Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Who is the Speaker of the House and what are his duties? How does a bill become law? What are the three branches of government. Let’s be honest, so many in our country are not fully educated on civics. If we don’t understand how Congress works, we get frustrated with the whole process. This leads to an overall sentiment that Congress is broken. Our guest today likes to say “without public trust, you cannot govern. Without governing, people get angry and hostile and walk away from the system.” Today, joining our student panel to discuss...
info_outline Ep. 204 - George Washington's Vision For National GovernmentConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Winning a war was just the beginning for George Washington’s service to our new country. After retiring to Mount Vernon post-war, Washington saw a weakness in our country under the Articles of Confederation. He felt the future of republican democratic self-government globally was dependent on the American experiment. If it were to fail in that perfect post-war moment, man was probably not destined to govern himself. Washington’s views on what the government should look like can seem to be contradictory in that he wanted a strong central government, as opposed to what the...
info_outline Ep. 203 - The Strategy for State GovernmentConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
The relationship between the federal and state governments is not always clear. These two governments exist simultaneously but at times have different goals and objectives. The federal government can use its purse strings to coerce a state government to take an action and that state can simply refuse. The Founders wanted states to solve major issues that were not under the federal purview to establish “laboratories of democracy.” Joining our all-star student panel, we are happy to welcome Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia state senator, Virginia attorney general...
info_outline Ep. 202 - The Importance of Local GovernmentConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Can you name the President? We hope yes! Can you name your state’s governor? More than likely yes. But can you name your mayor and city council members? While the issues nationally get the most attention, your local government’s actions impact your day-to-day life more. Issues like your water supply, trash pickup, sewage, and police and fire departments are all controlled by local entities. Some mayors aren’t paid a salary at all but one defining feature of mayors is they come directly out of the community in which they are serving. They...
info_outline Ep. 201 - The Genius of the Town HallConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Regular listeners will certainly recognize this famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” As the governed who give consent to the government, we have several mechanisms through which we can give that consent and voice approval or disapproval with an elected official. Perhaps the most direct mechanism is through a town hall discussion. A town hall is simply a public meeting between an elected official and their constituents where...
info_outline Ep. 200 - What is Federalism Anyway?Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
At Constituting America, we love to talk about federalism. Federalism is a founding principle that government authority is best when one central government does not have all authority, but it is divvied up between local, state and national government. Have you ever thought about why we have this system and what its virtues are? In a large country with varied geographical interests, why does this system work? Should those closest to a problem be the ones to solve that problem, and what are the benefits of this principle of subsidiarity? To help us further grasp the...
info_outline Ep. 199 - The U.S. Constitution and Protecting Citizens: Federal vs. StateConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
We have a military. We have a militia. When it comes to protecting our citizens, both play a role. The same militia mentioned in the second amendment is actually defined in 10 U.S. Code § 246 as able-bodied men over 17 and under 45 years old, who are or intend to become US citizens and female citizens who are members of the National Guard. What precisely are the differences in roles of the organized and unorganized militia compared to the military? Under what circumstances is a militia’s Commander in Chief the President or a state’s governor? When can...
info_outline Ep. 198 - The U.S. Constitution and The BorderConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
One of the biggest events in the news lately has been the situation at our southern border and illegal immigration. Texas, due to its lengthy border with Mexico, is front and center in this discussion that involves the role both state and federal governments play in immigration. While the U.S. Constitution says Congress has the authority to write immigration-related laws and the executive branch has the authority to implement these laws, what can a state do if the laws are not carried out? Joining our all-star student panel to answer this, we are pleased to welcome Lora Ries,...
info_outline Ep. 197 - The U.S. Constitution and National SovereigntyConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Since World War II, the United States, as the world’s lone superpower, has promoted democracy around the world with a focus on the longevity of the nation-state. After all, a nation-state that is whole and free, holds free and frequent elections and is representative of its people will tend to have greater stability, less war, more prosperity and greater trade opportunities. But as our guest discusses, lately we are seeing a greater build-up of multi-lateral and regional organizations to replace the nation-state. How can the US foster a greater reliance on the nation-state as the...
info_outline Ep. 196 - The Constitution and Declaring WarConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Think about the environment under which our Constitution was drafted. Our new nation had just waged and won a war for independence and was surrounded on all sides with hostility: the British in the north and their navy out to sea, the Spanish empire to the south, British and French ships patrolling the Caribbean and sometimes hostile Native American tribes to the west. Our Founders knew war was necessary but also had a healthy wariness about where the power to wage it should reside. The Founders questioned if war powers could lead to tyranny and questioned the effect of...
info_outlineHow does the Bill of Rights outline the rights of the accused and protect those working through the justice system? In part 8 of our “Bill of Rights & YOU!” series, Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, and student ambassadors Tova Love Kaplan and Dakare Chatman interview Judge Michael Warren on how both civil and criminal cases proceed through the court system, the role and selection of a jury, and what constitutes excessive bail for those charged, and fines and punishments for those found guilty.
Livestreamed on 12/01/2020. Sign up for our next Constitutional Chat via Zoom at https://www.constitutingamerica.org