A People's History of the United States is a book written by Howard Zinn, whose purpose is not to introduce someone to American History. He assumes his readers already know the basics. Of course, many people do not. It is not a history of the United States but it is a series of contentious corrections to the history traditionally taught in American classrooms.…
A Landmark Decision by Julien Hawthorne gives insight on the heated debate related to the Supreme Court’s decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). A basic summary of the law is that it requires all Americans to have health care or otherwise pay a tax. Also the PPACA states that federal governments would only supply money for Medicaid (helps provide health care to those in need) to states that promote its expansion. The law has received widespread criticism and support. On one hand supporters believe that the law will make health care more accessible but on the other hand critics believe that the law is unconstitutional and will end up making health care even more expensive. The Judicial Branch, which consists of…
When America gained independence from “England” our “Founding Fathers” drafted the “U.S. Constitution“, it was intended to be a “living document”, meaning that it would adaptable, to grow with our “New Nation”, so that American law would not be stunted by archaic language or antiquated ideology. The language was also intended to stand the test of time, thus, certain passages were intended to be permanent, so that never again could “aristocratic interests”, use money or power to subjugate Americans, or have a tyrannical or oppressive government telling them what to do. “We the People”, means all of the governed have a vote, and, the first 10 amendments to Constitution, called “The Bill of Rights” are supposed to give all Americans personal freedoms, like “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, protect them from losing those rights to governmental control.…
With the war not showing any signs of ending anytime soon, many Americans are thankful that "checks and balances" system is in place. The current war is a good example of the checks and balances system. Many have started to look in President Bush's policies and have started to wonder whether he has abused his power, by continuing with a dead end war. Although many are against it, the war continues. This understandably creates a reaction amongst the people who believe they aren't being listened to. Congress is there to check up on the president's actions toward the war, they both work together in policies concerning the war and other government related…
This is not a story of good versus evil. Nor is it a tale of right versus wrong. The decision of the morality and constitutionality of the new healthcare law is for someone else to make. This paper simply seeks to address Congress’ role in the long and confusing process of passing healthcare reform. As a group, we attempted to consider every major policy actor in the healthcare reform process. We identified seven major actors: the Obama administration, Congress, the congressional budget office (CBO), advocacy groups, the insurance industry, public opinion, and the legal challenges of the law. While each actor played a specific role in the policy-making process, the bills were ultimately produced and passed by the two bodies of Congress. Therefore, considering the actors and perspectives within Congress and how they framed the issue of healthcare reform will help explain the outcome.…
Government is a set of rules people set up so they can function together based on rules and regulations as a society and “We the people” being the first phrase that comes from the constitution which affects the United States of America Citizen on a daily whether it is positively or negatively, this sentence should represent democracy and equality, sadly it isn’t the case. In a democratic country people are all under the law and no one is considered above the law but many have experienced that contradict itself…
Generally speaking, some opponents of individual mandates believe they signify unwanted government involvement in private matters. They also believe these mandates constitute congressional overreach. Though the Commerce Clause is often interpretted to enable Congress to help regulate financial activity of states and localities which significantly affect interstate commerce—opponents believe this is a misinterpretation congressional powers. The Commerce Clause, say the opponents, does not give Congress the permission to demand that individuals purchase health insurance, or other…
The constitution. It refers to the people that everyone should be treated equally. Everyone should be treated equally and not discriminate. Everyone today look as whole. Why are we here today with same racism and discrimination problems if the constitution states no discrimination of no other. Dr.King Jr. Thought soo to and so did Josephine backer. She made a speech on the march on Washington. She don’t appreciate the discrimination. Not only discrimination but she is a black African American women and she wants to be treat…
In America, nearly everyone has heard the phrase, “We the people…” it’s a quote from our constitution- the very thing that drives the nation; but this isn’t true. The quote is referring to popular sovereignty which means that the people have complete power (in this case: government) and this has been the idea behind our government since the very birth of it. But when’s the last time you had ever had a say? I believe the term Popular Sovereignty should be reimagined in a way that it actually has an effect, because it hasn’t for centuries. You quite literally have no power when it comes to the government-- your votes, at its simplest form, do close to nothing and if you try to petition or protest you have an absurdly small chance of being heard…
There are many parallels that can be found between Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Both follow respected men who go against authority and majority opinion to save the lives of the people around them. These productions are iconic in their field, but it is not because of their story but because of their message: Tyranny of the Majority and Dangers of Ignorance. In An Enemy of the People there is pollution in the water, in Jaws, Spielberg chooses to poison the water with sharks. Before the realization of the poisons in the water, both of their jobs had been relatively calm and nothing tragic had happened in either towns. In both of these works there is political satire that caused the immediate hatred of both productions, now they are regarded as ingenious pieces…
Congress has come a long way since its creation but its role has not changed. Although there is much criticism on the way Congress is run, the system is an integral part of the American government. It's main and most important duty is to portray the wide arrayed views of the American people and this is not as easy as it seems. It can be a difficult process for Congress to come to an agreement on these issues because its members come from all over America with different views on what is right and what is wrong. The majority of American people feel that the public agrees on most issues but this is untrue. America is an extremely diverse nation with differing views on various issues. With all the different people in the country it is not unusual to get different opinions and beliefs.…
Part of the reason why the Congress failed was because it didn’t protect the people’s rights. A…
President George W. Bush, having been issued a mandate by the people of the United States to bring freedom and democracy to the world and to continue to competently function as the Commander in Chief of the military, is using his political capital to institute a regime of Faith Based Initiatives that are unconstitutional and tear at the very fabric of freedom and democracy in America. The precedent was set long ago that would set the American citizenry on a course to make the Presidential election of 2004 about the war in Iraq; present-day American voters followed in the footstep of hundreds of millions of previous voters by re-electing their "war-time President". George Washington was the first to be re-elected during war time and not a single president since has lost a re-election campaign while his nation's sons and daughters were in combat. The expansive agenda of this president, who won the office by the narrowest of margins, is not indicative of the sentiments of the American people. George W. Bush wants to put in place legislation that fundamentally undermines the ideals on which this nation was founded. While he sends our citizens overseas to bring western ideals to non-democratic nations, the President has stated a desire to institute programs and laws in this country which will ultimately restrict American freedom and pull at the underpinnings of this democracy.…
America is about to make major changes in the country’s health care system. The goal of the Affordable Care Act is reduction of the number of uninsured individuals and health care expenses. Some call the reform unconstitutional, some fear inefficient implementation will lead to the opposite of the anticipated health care cost reduction. According to Kaiser Health Tracking Poll 29% of Americans have very unfavorable opinion of the health reform law compared to only 18% with very favorable attitude (See Health Data, 2010-2011).…
However, it can be viewed as encroaching on citizens’ rights to self-determination, since the law requires everyone to buy health care, if they want to or not. A quote from Anthony Vecchione’s article Debating the Ethical Implications of the Affordable Care Act, can further explain this accusation when it says, “Some critics of the ACA argue that the controversial individual mandate -- which requires American who meet certain criteria to purchase health insurance -- is unethical.” This goes to show that the particular problem people tend to have with the ACA is that citizens are forced to pay for certain resources, that one might view as unnecessary. Nonetheless, Dr. Sorrell sums up the ethics of the Affordable Care Act, and shows how now through this act disabled people can benefit from…