PolitiVote » Implication http://politivote.com/blog Of the people, by the people, for the people Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:04:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 a Failed Terrorist Attack and Its Implications for Our Democracy http://politivote.com/blog/uncategorized/a-failed-terrorist-attack-and-its-implications-for-our-democracy/ http://politivote.com/blog/uncategorized/a-failed-terrorist-attack-and-its-implications-for-our-democracy/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:18:58 +0000 njessen http://politivote.com/blog/uncategorized/a-failed-terrorist-attack-and-its-implications-for-our-democracy/ Last Friday, Umar Farouk Abbulmutallab attempted to explode a plane when he lit a bag which contained a combination of potentially explosive materials. However, his concoction did not explode and he was subdued by other passengers. President Obama ordered a review of the nation’s watch-list system and of its air safety regulations because of its failure in this case.
As I reflect on this incident, I realize that there are implications for our democracy. Many times, when systems put in place by our government fail to work, it is up to the people to take the initiative and insure there own safety. In the year’s sense 911, I have heard other stories of incidents that could jeopardize the safety of airline passengers in which the passengers took control of the situation. On the surface, this might not seem relevant to democracy, but the idea is that everyone participates and has a role in securing the safety of the group. The people do not sit back and passively expect the government to take responsibility for their safety. They realize that they must take some of that responsibility themselves.
The second implication is on measures the government takes to prevent future attacks. Contemplating the government’s potential reaction to last Friday’s aborted attack causes me to reflect on my thoughts on what took place in the aftermath of 911. I was disturbed by the fact that torture of prisoners was a part of the discussion on preventive measures for terrorist attacks. I was also ambivalent about some of the other measures taken which included keeping detainees in prison without trial for an indefinite period of time, and the patriot act. To me, this is a confusing and ambiguous piece of legislation that attempts to describe what our government may or may not do to prevent more attacks in the future. My attempts to understand the provisions of this act only left me more confused and increasingly uncomfortable.
In reflecting on the problem of terrorism, it is my overall conclusion that the American people have an active role to play in the solution which consists of being vigilant and of holding the government accountable for its actions in dealing with national security with regard to terrorism. In an ideal world, we would be perfectly safe and enjoy our freedoms. However, in enacting stronger security measures, it is possible that our basic freedoms will be curtailed. However, if we wish to maintain these freedoms, it is possible that our safety will be compromised. Sometimes, we may have to sacrifice freedom for safety or vice versa. These are the issues we face when confronting terrorism.

]]> http://politivote.com/blog/uncategorized/a-failed-terrorist-attack-and-its-implications-for-our-democracy/feed/ 0 The Louisiana Purchase and its Implication for the Federal Government http://politivote.com/blog/featured/the-louisiana-purchase-and-its-implication-for-the-federal-government/ http://politivote.com/blog/featured/the-louisiana-purchase-and-its-implication-for-the-federal-government/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:52:37 +0000 njessen http://politivote.com/blog/?p=176 louisiana purchase 300x275 The Louisiana Purchase and its Implication for the Federal Government

Recently, a stimulus package was proposed and passed by congress.  This package was designed to create more jobs to jump start the economy.

This package has been met with much criticism from people who believe that the government is unnecessarily spending tax payer’s money.

As I contemplate this debate, I reflect on the Louisiana Purchase.  This purchase doubled the size of the United States giving us over 827000 square miles of land (1).  The territory purchased extended from New Orleans to modern day Montana.

Although few people today would call this purchase  a mistake,  at the time,  it was considered  unconstitutional by critics who argued that the president had no right to purchase land without the consent of the senate.   However, Jefferson justified this action by saying, “It is the case of a guardian, investing the money of his ward in purchasing an important adjacent territory; and saying to him, when of age, I did this for your good.” (2)

Through out history, our country has dealt with constitutional dilemmas.  How much power should the government exercise in governing?  We at politiv

ote believe that as citizens, we should not come to think of ourselves as wards of a benevolent government who is acting for our benefit.  It is our right and, moreover, our duty to examine critically the actions of our government.  Failure to do this can lead to a dictatorship.  As citizens, if we allow ourselves to sink into apathy, it will be much easier for the government to rule unopposed.  As mentioned before, the Louisiana Purchase turned out to benefit our nation, and this shows that in many cases, the actions of the government can in fact contribute to the nation’s well being.  We should also remember that government actions which seem ill advised may over time be beneficial.  For this reason, we should be careful and prudent in weighing the possible benefits and costs of our government’s actions.

Resources

1) http://www.nps.gov/

2) http://www.monticello.org/

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