Gaining a Perspective on our Presidents

njessen — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:31:30 +0000

The head of our executive branch is arguably the single most scrutinized individual in our nation. From conversations at the dinner table to speeches in Congress, millions of Americans examine and debate his actions and policies. Throughout our history, it has always been this way, but now more than ever, we have more access to information on both the public and private life of the President through television, radio, and the internet. The president always has his supporters and detractors. The former will do their best to defend the president’s policies, and the latter will attack the head of the executive branch. During this exchange, the opposing groups continue to hurl charges and countercharges at each other.
Amidst this constant chaos, it is important to gain a perspective of our presidents throughout history. In studying our president’s predecessors, I always try to figure out how our current president will be rated in comparison to those who previously occupied his position. Will he be considered one of the great presidents, or one of the worst? Many Americans already have formed their own judgment on this question. However, it is important to remember that some of the great presidents were not well liked while they were in office. In studying the history of our presidents, I cannot find one who was immune from criticism. Even the presidents we most revere such as Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt endured their share. In gaining a perspective on our president, we should remember that the consequences of his actions may not be fully understood and appreciated years after the president leaves office. As for rating the presidents, historians use two criteria: the difficulty of the circumstances of the nation, and the president’s response to those circumstances. It takes a considerable amount of time for us to realize the full impact of the president and the context in which he worked. It is difficult to rate our most recent presidents because new revelations about the president’s decisions and the context in which those decisions were made always will surface, and our opinion will change over time.
While it is difficult to have a clear perspective on our current president, we should actively participate in our government. Most of us will not communicate directly with the president, but our congress can be the conduit through which the will of the people is expressed. The bills presented to Congress will need to come before the president for veto or passage. We can facilitate the passage or abolishment of legislation. Through Politivote, we can make our feelings known concerning legislation, and this will dictate what bills make it to the president to sign into law. I would encourage the reader to register with Politivote and use this site to be a part of this process.

Reaffirming the Constitution

rhettjones — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:10:31 +0000

On January 7, 2009, a resolution was introduced that reaffirmed the power of Congress to declare war. This bill was based on Article I section 8 of the Constitution that explicitly delegates this power to Congress.

In the recent history of the United States we had armed conflicts in which Congress did not exercise its authority to declare war. The Korean and Vietnam Wars were examples. More recently, Congress gave President Bush the authority to use American troops in the invasion of Iraq. Even this was not a declaration of war. Rather, it authorized the President to invade Iraq. Over the past fifty years of our history, the President has had more authority to declare war than Congress.

This resolution is appropriate because it serves as a reminder that only Congress should have the authority to declare war. It was one of many checks and balances established in the constitution. We need such legislation to reaffirm the constitution with respect to the powers of Congress because over the last half century, we have forgotten that Congress has the authority to declare war. If it is left in the hands of the president only, one of the checks and balances of or government will be taken away, and the Executive Branch will have more power than it should. These checks and balances were built into the Constitution as a safe guard to keep one branch of government from dominating the others. If more people are involved in a course of action, there is more assurance that it will be in the best interest of the nation and not serve the whims of one individual.

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Gaining a Perspective on our Presidents

Reaffirming the Constitution