At 16:03 18-12-00 -0600, Steve Sloan wrote:
>"J. van Baardwijk" wrote:
>
> > I've heard these terms, but as a non-US citizen I'm not quite
> > sure what the Legislative Branch and Executive Branch are.
> > Please explain.
>
>There are three main branches of government discussed in the US
>Constitution:
>
>1. Legislative = law makers, for example, Congressmen, Senators,
>members of Parliament, city Councilmen, etc.
>
>2. Executive = law implementers, or the people who actually enact
>the laws -- for example, the President or Prime Minister, and
>the myriad bureaucrats, Secretaries, Governors, Mayors, etc.
>
>3. Judicial = law interpreters: judges at all levels
>
>The US Constitution is full of "checks and balances" to keep the
>three branches roughly at the same level of power. It's not hard
>to imagine the kind of ugly stuff that could happen if one branch
>became significantly more powerful than the other two.
>
>Why is the Schoolhouse Rock cartoon "Only a Bill" floating
>through my head right now? ;-)
Even a brief look at government spending lets you know why laws are called
"bills" . . .
-- Ronn! :)
