The Way Its Supposed to Be

In the article "The American Dream" from the blog America the author talks about the function of our government. He has done an excellent job of showing how different parts of the government work. One such example is of how many people get frustrated with the Congress when they do "nothing." Nothing is far from what they do, approving a bill or any such matter takes tons of effort. Bills can be stalled by filibustering in the Senate. Even if the Congress finishes with it it will have to go through the House of Representatives. If it happens to make it through both of these it must go to the Executive branch. After the House and Senate have put a lot of work into getting the bill passed the President can still veto it. It is a very tedious and long process.

The author explains other ways in which bills can be stopped or slowed down in all the branches of government. Entire books could be written about process in the government. I think that this is a good, well put together, summary of how things happen. For something as complicated as our government system, it seems to be put very straightforward in this article as to how it works. Great job and I couldn't agree more.

Its About Time

It seems as though President Obama has finally made a decision about Afghanistan. After months of politicians pushing one way or the other, there has finally been a result. The President has outlined a plan to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Even after months of waiting however it could still take six months to get the first of those troops there. Many are surprised at this decision. Some who are against it are likening the war in Afghanistan to Vietnam. They think that Afghanistan will end in defeat like Vietnam after the U.S. putting allot of effort into the war. They are going to be right if we pull out before the job is done. Like Vietnam we would be pulling out after our soldiers have fought and died for a cause. This is why it is necessary to maintain the effort in Afghanistan, even if it means a troop surge.

War should also not be run from Washington. It should be run by the military commanders because they are the ones over there fighting. If our military is allowed to do what they must to eradicate taliban forces then they will succeed. If politicians get even more mixed up in the war it will take even longer for there to be complete victory. It has taken enough time just to decide to send more troops, if it came to a really serious decision it could take even longer. There is a reason there are generals, and there job is to call the shots in a war to win it.

"We the People" Ft. Hood Article

In the blog "We the People" an article was written about the recent shooting at Fort Hood (13 dead and dozens wounded). While author Ashley gives many details on what happened, I am not sure what was trying to be communicated about the American government. She does a good job in pointing surprising and ironic facts in this tragic event. The article is almost a short summary of the event and things to come of it. While it is quick and to the point, what is trying to be said about the government? Is the question of how should the military screen those who are enlisted being asked? Or of how the mental state of soldiers be dealt with? The point of how tragic this event is is clear, but in order for there to be an answer there must be a question.

The point is also made that there have been so many "mass shootings" in America. While we should " realize that life is short and you should always live as though today is your last", what can be done to help stop the shootings? There needed to be more suggestions on how to fix the problem then just stating the problem in the article. All together it is a good article, though it is very short. There could've been much more said and explained about what could be done to address the issue. As to writing simply about what happened the event, I think the author did a good job.

Democratic Design

The U.S. National government is a very interesting system. It is one of the longest lasting democracies in the world, although it isn't even really a democracy. It is a Republic. Our forefathers designed it so that it would have enough power to control, but not enough power to completely control at the same time. Each branch of the government can keep the other in check. The founding fathers were way ahead of their time when they came up with this system. It is amazing how complex things are in our government. What is more amazing is that anything ever gets done. Even just passing the smallest of things through congress and the senate takes an immense amount of work.

For a government that is supposed to be about the people, it seems to be far to complicated for the common citizen to understand. One would almost ask why would the system that is designed to protect the people of the nation, be a system that they may not be able to understand? Are we supposed to just sit back as we send the more educated to Washington D.C. to deal with the politics? Or could it be that because it is harder to understand for the average citizen is what makes us more interested? As humans we are naturally curious, if there is something we dont understand we want to understand it. Maybe this is what entices us to vote. We look to politicians to understand what is going on in our country. Which is why the President is such a figurehead. For example many usually tune in to a Presidents "Address to the Nation" on their news channels.

So it seems that Lincoln was right when he said that our governments is a "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." Our country can not function without us. If America were no longer run by its people, it would no longer be America. It is extremely important that its people take action and become involved in their country. In reality your vote for the President may not count specifically as a vote for your candidate, but it still counts for those in the electoral college. All in all some people may say voting in general is unimportant, but for our system to function, someone must vote.

Afghanistan, to help or not to help?

In the article Restoration and Reformation of Afghanistan from the blog Red State, the author states how America can deal with the war in Afghanistan. Plans of actions to both help end the war in Afghanistan, and to help the Afghans themselves are layed out. The author explains how the Afghans can conquer the Taliban and reclaim their country. They simply need America's help. As stated in the article, they are a tough people and could expel the Islamic extremists with military training. Though it would require us to send more troops to Afghanistan, it would be productive in the long run. Where as the people there would gain more freedom, we would also gain another friend in the region.

Along with military help, it is pointed out that our country could help their country's economy. Teaching the tribes there how to grow their own food would allow them to eventually grow enough to sell. Though the author doesn't go into detail, it is easy to see he has a valid point. In an area that food is scarce it would be an economic boon. The author however points out the flaws in his own plans, such as the fact that the Taliban is not going to sit around waiting for us to make friends with the Afghan tribes. So as stated in the article, "He who supplies the goods gets the prize." Will it be the Taliban or us? If the author's fears are confirmed it won't be us. President Obama continues do drag out decisions about sending troops to the theater. A choice needs to be made before its too late. Over all, the author makes points plain and simple, and lists the good and the bad consequences for each plan of action, or lack of action.

So called "Dream Act"

On Monday, September 28th, William McKenzie from "The Dallas Morning News" wrote on "Why the Dream Act makes sense for illegal immigrants - and our country." The argument was that along with the free education we are already giving illegal immigrants in public schools, we should make provision for them to go to college. Our public school system is free for illegals because legal Americans are paying taxes, where as illegals are not. While it is good for everyone to have an opportunity for an education, it's not good for those in a country who disobey the law to get an unfair advantage over those who obey the law. Why should illegals be allowed to receive the advantage of in-state tuition and possibly cause legal American citizens to miss an opportunity to receive student aid or student loans? Changing the student status to allow them to qualify for college will only attract more illegals to come to this country, rather than encouraging them to become legal citizens. It gives the law-breaking person who came to this country a reward for breaking that law as opposed to the law-abiding citizen who may remain under a disadvantage in his or her home country. McKenzie points out that the two states that have the majority of these illegal students are California and Texas. What implications does this have on our state and our state economy? Would the State of Texas have to provide funding for these students who would therefore become a greater burden on our tax base? McKenzie also states, “We'd have even a larger number of people wandering the streets without even the basics of education, unable to find gainful employment.” Just because someone does receive a college degree does not guarantee gainful employment.

Where is the Birth Certificate?

This seems to be a question many Americans have been asking. It is a completely legitimate question that has continued to be ignored. Why is this document being hidden from the public? If the President was born here in America, what does he have to hide? In this previous election both candidates were under investigation as to their birth places. A few people had raised eyebrows at John McCain when they found he wasn't born in the States. However, since he was born in the Panama Canal zone he is a citizen. When investigating Barrack Obama's birthplace investigators were refused access by Congress. So in refusal of proof of Obama's citizenship it stands to reason that people question if he is even eligible to be President. So until proven otherwise, Americans will continue to wonder and question his eligibility.

For more information on this subject I have included these links.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109314
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=88566