Presidential Powers

I believe the founding fathers would be comfortable with the amount of power the president holds. In drafting the Constitution, our founders instituted a system of checks and balances so that the president would not become too power. Today, although the president does have many executive powers, there are none that would allow him to rule absolutely. For example, the president's power as a legislator is limited by congress. The president can call congress into session, veto bills, and sign bills into law but is very much limited by congress. Also, the founders wanted the executive position to still hold influence in international affairs.  His position as a diplomat allows this to happen. Negotiating with foreign nations and signing treaties, the president is the best representative of our nation in international affairs. Finally, the president's main role as chief executive allows him to oversee how federal laws are carried out, appoint supreme court justices and other public offices, and grant pardons is very similar to the roles granted by the founders in the constitution. Their intention was to make the executive office a position of influence but not so much as to rule absolutely. Today, the president continues to uphold this standard.

Congress and the Budget Process

It is difficult for politicians to craft a budget because there are so many sectors within the national budget. Money goes toward defense/diplomacy, schools, science, housing, infra-structure, healthcare, social security, and paying interest on debt. Over spending can cause the country to fall deeper into debt, while cutting funds from these sectors also has negative effects. Because of this, Congress must weigh the pros and cons of each budget decision. They look at how beneficial a program is and whether or not funds should continue to be allotted and how much those funds should be. One of the tough decisions I made while play the budgeting game was to raise the social security age. By doing this, the gap in social security funds was reduced by 20% and after 10 years save the American government 152 billion dollars. However, it comes at the cost of forcing seniors to work longer. Another decision I made while playing the game was to cut NASA completely and save the government 187 billion dollars after 10 years. However, the savings came at the cost of 18,000 jobs and possible advancements in science. After all, NASA aids our understanding of the earth and the consequences of changing it. Finally, another of the major budget moves I made was to require drug companies to dig deeper into Medicare. It saved the government 130 billion dollars and helped low-income seniors, but took massive profits away from drug companies. The lack of profits do not promote the innovation and research needed from these companies.

Supreme Court Cases/Constitutional Rights

I believe the United States grants its citizens a fair amount of rights. There are not too few, because we still see our given rights violated. These disputes also illustrate that we do not have too many. For example, there are Supreme Court cases in which people were processed in such a way that did not honored their rights. In Miranda v. Arizona, Ernesto Miranda was not informed of his Fifth Amendment right (privilege against self-incrimination) nor his Sixth Amendment right (right to counsel). What if the United States did NOT grant these rights to citizens? It would result in the coerced confessions of individuals who may not be guilty. The constitution rightfully makes this unlawful. Similarly, the constitution protects our right to live a life guided by our own morals and religions. If this right was stripped? We may be living in a country that is not only predominately Christian but forcefully Christian. In the Supreme Court case Engel v. Vitale, the New York government forced students to recite a prayer in hopes of building American morale during the Cold War. However, it ultimately violated freedom of religion and did not respect non-Christian citizens. Also, the constitution gives citizens rights that protect their well-being as well as others. The right to bear arms is an example of this. In Wisconsin, conceal and carry laws illustrate clearly how citizens who lawfully carry guns can protect. When a local Aldi market was robbed at gunpoint, a man carrying a gun was able to stop the robber. Ultimately, these various example illustrate clearly why our rights are important and should not be limited.