AUGUST 9TH GENERAL MEETING CANCELED
PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Despite the apparent lull in activity this summer, your executive committee is hard at work planning some interesting and exciting events, guest speakers, outreach and news/media visibility. We'll be meeting again next week to continue this work, and to get on board with social networking (facebook, twitter, etc.).
If you would like to attend the next executive committee meeting, you're more than welcome. Just reply with a note to this email dave_burford@verizon.net and we'll be sure to notify you in advance.
The next GENERAL MEETING will be held Tuesday, September 13th, 7:30PM, at the Madison Heights Branch Library.
Watch for a "NEWS and DATES TO REMEMBER" in the next few days.
Amherst Dems
WHY? DON'T YOU VOTE???
In Presidential Elections slightly more than 50% of the voters show at the polls, for off year elections even less vote.
The government of the United States is based on a written constitution, the shortest in the world in fact. This constitution consists of a Preamble, seven Articles, and 27 Amendments. From this document, the entire federal government was created. It is a living document whose interpretation has changed over time. The amendment process is such that while not easily amended, US citizens are able to make necessary changes over time. It takes a long time to get the country back after you let it slip away. You may never get it back.
Three Branches of Government
The Constitution created three separate branches of government. Each branch has its own powers and areas of influence. At the same time, the Constitution created a system of checks and balances that ensured no one branch would reign supreme. The three branches are:
•Legislative Branch - This branch consists of the Congress which is responsible for making the federal laws. Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
•Executive Branch - The Executive power lies with the President of the United States who is given the job of executing, enforcing, and administering the laws and government. The Bureaucracy is part of the Executive Branch.
•Judicial Branch - The judicial power of the United States is vested in the Supreme Court and the federal courts. Their job is to interpret and apply US laws through cases brought before them. Another important power of the Supreme Court is that of Judicial Review whereby they can rule laws unconstitutional.
Six Foundational Principles
The Constitution is built on six basic principles. These are deeply ingrained in the mindset and landscape of US Government.
•Popular Sovereignty - This principle states that the source of governmental power lies with the people. This belief stems from the concept of the social contract and the idea that government should be for the benefit of its citizens. If the government is not protecting the people, it should be dissolved.
•Limited Government - Since the people give government its power, government itself is limited to the power given to it by them. In other words, the US government does not derive its power from itself. It must follow its own laws and it can only act using powers given to it by the people.
•Separation of Powers - As stated previously, the US Government is divided into three branches so that no one branch has all the power. Each branch has its own purpose: to make the laws, execute the laws, and interpret the laws.
•Checks and Balances - In order to further protect the citizens, the constitution set up a system of checks and balances. Basically, each branch of government has a certain number of checks it can use to ensure the other branches do not become too powerful. For example, the president can veto legislation, the Supreme Court can
declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, and the Senate must approve treaties and presidential appointments.
•Judicial Review - This is a power that allows the Supreme Court to decide whether acts and laws are unconstitutional. This was established with Marbury v. Madison in 1803.
•Federalism - One of the most complicated foundations of the US is the principle of federalism. This is the idea that the central government does not control all the power in the nation. States also have powers reserved to them. This division of powers does overlap and sometimes leads to problems such as what happened with the response to Hurricane Katrina between the state and federal governments.
Political Process
While the Constitution sets up the system of government, the actual way in which the offices of Congress and the Presidency are filled are based upon the American political system. Many countries have numerous political parties (groups of people who join together to try and win political office and thereby control the government)
but the US exists under a two-party system. The two major parties in America are the Democratic and Republican parties. They act as coalitions and attempt to win elections. We currently have a two-party system because of not only historical precedent and tradition but also the electoral system itself.
The fact that America has a two-party system does not mean that there is no role for third parties in the American landscape. It does mean that the two main parties work together to roadblock the formation of any third party.
Elections occur in the United States at all levels including local, state, and federal. There are numerous differences from locality to locality and state to state. Even when determining the presidency, there is some variation with how the electoral college is determined from state to state. Voter turnout is barely over 50% during Presidential election years and much lower than that during midterm elections. The lower the voter turnout the easier it is for other interests to control the government of the United States. Most politicians from both of the major parties are are bought, sold and owned like farm animals.
Its your country and its your move. Why Not Vote?
What is The Social Contract?
The idea of the social contract is one of the foundations of the American political system. This is the belief that the state only exists to serve the will of the people, and they are the source of all political power enjoyed by the state. In theory the people can choose to give or withhold this power. When politicians are
bought sold and owned by powerful special interests the Social Contract is mangeled.
The origin of the term social contract can be found in the writings of Plato. However, English philosopher Thomas Hobbes expanded on the idea when he wrote Leviathan in response to the English Civil War. In this book he wrote that in the earliest days there was no government. Instead, those who were the strongest could take
control and use their power at any time over others. Hobbes' theory was that the people mutually agreed to create a state, only giving it enough power to provide protection of their well-being. However, in Hobbes' theory, once the power was given to the state, the people then relinquished any right to that power. In effect, that would be the price of the protection they sought.
Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Locke each took the social contract theory one step further. Rousseau wrote The Social Contract, or Principles of Political Right in which he explained that the
government is based on the idea of popular sovereignty. Thus the will of the people as a whole gives power and direction to the state. John Locke also based his political writings on the idea of the social contract. He stressed the role of the individual. He also believed that revolution was not just a right but an obligation if the state abused their given power. Obviously these ideas had a huge impact on the Founding Fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
For the Social Contract to work the politicians you elect must work for you and not be controlled by the special interests. A politician assures the rich he will forward their interest and protect them from the poor if they will give him money. That same politician assures the poor he will look out for their interest and protect them from the rich if they will give him their votes. With money from the rich and votes from the poor this politician spends 5 million dollars to win an office that pays him $174,000 a year and in two terms is a multi-millionaire.
Its Your Country and Its Your Move. As long as you neglect to vote someone else will pull the strings and run the country.
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