In American culture, greed is a characteristic of many American citizens. American culture revolves around the almighty dollar. People will steal, kill and do just about anything for money. Money is the oil that lets the democracy machine spin, without money the government would not be able to serve its citizens. The government receives money by placing taxes on everything from a pack of cigarettes to bottled water. Money affects our lives everyday whether it is in a direct or indirect way. It determines how we live, what we can do in life and it even determines how much power an individual has.
             Everyday we contribute money to the government in the form of taxes. There are many types of taxes. Taxes can range from a simple sales tax on every dollar to an Income tax that the government sets every year. The government places special taxes on items like tobacco and alcohol. In order for the government to survive and grow it needs to generate revenue by placing taxes on goods and services. Taxes help fund government activities from public safety institutions such as police and fire stations to public schools that provide an education for every American citizen.
             Democracy is a system in which the wealthy have a much greater chance of holding political office than a common citizen. Though every American citizen is granted the opportunity to run for political office, few take advantage of it. It costs money to campaign for political office especially in today's world. A candidate, whether it is for a local or national office needs funding for advertising. A candidate needs to get his or her name out to the public and let the public know what the candidate stands for. Most politicians are individuals who have already established their wealth. A good example of this is this year's presidential race. Both candidates were already millionaires before they even started to run for office. President George Bush's fortune lies i...