Unlike No Other

Unlike No Other Unlike No Other Unlike No Other By Maeve Maddox I heard a radio announcer say that something was â€Å"unlike no other.† I could tell from the context that he meant the thing he was talking about was unique. As I usually do when I read or hear nonstandard usage in a professional context, I jumped on my search engine to see if anyone else was using it. What I found suggests that many speakers use â€Å"unlike no other† as if it did mean â€Å"one of a kind.† Relationship problem unlike no other? (about a boy who feels his romantic situation is unique) Urban Novel Unlike no Other (reviewer recommending a novel) Trees unlike no other (description of unusual trees) A community unlike no other! (a group of gamers) A show unlike no other (ad for an entertainment program) The expression â€Å"unlike no other† doesn’t mean â€Å"one of a kind.† On the contrary, it means â€Å"like all others.† The prefix un: â€Å"I am not unhappy.† is equivalent to â€Å"I am happy.† Note: A discussion of the two negatives equal a positive rule in English calls for a post of its own. This one focuses on why the expression unlike no other should be avoided. Like means â€Å"having the same characteristics as something else.† Adding the prefix un- to like creates an adjective that means â€Å"dissimilar.† Technically, to say that something is â€Å"unlike no other,† is to say that it is like everything else. To express the thought that something is â€Å"unique† or â€Å"one of a kind,† drop the un- and say that the thing is â€Å"like no other.† For example, Grab a cup of cider and head to Red Arrow Park in beautiful Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a fun, low-key New Years Eve like no other. A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York (book title) Another way to express the thought is to use the phrase â€Å"not like any other.† They proof their dough for 24 hours which allows it to rise and ferment to a flavor not like any other bread available in Brooklyn This is truly a movie not like any other. Apparently the wording â€Å"unlike no other† sounds pleasing to the ears of many speakers, but it is not standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureBest Websites to Learn EnglishEach vs. Both

How to Afford Private School Tuition

How to Afford Private School Tuition Private school can be expensive, and paying those hefty tuition bills can be a burden for families from all income levels. The average national cost of non-sectarian private schools is approximately $17,000 a year, and the yearly tuition at schools in urban areas such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. can be more than $40,000 for just a day school program. Boarding schools are even more expensive. But, that doesnt mean a private school education is out of the question for your family. While you may think that there is little financial aid for private schools, and yes it can be competitive to get financial aid, there are several sources of funding that you may not have thought of. Here are some ways in which you can find financial assistance to pay for private school: Talk to the financial aid officer at your school. The financial aid officer at your school may know about merit and need-based scholarships that your child may be eligible for; sometimes these are not widely promoted. Several private schools offer free tuition for parents earning less than about $75,000 a year. As many as 20% of private school students receive some form of need-based financial aid, and this figure is as high as about 35% at schools with large endowments. Keep in mind that schools with large endowments and longer histories can generally offer larger amounts of aid, but inquire about programs even at schools that are less established. Check out scholarships. There are many scholarships and  even voucher programs  available for students at private schools. The school youre applying to or attending may even have scholarship programs for students; be sure to ask the admission office or financial aid office to find out if youre eligible and how to apply.  There are also regional scholarship programs that can assist with finding scholarships. Some notable programs include A Better Chance, which provides opportunities for students of color to attend boarding and day college-prep schools around the country. Research free or low-tuition  private schools. Private school for free? ​Believe it or not, schools that offer zero tuition  do exist.  There are completely tuition-free private and parochial schools across the country. Check out this list of free private schools. You can also research schools with low tuition rates; with a financial aid package, if you qualify, you could find yourself with an opportunity to attend a private school for little to no money.   Don’t forget to ask about sibling discounts. Many schools will offer discounts if you already have a child at the school, or if a family member has attended previously (often referred to as a legacy student). In addition, some private school financial aid officers will reduce the tuition for families paying college tuition at the same time that they are paying private school tuition. Ask if the school youre applying to offers these kinds of discounts! Take advantage of employee discounts. This may sound odd, but its true. Many private schools offer full time employees free tuition or tuition discounts. If you know you want to send your child to private school and your skill set aligns to an opening at a school you like, apply for a job. Be sure to look at requirements for the tuition discounts, as some schools require that employees work at the school for a certain number of years before they are eligible. If youre already a parent at the school, you can still apply. But youll likely have to go through the same formal job application process as all the other candidates. Dont worry, if you dont get the job, your child can still attend.   Spread out payments with tuition payment plans. Many schools will allow you to spread out your yearly tuition in installments. They may charge a flat fee or interest for this service, so be sure to read the fine print and determine if this is right for you. There are also many institutions that manage tuition payments at private schools across the country. Take advantage of pre-payment incentives. Many schools will offer parents a discount for paying in full by a certain amount. If you have a rewards program credit card, this can be a great way to earn some perks. You can use tax-free Coverdell savings accounts. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which allow you to save up to $2,000 a year per beneficiary in tax-free accounts, can be used for tuition at private schools. The distributions from these accounts will not be taxed if the amount in the account is less than the beneficiary’s educational expenses at an eligible institution. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski  - stacyjago

California Should Have Stricter Divorce Laws Essay

California Should Have Stricter Divorce Laws - Essay Example This skyrocketing number of divorces has resulted in greater numbers of children being separated from one of their parents and cast into an uncertain future. More importantly, California has made divorce such an easy process that it now suffers from a culture of divorce that is void of personal commitment, places career and finance ahead of relationships, and needs to be reformed to make divorces in California a more deliberate process. A major breakdown in marriage that is caused by easy divorce is the breakdown in the trust and commitment that a couple needs to exist as equal partners. This breakdown begins way before a problem in the marriage surfaces. The easy dissolution of a marriage dilutes the traditional marriage vows and leaves them as little more than a casual agreement. When both spouses live with the anxiety created by the knowledge that the marriage can end at any time, and for no good reason, couples are less likely to invest in their relationship. They may be more reluctant to invest in property or children. A difficult, and more thoughtful approach, to divorce could help restore the belief necessary to remove the uneasiness of living with the thought that your spouse is in no way contractually bound to the you. I think it would also be a significant sign to the children that commitment, promises, and sacred vows have a purpose. It is generally held true that children suffer the most in a divorce. Initially they are impacted by the separation from one of their parents and a confused notion that it may have been their fault. Divorced couples that I have known have greater financial problems that directly impact the children. These parents sharing custody, or with single custody, find less time to involve themselves in the child's life. The child may participate in fewer outside the home activities and have less connection with their social environment. I don't believe that remarriage and step-parenting can ever replace the bond of the biological parents in the minds of the children. These difficulties will follow the child through their life and result in alienation and very little faith in the institution of marriage. While children are taught that commitment has less value in a relationship than the convenience of easy separation, the easy divorce laws reinforce the idea in the minds of adults. Making a career choice or a wish to make a geographical move may break up a marriage. If personal fulfillment outweighs the trust that the partner has invested in the relationship, the jilted spouse will be left with the haunting fear of intimacy. They have come into the institution of marriage with uncertainty and leave it with the certainty of mistrust and betrayal. I think that these issues could be addressed by making the laws on divorce stricter in its requirements that lead into the legal finalities. I think stricter laws on divorce would help insure that the intent of marriage is not at the mercy of whimsical personal preferences. Often, these career or personal preferences are a short-term divergence outside the relationship. They may offer a future that appears to be rosier than it will eventually be. Thoughts of infidelity may wane with time, counseling, or reexamination. However, a quick and easy divorce eliminates any possibility of

Reform Laws and Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reform Laws and Divorce - Essay Example This paper shall argue on the causes of divorce, while pointing out to the reasons for reform laws on marriages and divorce in the process. A marriage is a standard union between two individuals that are committed to one another and they are to live for each other with the two parties developing common interest, which are economically related in some cases. In marriage, the husband and wife are expected to have a lifetime bond and the strength of this bond all depends on how they could effectively manage their relationship and it is the mismanagement of relationships that ultimately lead to divorce. It is a known fact that most of the divorce cases are filed by women and this is due to the fact that the society has made women to play second fiddle in relationships and when they feel they are no longer enjoying the relationship, they sue for divorce. According to the American Law and Economics Review, more than two-thirds of divorce cases in the United States are filed by women (Brini g & Douglas 126, Khun & John 31) A marriage would surely stand on a proper economic foundation and if the necessary things are not done, the foundation on which the marriage was built would collapse. This is to say that a marriage that the husband or the man of the house cannot meet up with the responsibility in the house in terms of matching his income with the finances at home would begin to crumble. A relationship that is marred by lack of finances or proper management of finance cannot stand and the marriage would ultimately fail. In this case, there needs to be some reform laws on the union of two people as it must be clearly stated that people that are not financially capable to start a family should not even make any attempt to get married in the first place. If this is done, divorce cases that arise as a result of the inability of the husband to cater for the financial needs of the family would never arise (Brinig & Douglas 127). There are several divorce situations that the bride accuses her husband of not being financially capable enough to cater for the family and then sues for divorce and after the hearing of the divorce, the two married parties are legally separated with the husband paying some sum of money for the upkeep of his ex-wife and if they have any issue between them, he is also responsible for the upkeep of the children. Thus, if there have been reform laws that have mandated the wife to ensure that she wants to get married to someone that would take care of the finances of herself and the issue that comes after the marriage, these cases of divorce would be to the barest minimum. Parents hold the responsibility of catering for their children and when this obligation is not fulfilled there could be some cracks in the walls in the family system and this could be the effect of an improperly planned marriage system. Divorce follows an improperly managed marriage, thus there should be some reforms law that seeks to monitor the management of m arriages and this would go a long way to teach the couples the consequences of mismanaging their homes. Some of the reasons women sue for divorce is due to the financial and economical incentives they stand to gain from the dissolution of their marriage and the fact that it is the women that gain more from

Jake Barnes as Hemingway Code Hero in The Sun Also Rises Essays

Jake Barnes as Hemingway Code Hero in The Sun Also Rises      Ã‚  Ã‚   The portrayal of heroism is an essential aspect of literature, and every writer delineates his heroes through their ability to triumph over adversity. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) consistently defined and distinguished his heroes through an echoing set of characteristics that form a characteristic "Hemingway Code Hero." A Code Hero is one that distinguishes himself by his ability to demonstrate grace under pressure, to adhere to a strong set of personal values and, most importantly, to live life to the fullest. In Hemingway's first novel, The Sun Also Rises (1926), the protagonist Jakes Barnes serves as a controversial example of a Code Hero. Jake fits into the category of a Hemingway Code Hero because he embodies the most significant characteristics of a quintessential Code Hero: he demonstrates his manhood through the ability to endure pain with dignity, he imposes order upon his chaotic world through personal values, and he attempts to enjoy the simple pleasures of life to add meaning to his existence.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hemingway characterized the Code Hero as "a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful" (Dwiggins). The most essential characteristic of a Code Hero is the capacity to exemplify grace under pressure, and Hemingway continually placed his characters into unfortunate, and often tragic, situations to test their ability to survive. Hemingway's primary focus was therefore on the strained individual and his response to adversity. ... ... code, and to embrace every opportunity to its full potential are the vital characteristics that typify a Code Hero. Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises relentlessly strives to set the societal standard through his stoicism, morality, and action; therefore, his exemplification of these qualities characterizes him as a true Hemingway Code Hero.    Works Cited    Dahiya, Dr. Bhim S. The Hero in Hemingway. New Delhi: Bahri Publications, 1978.    Dwiggins, Mary. "Characteristics of Hemingway's Code Hero." 22 Jan. 2001. Millikin University. 5 Jul. 2003. <http://faculty.millikin.edu/~mdwiggins/code_hero.htm>.    Gurko, Leo. Ernest Hemingway and the Pursuit of Heroism. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1968.    Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1926.   

Economics for Business Essay

When we speak about the UK market of postal services, its image is indispensably connected with the notion of monopoly. For more than 350 years the UK postal market has been dominated by the Royal Mail. However, since 2006 the market has been open to competitors, and the postal services’ market players strove for possessing equal business opportunities. It is essential to review the current trends in the postal services market within the UK through the prism of monopoly, competition, and their benefits/ effects for the consumer and the overall efficiency/ quality of postal services in the country. Monopoly Royal Mail in the UK has for long been referred to as â€Å"privileged and increasingly unusual position of being a state-owned company protected from the market place† (Crew & Kleindorfer 2007, p. 7). As a result, Royal Mail has become one of the brightest representatives of what monopoly is within the British economy as a whole. It is essential to understand that when we speak about the state of postal services in the UK market, it cannot be described other than monopolistic before the year 2006. Moreover, even in the light of the improving communication strategies, Royal Mail was not losing its position, and was even strengthening it: â€Å"we are still dependent on the efficient, speedy delivery of bills and payments to our homes and businesses in exchange for the price of a stamp† (Starkey 2006, p. 71). Despite the primarily negative attitudes towards the monopolistic position of Royal Mail, monopoly is an objective market notion, and as any other market structure, it possesses its benefits and its disadvantages. In order to arrive to relevant conclusions, we have to consider both. One of the major advantages of monopoly, and particularly in the postal services, is exercising the principles of the economy of scale: in smaller postal enterprises this task may become impossible to fulfill. Moreover, having more available free resources, monopolies are frequently viewed as being closer to innovation than any other smaller enterprises within the postal services sector. However, this assumption is rather argumentative, and economic professionals tended to evaluate Royal Mail’s position within the postal services market as â€Å"negatively monopolistic† (AICES 2006, p. 8). This simply meant that Royal Mail was not striving towards exercising its free resources to bring innovation into postal services sector; as a result, competition was viewed as the only resolution for that difficult economic situation. This is a well-known conflict, when one tries to assess the opportunities and drawbacks of the monopolistic market structure: while monopoly generates significant profits which could potentially be directed at innovations, it simultaneously lacks any incentives to make these innovations real. This conflict has become the major reason for opening the market of UK postal services to competition. It is even more interesting to bear in mind that competition is not always the best solution to all economic problems of monopoly, and the responses to opening the postal market in the UK are still dubious and extremely various. â€Å"Much of nonsense is due to the liberalization of postal services. Here commercial firms bid for, and take, the lucrative part, the business mail. We all know what happens then. My own bank envelopes come with a commercial firm’s logo; the various branches email the details to a central department, where statements are prepared, one truck takes it all away and they only have to deliver to main postcode areas. (Clark 2007) The monopolistic structure of the UK market was not connected with any type of competition: the market was dominated by Royal Mail, and this VAT exempt company served the only postal services provider in the country. With the Government being the major Royal Mail’s shareholder, it was understandable why this provider possessed multiple economic benefits and did not strive to improve the quality of its services (Sloman 2004, p. 45). For us to understand all implications of the UK postal services’ liberalization, we come to the description and evaluation of the current situation within the UK postal market sector. The new market structure of postal services in the UK It is very important to understand how the postal services’ market in the UK looks at present. It should be noted that Royal Mail currently faces the competition from other 17 postal companies, and this market structure seems to create favorable conditions for effective competition. The largest portion of mail within this market goes from businesses to consumers (Starkey 2006, p. 72). â€Å"Several companies have signed â€Å"access† agreements with Royal Mail, allowing mail they have collected and sorted to be fed into Royal Mail’s network for final delivery. Royal Mail made 2. 4 billion access deliveries in 2006-07†³ (Starkey 2006, p. 72). Even with the 17 new postal companies becoming competitive to Royal Mail, the latter still provides 99% of all postal deliveries within the UK. â€Å"We can’t make the companies take advantages. We can just set the rules and put in a licensing regime, but Royal Mil will always be the major service provider† (Simpkins 2005). Other alternative postal service providers are currently capable of providing any types of postal services, with the exception of non-bulk items’ delivery, less than 100g in weight (Crew & Kleindorfer 2007, p. 8). Thus, is it possible to suggest that the postal services market in the UK has become as open as many had expected it to be? Of course, it is possible that the full effects of opening the UK postal services market are not yet perceived by the customers and businesses. However, it is also probable that there still exist significant barriers to competition within the postal market. â€Å"Postcomm is concerned that the competition so far has been too limited, and that this has allowed Royal Mail to get away with providing customers with a poor quality service† (Crew & Klenidorfer 2007, p. 9). Before 2006 the mail market of the UK was stated to lack competition, but possessing a considerable potential for growth; as a result many viewed competition and market openness as the best resolution to multiple issues postal monopoly in the UK traditionally rose (Falkenhall & Kolmodin 2005, p. 10). The opposition of Royal Mail to opening the market was natural and understandable: the company viewed this step as the direct pathway towards reduction of the profit margins, but the situation could not remain unchanged due to contemporary economic requirements towards competition. The efficiency of postal services after opening the market will gradually change. This process will be slow due to multiple barriers created on the way of potential Royal Mail competitors. However, some of the following results can be expected within the long-term period, and after numerous postal companies acquire fair access to different niches of the postal services’ market. First, the emergence of new services will increase the overall efficiency of the postal services in the UK. It is already evident that being surrounded by multiple competitors that strive for conquering and expanding their market share, even Royal Mail had to introduce a three-year plan of renewal: â€Å"changes have included the introduction of Single Day Delivery, reviews of its mail centers and transport and a significant number of redundancies† (Starkey 2006, p. 74). Second, the competition further increases efficiency by providing foreign market players with the opportunity to enter the market of postal services; as a result the efficiency of postal services at the international level also increases, which is especially important for businesses. Royal Mail was once blamed for being underdeveloped in terms of mechanizing its services, and making them more efficient (Falkenhall & Kolmodin 2005, p. 14). The current market processes in the UK postal services structure urge companies to reduce their workforce and to implement effective IT solutions for better services provision. Although, this does not mean that creating competition in the area of postal services inevitably leads to unemployment. With the creation and expansion of private postal operators, the amount of required qualified workforce increases, and we can state that competition only contributes into changing the balance of workforce between the operators. Competition is the best tool of increasing profitability and efficiency of national postal operators (Crew & Kleindorfer 2007, p. 44). One may suggest that the discussed changes in the market were long anticipated, and the fact of legal uncertainty and Royal Mail’s monopoly seriously hindered the process of investing into postal services by private operators. What one can expect now is the growing efficiency of the postal services along with the increase price control and the constant process of quality improvement in the structure of postal services in the UK. It should be noted, that the discussed improvements will and could occur in the ideal economic situation, when the openness of the market means providing real fair opportunities for competitors. However, the reality of the situation is different: â€Å"full competition in the UK postal market is blocked by two very fundamental issues: Royal Mail’s unique VAT exemption and the focus on downstream access† (Starkey 2006, p. 4). Private players of the postal market cannot access fair business opportunities and increase their efficiency against the zonal pricing introduced by Royal Mail not long before opening the market. Royal Mail has an access to changing its prices without being reviewed by Postcomm (Clark 2007). As a result, we face the challenge of competition vs. the realities of destabilization in the UK market of postal services. We cannot objectively state that the competition was introduced to increase efficiency, when Royal Mail creates unfavorable conditions for the rival operators (Starkey 2006, p. 5). While the efficiency of postal services changes very slowly, it is more than evident that the customers have already benefited from making the market of postal services competitive. First of all, private operators have changed the emphasis of their services from being business-oriented to being customer-oriented. As a result, â€Å"new entrants are building their products around their customers’ needs rather than asking their customers to fit in around their businesses† (Starkey 2006, p. 75). For example, numerous private customers have already perceived the benefits of later collection times (AICES 2006, p. 11). It is anticipated that private market players will keep expanding the range of postal services in case no barriers are created against these initiatives. The impact of competitive postal services on the customer is better to be viewed through the prism of Royal Mail achievements. The company has been the leading postal provider for almost 400 years, and its changing position and market attitudes can display the tendencies of economic development as a result of market openness. The major changes have taken place in company’s attitudes towards their customers: â€Å"although there is still some way to go to embed a culture of commercial customer focus throughout the organization, there is no doubt that Royal Mail has turned the corner† (AICES 2006, p. 18). Customers have acquired additional power in maintaining effective relations with the postal service: Royal Mail services turn towards being more attentive to their customers. They have displayed new abilities to listen to the customer, and to change in accordance with the customer’s requirements. Competition appears to be the matter of choice for the customer; consequentially, companies in the postal services sector have more incentives to pursue customer value through innovation and better customer satisfaction. The current situation in the UK market of postal services is still much confused and contradicting. On the one hand, we have the evidence of customers being completely satisfied with postal services being competitive. On the other hand, we cannot agree to the fact that the efficiency of postal services has increased even through the prism of growing profitability of some postal services. Certainly, the postal services have reached the stage at which costs are more comparable to the prices of postal services: the elimination of monopoly has opened the gateways to being more reasonable and more objective in setting the price for postal services. Simultaneously, it is difficult to disagree to the fact that Royal Mail still occupies 96% of the UK market (Starkey 2006, p. 6). The essence of competition is not in attracting rivals, but rather providing consumers with choice. In this situation efficiency of postal services is replaced by more important customer preferences. Monopoly is a â€Å"big, big issue, and it is a test of our society as to whether we are to organize everything to make a profit† (Benn 2007). Royal Mail is the embodiment of the economic paradox in the area of postal services in the UK. This paradox lies in connection with economies of scale. While with the large delivery volumes Royal Mail’s unit costs are low, but with Royal Mail being monopolistic the company can hardly be called efficient. Thus, with the price of Royal Mail’s services being extremely competitive and sometimes too low, it is simultaneously inefficient (Falkenhall & Kolmodin 2005, p. 29). Competition thus appears more beneficial for the customers, than for the companies in the postal services’ niche. It is essential that other private players can have access to similar scale benefits even if they cannot compete to the well-branched delivery network of Royal Mail. The efficiency of Royal Mail’s rivals cannot be increased until the issue of VAT exemption is resolved. â€Å"The VAT regime for post in the UK is a particularly pernicious barrier. Most people here will be aware that although Royal Mail is VAT exempt, its competitors are not, which causes pricing distortions especially for those customers that are also VAT exempt† (Starkey 2006, p. 76). Simultaneously, there is another serious concern about the rival companies’ behavior on the market. Some specialists fear that what takes place in Royal Mail is subsidizing lighter items with heavier mail, subsidizing social users for the account of business users, etc (Crew & Kleindorfer 2007, p. 51). In this situation competitive postal companies will strive for taking the most lucrative market niches, leaving Royal Mail without income from the most profitable services. However, this is where VAT exemption can serve for the benefit of the company: due to the lower prices, it is hardly possible that open competition will jeopardize the universal service and Royal Mail in general. In this situation one may possible predict the instability of the postal services market in the short-term period, and instability of the market structure is no better than previously existing monopoly. The UK postal services have appeared in the extremely essential stage of reconstruction – introducing competition cannot go smoothly for all market players. It should be noted that the issues of elimination or threat to the universal service are easily neutralized, and universal services can in no way be compromised by introducing competition. Any objective analysis shows that consumers, as well as businesses, have benefited from market opening through higher quality. In addition, prices have been substantially reduced for business customers while households have been protected from price increases† (Sloman 2004, p. 97). Yet, our objective analysis shows that competition in the UK postal services is in its initial stage. We have proved that customers evidently benefit from making the post market competitive, but the economic efficiency of the postal services is still to be achieved and increased. Conclusion We have come to conclusion that the effects of competition in the UK market of postal services are primarily viewed within the area of consumer satisfaction. The overall economic efficiency of postal services still leaves much to be desired. However, introduction of competition is the solid basis for providing consumers with choice, and expanding the market structure of postal services in the country. Certainly, monopoly possesses its advantages, but competition is the best perspective for both the new private players and Royal Mail in creating incentives for development and improvement.

Introduction to the Structure of U.S. Government

For all that it is and does, the United States federal government is based on a very simple system: Three functional branches with powers separated and limited by constitutionally declared checks and balances. The executive, legislative and judicial branches represent the constitutional framework envisioned by the Founding Fathers for our nations government. Together, they function to provide a system of lawmaking and enforcement based on checks and balances, and separation of powers intended to ensure that no individual or body of government ever becomes too powerful. For example: Congress (legislative branch) can pass laws, but the president (executive branch) can veto them.Congress can override the presidents veto.The Supreme Court (judicial branch) can declare a law approved by Congress and the president unconstitutional.The president can appoint judges to the Supreme Court, but Congress must approve them. Is the system perfect? Are powers ever abused? Of course, but as governments go, ours has been working quite well since Sept. 17, 1787. As Alexander Hamilton and James Madison remind us in Federalist 51, If men were angels, no government would be necessary. Recognizing the inherent moral paradox posed by a society in which mere mortals govern other mere mortals, Hamilton and Madison went on to write, In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place The Executive Branch The executive branch of the federal government ensures that the laws of the United States are obeyed. In carrying out this duty, the President of the United States is assisted by the Vice President, department heads – called Cabinet Secretaries – and the heads of the several independent agencies.   The executive branch consists of the president, the vice president and 15 Cabinet-level executive departments. The President The President of the United States is the elected leader of the country. As the head of state, the president is the leader of the federal government, and Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces. Elected according to the Electoral College process, the president serves a four-year term and is limited to serving no more than two terms. The Vice President The Vice President of the United States supports and advises the president. Under the process of presidential succession, the vice president becomes president if the president becomes unable to serve. The vice president can be elected and serve an unlimited number of four-year terms, even under multiple presidents. The Cabinet The members of the president’s cabinet serve as advisors to the president. The cabinet members include the vice president, heads or â€Å"secretaries† of the executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials. The heads of the executive departments are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by a simple majority vote of the Senate. Legislative Powers of the PresidentRequirements to Serve as PresidentPresidents Pay and Compensation The Legislative Branch The legislative branch, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, has the sole constitutional authority to enact laws, declare war and conduct special investigations. In addition, the Senate has the right to confirm or reject many presidential appointments.   The Senate There are a total of 100 elected Senators—two from each of the 50 states. Senators may serve an unlimited number of six-year terms. The House of Representatives ï » ¿There are currently 435 elected Representatives, according to the constitutional process of apportionment, the 435 Representatives are divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population as reported by the most recent decennial U.S. Census. In addition, there are non-voting delegates who represent the District of Columbia and the territories in the House of Representatives. Representatives may serve an unlimited number of two-year terms. The Powers of CongressRequirements to be a U.S. RepresentativeRequirements to be a U.S. SenatorSalaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress MembersHow Bills Become LawsWhy We Have a House and SenateThe Great Compromise: How Congress was Created The Judicial Branch Composed of federal judges and courts, the judicial branch interprets the laws enacted by Congress and when required, decides actual cases in which someone has been harmed. Federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, are not elected. Instead, they are appointed by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate. Once confirmed, federal judges serve for life unless they resign, die, or are impeached. The U.S. Supreme Court sits atop the judicial branch and federal court hierarchy and has the final say on all cases appealed to it by the lower courts. There are currently nine members of the Supreme Court—a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. A quorum of six Justices is required to decide a case. In the event of tie vote by an even number of Justices, the decision of the lower court stands.   The 13 U.S. District Courts of Appeals sit just below the Supreme Court and hear cases appealed to them by the 94 regional U.S. District Courts which handle most federal cases.