The focus of this part of our guide is on any of a variety of political and governmental issues, including those below.
Political and governmental issues are related but distinct concepts.
Political issues refer to matters that concern the broader society, citizens, and the functioning of the political system. They often involve debates, policy decisions, and public opinion. Government issues, on the other hand, are specific problems or challenges faced by a government in its day-to-day operations, often related to governance, administration, and the implementation of policies.
Political issues transcend individual governments and can be national or even global in scope. Examples include climate change, human rights, and international relations. Generally, government issues are more localized and pertain to the functioning of a specific government, such as budget deficits, infrastructure maintenance, and the delivery of public services.
Political issues are often debated in the public sphere, with citizens expressing their views through elections, protests, and advocacy, while government issues may not receive the same level of public attention, although they directly impact the lives of citizens.
Whether or not we follow politics, political issues shape every facet of our lives, influencing where we live, learn, work, and access healthcare.
When asked to list the top ten government issues today or the top ten political issues, most people would list the same items. However, this is not because they are the same, given that governments frequently fail to address the issues that concern the public. Rather, this has to do with the fact that pollsters don't differentiate political issues from government issues.
Pollsters don't ask the people being polled what their issues are; instead, they give them a list of items to choose from. This determines, or skews, the results.
It's also fair to consider that the media, the education system, and governments themselves, have a hand in determining which issues people are concerned about. Thus, public concerns are often directly related to whatever it is that the media is promoting at any given time.
When I ask Bing's AI what the top political issues are in the United States today, from one to ten, they are as follows: inflation, health care affordability, partisan cooperation, drug addiction, gun violence, climate change, illegal immigration, state of moral values, budget deficit, and economic policy.
When I ask it what the top ten government issues are in the United States today, it returns the same list, as it does when I ask what the top ten political and/or governmental issues in the United States are today.
For this reason, we won't try to separate political issues from governmental issues, although they are not the same thing.
Besides those listed above, other political or governmental issues might include abortion, affirmative action, agriculture policies, animal rights, body image, border security, child welfare, conspiracies, corporate accountability, corruption, cost of living, crime, cronyism, economics, economic development, education, executive powers, fair elections, families, financial reform, fiscal responsibility, food safety, foreign policy, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, government accountability, gun control, heritage preservation, high-interest lending, homelessness, housing, human rights, hunger, indigenous rights, information security, infrastructure, job creation, judicial activism, justice, law enforcement, liberty, life and death, literacy, media accountability, military, minimum wage, minority rights, monetary policies, monopolies, nature conservation, overregulation, pollution, poverty, political campaigns, political party influences, political stability, prisoners' rights, property values, public services, racism, rights of children, Second Amendment right erosion, slave reparations, small business conditions, Social Security, special interest influence, sustainable energy, taxes, terrorism, tolerance and inclusion, trade agreements, transportation, unemployment, urban planning, war and peace, water quality, wealth concentration, and working conditions.
This may be a lengthy list, but it's not a complete list. These are just some of the issues that I was able to find on various lists.
Categories
Recommended Resources
Founded in 2006 by a group of parents, including Patrick Hine, whose daughter. had died by suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge, the non-profit organization was originally dedicated to ending suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge, although it has since expanded to include other communities with public facilities that are suicide sites, particularly high public structures. Its primary goal is to raise awareness about the issue of suicides, and to provide education, advocacy, advice, and support.
http://www.bridgerail.net/
Center for Consumer Freedom, The
The CCF was founded in 1996 to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices. It believes that consumer freedom is the right of adults and parents to choose how to live their lives, what they eat and drink, how they manage their finances and insurance, and how they enjoy themselves. The organization is supported by restaurants, food companies, and individual consumers. Its issues, advocacy efforts, and advertising opportunities are posted.
https://consumerfreedom.com/
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Founded in 1978, the CAFF is a California-based non-profit organization that seeks to build sustainable food and farming systems through local and statewide political advocacy and programs designed to bring about institutionalized change. Originally known as the California Agrarian Action Project, its history, programs, event schedules, and membership options are discussed, along with membership and farm-specific benefits. Leadership contacts are included.
https://caff.org/
The Inter-American Dialogue engages its network of global leaders to foster democratic governance, prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. The not-for-profit organization works to shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere. Its website introduces its experts, programs, analyses, and events, along with informational blogs, videos, and an annual report that lists its donors and provides other data.
https://www.thedialogue.org/
Founded in 1982 by Ralph Nader, Essential Information is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization involved in projects designed to encourage people to become active and engaged in their communities. The organization publishes the Multinational Monitor Magazine, as well as books and reports, and it sponsors investigative journalism conferences, provides writers with grants, and operates clearing houses that disseminate information to grassroots organizations in the United States and elsewhere.
https://www.essentialinformation.org/
Ethics & Compliance Initiative
Formed in 2015, ECI consists of three non-profit organizations: the Ethics Research Center, the Ethics & Compliance Association, and the Ethics & Compliance Certification Institute. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, ECI seeks to advance high ethical standards and practices in public and private institutions and to conduct research on ethical standards, workplace integrity, and compliance practices. Membership, training, certification, services, and events are highlighted.
https://www.ethics.org/
Global Integrity defines itself as a learning-centered organization that connects frontline actors and global players to help them navigate complex governance challenges with a systems change mindset. It began as an internationally focused program of the Center for Public Integrity in 2005. Its history, aim, approach, and theory of change are set forth, along with its issues, work, and projects. Online resources include informational blogs, videos, and contact data.
https://www.globalintegrity.org/
Founded in 1986, and organized into seven centers, the US-based libertarian think tank focuses on economic, environmental, foreign policy, legal, political, and social issues. The Institute publishes "The Independent Review," a quarterly scholarly review, and conducts conference programs, seminars, and televised debates. Its content may be viewed online, along with other publications, news items, multimedia, blogs, and an online store offering books, DVDs, and reports.
https://www.independent.org/
National Center for Science Education
The NCSE is a not-for-profit, US-based membership organization whose mission is to educate or indoctrinate, depending on perspective, the press and the public on controversial aspects surrounding the teaching of evolution, climate change, the coronavirus, and to provide information, resources, and pressure on schools, parents, and citizens working to keep these topics in public school science education. Its issues, activism, research, resources, and advice are provided.
https://ncse.ngo/
Beginning as the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign in 1989, the street art project created by artist and skateboarder Shepard Fairey has evolved into the "Obey Giant" art movement. The website highlights associated exhibitions, articles, essays, videos, warnings, and issues, along with a print archive, fine art archive, propaganda, and its OBEY sticker campaign. It also includes an online store selling a wide variety of OBEY lithographs and other materials.
https://obeygiant.com/
Open Media is a community-driven organization that advocates for an open, affordable, and surveillance-free Internet. By uniting the Internet to save it, the organization hopes to build a community that protects and nourishes its online access, free expression, and privacy. A significant issue is that businesses and governments are vying to control the Internet, what can be found there, and how it can be used. Its organizational structure, campaigns, resources, and press releases are noted.
https://openmedia.org/
A subsidiary of the Pew Charitable Trust, Pew purports to be a non-partisan American think tank based in Washington, DC. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, random sample survey research, panel-based surveys, media content analysis, social science research, and information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends in the United States and other parts of the world. Its research topics, methods, publications, and experts are highlighted.
https://www.pewresearch.org/
PI is a registered charity based in London. Founded in 1990, it defends and promotes the right to privacy worldwide. With the understanding that governments and corporations are using technology to exploit individuals, PI seeks to protect democracy, defend individual dignity, and demand accountability from institutions that breach public trust. Its actions, campaigns, impact, and educational content are featured on the site, and contributions to its work are solicited.
https://www.privacyinternational.org/
Protest.Net provides a public record of worldwide activism accessible via internet. The website features upcoming worldwide protests and also provides information about the groups and organizations that are part of Protest.Net and these groups' upcoming protest. Protest.Net's events can be browsed by issues ranging from animal rights to third world issues or by city. The website's highlights includes an activists handbook, newletter subscription, news and action alerts and a lot more.
http://www.protest.net
The German-registered association was founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Its non-profit, non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption. Its publications include the "Global Corruption Barometer" and the "Corruption Perceptions Index." With more than a hundred national chapters, the organization is a member of G20 think tanks and has UNESCO consultive status. Its operations, locations, and contacts are posted on the site.
https://www.transparency.org/
