government is superior and has more powers than the state government. It is for this reason that the federal government can for instance coin money while the state governments cannot. The state government of Texas under the leadership of the Governor is subordinate to the federal/central government.
The powers possessed by the federal government are limited by the US constitution as contained and directed in the 10th Amendment. However, state governments are left to exercise for themselves the powers not outlawed or delegated by the US Constitution. They get their powers from the federal government and from their own state Constitutions. The Constitution of the United States is the supreme authority. (Shaffrey & Fonder, 2002) The Governors of the states hold informal power, however, they can use their positions as launching pads to get to formal powers.
They just have to have the support of the people and be aware and ready to tackle the critical issues that affect the American people. Functions. With the leadership of the President, the federal government is concerned with coining money, appointing department heads, formulating domestic and foreign policies, recommending legislation, signing laws, budgeting in addition to the defense of the US. The states are not allowed to also perform these activities, instead, they focus their strengths in issues of smaller scale for instance education, health, family and contract laws within their respective states. (USA. gov, 2008)
The Governor performs more or less the same duties performed by the President, only that his are at a much lower level, the state rather than the national level. The President operates the federal government with assistance from Congress and defines the roles of the state governments. The state governments under the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor, on their part set forth the roles of the local governments under them. (Hunter, 2006)
