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Essay / A Comparative Study of the United States and the Philippines
The United States of America versus the PhilippinesThesis: How does the culture of the United States of America compare to that of the United States government is a bicameral legislature composed of the House of Representatives and Senate; there is a separate state and a federal government; two political parties dominate Congress: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Philippine government is a bicameral legislature composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate; most government offices are located in Quezon City; The Philippines is divided into 72 provinces and they are divided into municipalities. In the United States, students begin elementary school at age 5 and continue until age 17 or 18; After graduation, students continue their education at a university, through vocational training, or in the military. In the Philippines, students start kindergarten at age 5 and continue until age 16 or 17; high school includes a year of military training. Each state in the United States is responsible for its own health care; medical prices are high, which is why people have private insurance; The United States is a world leader in medical education and research. Medical services in the Philippines are sometimes deficient due to lack of supplies; there is universal health care; vaccines are offered free of charge to children; health risks are due to poor sanitation and poverty. In the United States of America, sports play an important role in how leisure time is spent; other recreational activities include theater, traveling, and going to the movies. In the Philippines, many people go to the movies, gamble, watch cockfights and horse races; sports are only played on Sundays. America is a land of immigrants. We have become a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-gender nation (Philippine Post Magazine np). The hyphenation of American citizens (Philippine Post Magazine np) is an indication of diversity; this diversity is accompanied by differences in its culture. The cultural history of America is a record of the conditions that produced all kinds of innovations and of the behavior of individuals as they responded to those conditions (Crunden 99). American culture is a mixture of Christianity, capitalism and democracy. The Revolution and Civil War forced everyone to rethink American culture and anchored Northern religious, economic, and political ideas into a nation (Crunden 10). The United States has a sectional culture: the north is distinct from the south and west (Crunden 10). How does this eclectic American culture compare to the cultural conditions that exist in the Philippine Islands? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The United States if America is a democratic federal republic. Individual states hold sovereignty over their territory and have rights that are not reserved by the federal government (Brigham Young University 276). Within each state is a legislature. This governs only the state and promulgates laws for the citizens of that state. On a larger scale is the federal government. The purpose of the federal government is to govern the nation as a whole. The federal government is headed by the president who is elected by the electoral college of delegates chosen to represent the vote of the people of that state (Brigham Young University 276). Congress, the legislative body, is a bicameral legislature composed of two housesdistinct: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has four hundred and thirty-five delegates who serve a two-year term. The Senate has 100 delegates who serve a six-year term. Two political parties dominate Congress, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, although smaller parties are active throughout the country. Every citizen of the United States has the right to vote. The voting age is eighteen. The government of the Philippines has similarities and differences with that of the United States of America. Like the United States, the Philippine government is headed by the president. The legislative branch is also bicameral and includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has two hundred delegates and the Senate has twenty-four delegates. Most government offices are located in Quezon City, the former capital. It is named after Manuel Quezon, the country's first president when it became an American commonwealth in 1935 (Brigham Young University 224). The Republic of the Philippines has 72 provinces, divided into municipalities made up of barangays (barrios) (Brigham Young University 224). In the Philippines, the voting age is fifteen for local elections and eighteen for national elections. One of the major problems of the Philippine government is crime. The crime rate is very high; Maintaining public order is one of the major problems of the government (Wee 90). In the United States of America, education is not taken lightly; school is very important. Each state is responsible for its education system. Education is free and also compulsory for children between the ages of five and sixteen. At age five, children begin primary school in kindergarten. Primary school lasts six years, then students continue to middle school or high school, which lasts three years. Then, students attend four years of high school. Students complete their education in the twelfth grade, usually at age seventeen or eighteen. After graduating from high school, students have many options. Many are entering the workforce, while others seek career and technical training. Others may enlist in the military or enter a university or college to pursue higher education. In the Philippines, the emphasis is on education. Like in the United States, young children in the Philippines can start preschool at age five. Preschool is also an option. It is offered if children wish to start early. Children stay in primary school for six years. And in rare cases, they stay in primary school for seven years. After primary school, there are four years of secondary school. Only about seventy percent of students make it to high school. Unlike in the United States, a year of military training is included in the high school curriculum. In the Philippines, most students graduate at the age of sixteen or seventeen, a year earlier than students in the United States. Many students continue their education in college or seek professional training. The literacy rate in the Philippines is ninety-four percent (Brigham Young University 224). The United States of America is the only industrialized country without a national (public) health care system (Brigham Young University 276). Each state is responsible for health care. Individual states are also responsible for regulating health care in their state. There are also national standards. Drug prices are very high in the United States. Therefore, in order to receive medical care without paying extremely high prices, most people have private insurance..