Ken Coleman, age 11, of Huntington Beach, Calif., for his question:
HOW DO YOU BECOME PRESIDENT?
In 1789, the first Congress set the salary of the President ofthe United States at $25,000 a year, and in1873 they raised it to $50,000. An additional $25,000 was added in 1906 to be used for authorized travel expenses. The base pay was raised to $75,000 in 1909 and to $100,000 in 1949. It was fixed at $200,000 in 1969 with $40,000 for travel and $50,000 for other expenses.
The Presidency of the United States is the most powerful elective office in the world. He is the chief of state, the chief executive, the commander in chief of the armed forces and he directs the nation's foreign policy.
A presidential election is held every four years. If you want to follow the road that leads to the White House, you have to start by capturing your political party's nomination. Ordinarily this calls for strenuous campaigning.
Usually a candidate must build personal organizations in as many states as possible. He must get to know voters and offer a platform of wide appeal.
Voters in primaries select delegates to the national conventions who have announced support of a particular candidate. At the conventions there is a lot of behind the scenes action on the part of the candidate and his managers. They have to come up with as much support as possible and often make deals, promise patronage and alter their platform demands.
If the right support comes through, he will win the nomination at the convention. And then the hard work begins on Labor Day with the presidential campaign. A candidate will travel to all parts of the country where he will make public appearances and speeches.
Television programs have become an important part of modern presidential campaigning. Often there are debates between the two candidates of the major parties.
The people go to the polls and vote on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Technically they vote for members of the Electoral College who are pledged to various candidates. The members of the Electoral College then elect the President after the election. However, the popular vote usually determines the balloting of the college.
Usually the public knows who the next President will be as soon as the polls close in the states with the largest number of electoral votes.
Once elected, the President can never escape from the job as long as he remains in office. He must constantly stay in touch with situations in all of the corners of the world. Secret radio channels and private telephone lines are always handy, even when the President travels.
The nature of his workday depends on the individual President and on the times.