In the U.S., especially among my fellow conservatives, talk about reforming America’s democratic system is quickly silenced. People don’t like change, especially when what they’ve got is working well. Reforming the Constitution is essential to our survival as a country. Without reforms, one finds little responsibility in government; but there have been reforms. Although, these reforms have taken us in the wrong direction. Democracy as we know it, is not the same as the Founders knew it and in the future, we will not even recognize it.
The effectiveness of our democracy lies in our protection of the separation of powers. Over time, power has slowly shifted to the executive branch. In 1933, presidential emergency powers were considered, “There were real calls…for Franklin Roosevelt to seize dictatorial powers in order to deal with the Great Depression.” (1) In this state, total power was offered to one man. Roosevelt declined the offer but still violated Constitutional laws. Clearly, our democratic system was too slow of a process and was ineffective in getting things done. But, in government, when something is done once, it becomes more acceptable. Power was given
All our branches of government are effected directly by votes that have completely different weights. Regarding the Senate, the Seventeenth Amendment states, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people…and each Senator shall have one vote.” (2, p. 649) This means that regardless of population, each state gets the same number of votes, two. Lazare said this of the Senate, “The Senate, of course, was designed to be unrepresentative; it incorporates the principle of equality of states, not equality of citizens.” (3, p. 298) The result of unequal vote weight in the Senate, has a direct impact on one hundred of the votes in the Electoral
Senate... senate shall be composed of two senators from each state”, Stated document D. This clearly explains that Representation in Congress should be based on population in the House of Representatives and equality in the Senate by sending two senators from each state no matter the size of the state.*The Great Compromise guard against tyranny by Hensing a double security by having two systems within the
Larry Sabato author of “A More Perfect Constitution” implies the United States Constitution could use some revision. Written over two hundred years ago, I do not think this concept is astonishing. I believe the founding father were aware of potential flaws, allowing for amendments or changes. Sabato book proposes some changes and the “calling for a twenty-first-century constitutional convention.” This book review will look at four of Sabato suggestions; reforming the Senate, balancing the budget, a six-year presidential term, and the Electoral College. These four recommendations were of greatest interest and intrigue. Although I do agree with all his ideas, I do feel there is more to improvement in our constitution and commend his efforts is awakening the American people to a need for reform.
For hundreds of years Americans have been growing up with the notion that it is a right to own a gun. Since the creation of the second amendment, people all over the United States have been able to guns for private use. Guns operated by the public are said to have a variety of uses such as, being able to protect oneself if conflict arises, grants the ability to put food on the table, and are used in competitions shooting targets against other people. But for many people guns have been seen as the root of all evil. Anti-gun users think that guns cause a variety of unexpected and innocent deaths. They also think that there are not enough laws in place that allow just about anyone to purchase a gun. The question of should guns be legal to all citizens has plagued our society. Do you think it is morally right for anyone to arm themselves and use it when they deem it to be necessary? Or do you think that the 2rd amendment seem unnecessary and outdated law that needs to be rewritten? These questions are just two of many that have thrown back and forth between pro-gun and anti-gun users.
Finally, these consequences go far beyond simple "fairness" issues. Too many times in American history the Electoral College has single-handedly defeated the purpose of democracy in our country. Since the first presidential election, there have been more than a dozen instances in which somebody has been elected president without a majority of the votes. The following are examples from how the electoral college has disrupted an election: Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, and now George Bush.
Democracy in the United States became prominent in the early to mid 19th century. Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, was inaugurated in 1829 and was best known as the person who mainstreamed democracy in America. Because he came from a humble background, he was the “genuine common man.” (Foner, pg. 303) He claimed he recognized the needs of the people and spoke on behalf of the majority [farmers, laborers]. However, critics of Jackson and democracy called him “King Andrew I” because of his apparent abuse of presidential power [vetoing]. These critics believed he favored the majority so much that it violated the U.S. constitution, and they stated he was straying too far away from the plan originally set for the United States. Because of the extreme shift of power to the majority, the limiting of rights of the few [merchants, industrialists] and the abuse of power under Jackson’s democracy, the foundational documents set in the constitution was violated, and the work of the preceding presidents were all but lost.
The United States government is designed with checks and balances to ensure that no one branch can become more powerful than another. Though this may be the case, it is still possible that one branch of the our government can still be more powerful than the others. The equality of power in our government has constantly changed over the course of the life of the United States. Although these changes have occurred, we still have not made all of the branches equal and the inequality has been due to meet the demands of the time. For example, in 1938 our country was facing a depression and nothing was getting done. So, Roosevelt took it upon himself to give the Executive branch more power, to then in turn, help the country creep back out of the hole it had dug itself. After the country didn’t need the reform bills and the size of the government that Roosevelt had put it, things were then downsized and put into a more stable equilibrium. Though there were attempts to make everything equal, the Legislative Branch now holds the majority of the power, and is the most powerful branch that our government has.
The first amendment is the cornerstone of our American society founded years ago by our forefathers. Without the first amendment many ideas, beliefs, and groups could not exist today. The first amendment guaranteed the people of the United States the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. Although the first amendment guarantees us, Americans the freedom of speech, we cannot use it to cause others harm. This amendment has helped shaped Americans into what we are today, because of our right to assemble, speak freely, and worship as we please.
Yes, reform is a realistic expectation in the American political process. Our forefathers intentionally left vagaries in the Constitution. They understood that in order to be long-lasting, some rules would nee...
Recently in the city of Jesse James, Texas there was yet another mass shooting incident. Several parishioners at a local baptist church were attacked. At least a dozen individuals were killed and at least that many wounded. After the fact, the city council has decided to pass legislation making several, restrictive changes on firearms and their ownership. This action raises questions regarding the constitutionality of this action.
Why does the Second Amendment matter? Tragedies like the recent Orlando shooting bring this question to the fore. It is clear that the Second Amendment makes America unique. Few other countries guarantee the right to bear arms to a degree comparable with the United States. So why is this guarantee so important? Do we still need it?
When I was four, my grandpa’s gruff voice inquired “Now Pooh, what direction should the muzzle of that pistol be pointing to?” He taught me all the safety precautions when handling or firing any pistols, shotgun, or assault rifle from my first to the last. Then, on the tenth day of my freshmen year he was put into the ICU and he told me he had cancer. I went up to the hospital to see him, and my grandpa said “Pooh, I do not know how much time I have left, but I want you to get your NRA pistol instructor certification.” In August I told him I would. In October, he passed way and in November, to honor my grandfather’s wishes, I became the youngest NRA certified pistol instructor in the state of Oklahoma.While contemporary liberals fear the power available to a minority of unstable citizens who wreak havoc through gun ownership, the Second Amendment rights must be preserved because we are sworn to protect and serve the United States Constitution as citizens, fight for our freedoms just as the colonists did in the Revolutionary War, and by bearing our firearms freely, letting them ring throughout the United States.
Some people in the United States of America feel that the Second Amendment should be removed do to crimes in our country. Others feel that if the amendment was removed, that the brutal death rates would go up, so there would be more harm than good. Although most people believe that guns can be dangerous, we should not amend the Second Amendment because people need guns for home and self defense, guns are a reliable source to help put food on the table, and they are also a way to help keep terror groups and enemies out of our country.
In America guns have been a major topic of controversy and have been at the forefront of many political debates. Our forefathers created the Second Amendment, which allows American citizens the right to bear arms. There are many who support the Second Amendment right to bear arms, but there are also many who oppose it. Those who support the Second Amendment often do so because it is their fundamental right granted to them by the United States Constitution. The Second Amendment allows citizens to have the ability to protect themselves and their property from outside adversaries. In contrast, there is almost not a single day in America where gun related violence is not reported in the news. This leads many to believe that guns are a key contributor to the increase in violent and deadly crimes. This has caused many to push for stricter
The reconstruction Era is the time after the civil war when we started to form ourselves as a complete united country. The civil war ended in April of 1865, and Abraham Lincoln was sadly assassinated less than a week later. Reconstruction was Lincoln’s idea, and he was largely anti-slavery, so his plan for reconstruction involved all states to draft new state constitutions that completely abolished slavery. It was his ultimate goal to reunited our nation after the war. Unfortunately, after his death, Lincoln’s vice president, Andrew Johnson, took over, and introduced a different plan for reconstruction. He said that states had to take a vow to abolish slavery before they could be readmitted into the nation, but after that, horrible black codes
Today in modern day America, we live under a code. That code is known as the Constitution Of The United States of America. It is the pillar that our founding fathers created to establish a strong central government that would forever support the formation of our country. Within the Constitution is the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. The Constitution has been around for 226 years and has managed to run our country for that long. People ask now that it has been a large period of time, does the Constitution still apply and work well in our advanced country? Does the Bill of rights still support each individual 's rights? For example, you have the Eighth