Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Government's Role in Society: Is it Enough or Too Much?


Forms of government or other types of rule have existed since ancient times. There have been many types of governments, such as monarchies, republics, dictatorships, etc. To this day, there is still a wide variety of government forms around the world. In this article, however, we will be focusing on the United States government. Now everyone says America is a democracy, but it is truly not; it is a republic. ( Hence, the pledge of allegiance "... and to the republic for which it stands.") A democracy in its essence is a government where the people decide policy matters directly, most likely through town hall meetings, voting on ballot initiatives and referendums. A republic, on the other hand, is a system in which the people choose representatives who, in turn, make policy decisions on their behalf. This means that the leaders we have in government were chosen by a majority vote of the people, in hopes that the person chosen will think the same way the majority of voters think. This is not always the case, and a lot of the times the leaders will change the way they do things, and the people can't do anything about it.

The US government tends to be too involved in American society. There are many rule citizens must abide to that seem to be quite unfair,because there is no choice. The government regulates many things that should be decided on the discretion of the people, such as abortion, posession of firearms, posession of controlled subtances, etc. Some believe that life would be better with little to no government. " Information Liberation"* states 11 reasons why life is better with no government. The last one, the most impacting, is freedom. Don't we have freedom as humans already? Apparently the govermemt burdens "freedom" to some.  It could be true that certain things could be better without a government, but no government at all seems too risky, even a thought. Having people decide to do whatever they please can be a gamble because everybody is not the same. Some people have different morals than others, and could see killing a good thing. With no government, this crime would have no punishment, and then who knows what else could happen.

Government should be there to regulate vital things to run a country, but not deny human rights to the citizens. As humans, we should have a choice to do what we please with our life; there should be no government intrusion. National security, the economy, foreign issues, and crime prevention are things the government should clearly be involved in. Government should not deny human rights to anybody. Having government is essential thought, because it shows the nation has a sense of authority and should be respected.


*http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=31403

Facts
* The US is not a democracy but a republic
* US Government intrudes with human Rights 
* Government is essential, to show national power and authority

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

America Since 9/11: Then and Now

September 14, 2011

   

The September 11 attacks on the world trade center in New York was much more than a terrorist act against the nation, but also a complete overhaul on the functionality of the nation. The economy tanked, two wars were spawned, and the national security was threatened. In response to this, George W. Bush launched the "War on Terror" in an effort to catch those responsible for the attack. A new domestic policy also was enacted, the "Patriot Act", which pretty much made airport security even tighter, in hopes to prevent any future terrorist attempts againts the country. In addition to the "Patriot Act", the Department of Homeland Security was also created to prevent future terrorist attacks. With all of these things that happened, we can clearly see how drastically the nation changed it's views and policies, and how they deal with different things now, compared to before the 9/11 attacks.

Election 2012

Now the real question to all this is are we still safe from future terrorist attacks? The answer to that may vary, but it can be said that the US government has done a good job so far trying to prevent things like this to happen again. Having said that, the "War on Terror", which happened as a reponse to 9/11, is pretty much over. Current president Obama was succesfull in the capture and death of the mastermind behind Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden. He got much praise from fellow Americans on this success, but will this alone help Obama get re-elected? In deed this was a major victory, but we must analyze Obama's presidency as a whole to determine whether he's done an overall good job and what he has promised. Realistically, it could be quite possibly he will be re-elected because of the popularity he gained through the Bin Laden assasination, and also by having several legislations passed, such as START, DADT, CFPB, which were received very positively among the fellow Americans. Rick Perry could pose a possible threat because of his promising job creation program, although Obama now also wants push a job creation program. We will have to wait and see what will happen in this political race.


It is true that the US isn't a perfect nation, and it does have it's ups and downs. One of the biggest problems in America is believed to be the country's economy. Deficit spending and military spending have contritubed a major downturn to this economy. The government should focus much more on domestic problems such as poverty, unemployment, the sick, etc. Another thing that is a problem with this is how wealthy and corporations control our political process. The only one who benefits from this are the CEO's of the companies. It's a shame all this is happening, but unless the governent changes the way they handle things in the country, this situation will never change.


THE UNITED STATES TODAY
  • 9/11 Created an uproar on national security. Several things were created as a cause from ths including the DHS and the "Patriot Act", while also not forgetting the "War on Terror"
  • President Obama has a fair chance for re-election because of his policies, including START, DADT, CFPB, and also for the capture and death of Bin Laden.
  • The US economy is the biggest problem the Nation is facing, and it can be solved by the government not deficit spending and start working domestically and solve domestic issues like poverty, unemployment, etc.