ipl-logo

Pros And Cons Of A More Perfect Constitution

869 Words4 Pages

Part I: Why Didn’t I (or They) Think of That? Though all 23 proposals in A More Perfect Constitution make a compelling case to help mend the flaws of today’s government, there are two that stand out that will greatly improve our country. In chapter one, Sabato begins to explain the national debt stating that “these numbers matter greatly for the future of the nation”- and that they do. In just six years, “America’s total liabilities and unfunded commitments…have soared from about $20 trillion to about $50 trillion” (150). The topic of debt and the budget eventually leads to his proposal of a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA), which basically states that congress could not spend more than its revenue. Though the BBA fell one vote short in the …show more content…

“The presidency has become the premier branch of government, even though it is listed second in the constitution,” says Sabato (198). “Presidents made clear that in their view they had full authority to make war whether Congress agreed or not, and that they reserved the right to move forward in the case of a contrary decision by the legislative branch,” thus backing his decision of limiting war-making powers of the President and expanding them to Congress instead (Sabato 199). Sabato notes examples of “police actions” by presidents in the past that includes Johnson’s Vietnam War, Clinton’s entry into Haiti and Bosnia and George W. Bush’s wars in Afghanistan (199). Each example given was a decision based on their judgment with no or very little advice from Congress, and even if they were to consult Congress on such decisions very few would listen. Though the Constitution gives equal war-making powers to both Congress and the president, it’s not always that …show more content…

One of the most essential clauses to America today is written in the fourteenth amendment, the Equal Protection Clause. Cornell University defines the Equal Protection Clause as a clause that “…prohibits states from denying any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The idea of the clause is not meant “to provide "equality" among individuals or classes but only "equal application" of the laws” (Equal

Show More
Related

Compare And Contrast Jefferson And Hamilton's Economic Plan

327 Words | 2 Pages

After the new Federal Constitution went into effect, those supporting it split between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. The ones who chose Hamilton, supported his economic plan. Hamilton’s plan for the nation included consolidating the state's’ debts under the federal government. He issued a report in which he proposed that the Federal government assume and fund all of the debts. He would then pay it by issuing new bonds at an interest rate of 4% payable over 20 years.

Read More

Analysis Of A More Perfect Constitution By Virginia Larry J. Sabato

1933 Words | 8 Pages

A More Perfect Constitution A More Perfect Constitution is a book by political analyst and professor at the University of Virginia Larry J. Sabato. In it, Sabato scrutinizes 23 aspects of the United States Constitution and provides detailed solutions to make up for its weaknesses. Two examinations, that of the natural-born citizen requirement to become president, and the prospect of a required national service program are of particular interest for further thought.

Read More

Analysis Of A More Perfect Constitution By Sabato

748 Words | 3 Pages

The Federal Budget has always been a hot topic of debate; whether funds are being allocated properly or not, but what can not be debated is currently America is in a deficit and in debt. In A More Perfect Constitution by Larry Sabato, Sabato proposes adding an amendment that would require federal expenditures in any given fiscal year to not exceed federal revenues in that same year; unless three-fifths of both houses of the Legislative branch waived the balanced budget requirement. The only other exception would be during recession or war, declared or undeclared, a simple majority in both the Senate and the House could circumvent the balanced budget requirement. The amendment would require any surplus to be spent on repaying the federal debt.

Read More

Compare And Contrast The War Powers Act Of 1973

647 Words | 3 Pages

The questions of whether or not the President has authority to use the military without congress first having declared war has proven to be a great source of conflict throughout history. The confusion comes from the different interpretations of the clauses. Since the Korean War, it has been accepted that the executive powers are that “The president has the power to initiate hostilities without consulting Congress” (libertyclassroom.com). This is often misinterpreted and has been used to expand executive authority and essentially make war without a congressional declaration of war. Perhaps the first example of this misuse of power dates back to the presidency of John Adams.

Read More

Review Of A More Perfect Constitution By Sabato

1768 Words | 8 Pages

In chapter 2 of his book A More Perfect Constitution, Sabato addresses his problems with the current operations of the United States Presidency. He begins by talking about the growing power that the Presidency has despite its position behind Congress in the Constitution and how the reality of modern wartime decisions has increased the need for a single executive commander. After this, Sabato continues to talk about the many issues that the people of America have with the presidency, mentioning their own personal shortfalls along with a few constitutional imperfections in office. As examples, Sabato brings up how many presidents have started wars without asking Congress and reserve the right to start war whether Congress agreed. Additionally,

Read More

Summary Of Hamilton's Blessing

1403 Words | 6 Pages

All through his book Gordon explains how the debt has influenced and shaped the history of America economy. Hamilton wanted to reshape the American economy, thus he proposed the virtues of the national debt claiming that when it is limited it may be a national blessing. While providing the audience with a history of the American debt, Gordon aims at proving Hamilton 's beliefs. Indeed, the author wants to show that if the debt is used wisely, it may turn out to be a useful political and economic instrument. To support the assertion that the budget deficit is not necessarily evil, he includes different events of the American history.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Ratifying The Constitution

661 Words | 3 Pages

After the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, a sense of nationalism and unity swept across the young United States of America. Unfortunately, with youth, comes inexperience. It did not take long for numerous problems to be noticed under the Articles including a weak central government, no national judicial system, and little coined money. Due to the controversy and disorder arisen by the Articles of Confederation, the delegates of the United States joined for the 2nd Constitutional Convention in 1787 to make reparations. The top scholars of the nation intended to repair the existing government but instead, created a whole new one.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Ratifying The Constitution

481 Words | 2 Pages

The new constitution couldn’t please everyone. Some people liked it but some didn't. The two sides were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists were in favor of ratifying the Constitution, whereas the Anti-Federalists were opposed to it. They would have debates about ratifying the Constitution.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of Ratification Of The Constitution

452 Words | 2 Pages

History is written by the victors, is a common saying used to describe the inequality of information available from different viewpoints of an issue. This idea holds true when it comes to the United State’s Constitution. For years, American students are taught all the positives of the document with little attention to the negatives. But those against the ratification of the Constitution, the Anti-federalists, had valid issues with the Constitution, some of which are still relevant almost 230 years in the future. The Constitution, legally speaking, shouldn’t even have been created.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The United States Constitution

705 Words | 3 Pages

The government of the United States of America had its infrastructure set in stone in the span of the year 1787 (National Constitution Center, n.d.) when this country’s founding fathers put their futures into their own hands and laid down various ground rules for the government to follow by constructing the United States Constitution. Among the words written in the U.S. Constitution, Articles I, II, and III records the given powers of the United States Congress, President, and the three branches of the national government, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. These rules give many abilities to these parts of the government, but there are also restrictions given to them as well. Through the United States Constitution, the Congress is given

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Lydon B Johnson's Speech

129 Words | 1 Pages

Equality means every individual has equal opportunities. Historically, certain groups of people, African Americans, have been denied of their rights as Americans. The Voting Rights of 1965, a law passed, elimated literacy test that restricted African Americans from voting. In Lydon B. Johnson speech ¨ The American Promise¨ ,Johnson is making an effort to have equality among white and black in society.

Read More

14th Amendment Due Process Clause

1270 Words | 6 Pages

14th Amendment Due Process Clause It certainly is remarkable that the United States Constitution refers to “due process” twice. Therefore, the 5th Amendment’s allusions to “due process” state that nobody can be “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. "

Read More

William Henry Harrison Inaugural Speech Analysis

906 Words | 4 Pages

With that Harrison believed that the president should pass bills and laws through the Senate and through the House of Representative before making a decision. For example, President Harrison claimed, “ The principle certainly assigns to the only body constituted by the Constitution (the legislative body) the power to make laws, and the forms even direct that the enactment should be ascribed to them” (Inaugural Speech). Specifically, those words left the impression that in order to come to a reasonable decision the United States must stick with the principal in the Constitution in order to pass a law and for both sides to come to an understanding. Also, throughout the speech, the president used words like , “people”, “ Constitution”, “power”, and “ government” most often. The words stated above left the audience feeling that America is united and bonded by the public and the government through the Constitution that the founding fathers wrote.

Read More

Equal Protection Clause In The Fourteenth Amendment

404 Words | 2 Pages

Lovina John, Victoria Duncan Social Plank MVHS We, the People’s Party of Minisink Valley High School believe the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment should be strictly enforced to prevent the unfair enforcement of law due to different racial, religious, ethnic, etc. backgrounds. Whereas: Between January 2004 and June 2012 New York City, conducted 4.4 million stops.

Read More

College Arguments Against Affirmative Action

668 Words | 3 Pages

The issue of racism continued to thrive well into the 1960s, where numerous underrepresented groups were denied privileges that the citizens of today take for granted, notably in education. These groups were often turned down or not considered when applying for colleges based on the color of their skin. Consequently, everything changed in 1961 when former president J.F.K issued an executive order to prevent this type discrimination in the workplace as well as in education. Fast forward to today, countless of these issues have been resolved, as well as laws except for one. Affirmative Action continues to be the defining factor for college applicants.

Read More

More about Pros And Cons Of A More Perfect Constitution

Related Topics

Open Document