federal, state, county and local

     Each of the citizens of the United States actually lives under 3 or 4 governments. This is usually called a federal system, and we call our national government the federal government. We might also call it the government of the United States. The federal government gets money by taxing our incomes--usually deducted from the paychecks of workers, but businesses pay income taxes, too.
     Each citizen of the United states also lives in a state or territory--probably one of the 50 states represented by the white stars on our flag. I live in Pennsylvania, which has a state government in Harrisburg, the state capitol. Our governor is the chief executive officer of our state, as the President is the chief executive officer of the United States. State governments issue our driver's licenses, regulate alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, build and maintain state roads, highways, and bridges, regulate and finance, in part, our educational system, and administer our courts and prisons, among other things.  State governments get money through sales taxes ( added to the price of things we buy ) , and perhaps through a small income tax in addition to the federal income tax.
     I live in a city, which is also a county. The city has a mayor and a city council, and the county has a sheriff and a board of commissioners. You may live in town, village, borough, hamlet or city that has a local governing body, such as a board of selectmen, aldermen, or councilmen.  If so, you also live in a county, which also has a government. So you may have 4 governments. Some of the more rural citizens have no local or municipal government, since they don't live in a town, but everyone has a county government. The county government includes the sheriff, who impanels juries, and the coroner, who may call an inquest to determine a cause of death. County governments may maintain county roads, and police unincorporated ( not in a town or city ) land.
    Local governments--city, town, or village--usually provide police and fire protection, trash removal, local street repair, and, with financial aid from the state, local schools. Local governments get money through property taxes. Each owner of a building or lot has to pay taxes on it each year. Buildings and lots ( property with no buildings ) are assessed by local governments, to determine how much they are worth, and taxes are paid on this amount.