MIDDLE SCHOOL CIVICS
Part One: What government really does

The City-County Building in Knoxville
As you read the name of this section, you may roll your eyes. Surely the things that government does don't have to be explained, do they? Well, maybe.

First for the simple things: If you go to a public school, your teachers are paid by the government. Your city or county’s library system is run by government employees. The police officers that patrol the streets work for the government.
State government paid for this sign.

The government does all sorts of things you may have never thought about. It makes sure the gasoline pump is giving you a gallon of gas when it says it does. It checks the quality of the water that comes out of your faucets at home. It runs the post office.


The University of Tennessee football stadium
Are you a fan of the Tennessee Volunteers? The state of Tennessee owns and operates the University of Tennessee and even built the football stadium there.

Do you like to hike? Chances are, the park you hike at is owned and operated by the government.

And who do you think paved the roads you drive on? You guessed it. The government.


Now is where things get complicated.

What about the trash cans people take down to the street? Does the government pick those up?

And what about the drinking water that comes out of the tap at home? Does the government make that?

We're going to take these one at a time.
Trash pickup is not a state government function; it's a local (city or county) government function. In many cities, especially the large ones, people who do curbside trash pickup work for the local government. Sometimes they work for companies hired by the government to pick up the trash.

However, many people in Tennessee live in areas where the government does not provide trash pickup. Those people pay a private company to get their trash.

Knoxville is an interesting example. If you live within the city limits of Knoxville, the government comes to your house once a week to get your trash. But if you live just outside the city limits, the government doesn't get your trash; you have to pay a company to get it. And by the way, the city limits of Knoxville in some places go right through existing neighborhoods. So there are places where the city provides trash collection to a house on one side of the street, but not to the house on the other side of the street.

Drinking water is also one of those things the government sometimes provides and sometimes doesn't. In most of Tennessee's cities and towns, the government, or a government-related entity, provides drinking water. But in the city of Chattanooga, a private company called Tennessee American Water provides the water that comes out of the tap.
QUIZ

1. Of the following things, what does the government typically own and operate? (more than one answer is correct)
a) the post office; b) the grocery store; c) the public library; d) the First Baptist Church

2. (TRUE OR FALSE) Your teacher paid for the desks in your classroom.

3. (TRUE OR FALSE) Government employees check to make sure the gas station is giving you a gallon of gas when it says it does.

4. (TRUE OR FALSE) In every part of Tennessee, the government does trash pickup.

For quiz answers, click here.
So now you understand that the "business of government" isn't all that simple, let's move onto a section called the other constitution in your life.

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