Freedom of Speech/Separation if Church and State/Criminal Rights

     Freedom of Speech is very important to the citizens of the United States. We see this as being a main reason for keeping us “free,” and allow us to live our lives and say what we would like to say, to a certain extent. I think the freedom of this is taken too far and for granted sometimes, forcing the government to come up with laws such as the fighting words doctrine, etc. Yes, you have the privilege to say what you feel, but why do people take it as far as discriminating against other races, backgrounds, social statuses, genders, and sexual orientations that will obviously hurt others. I think people take the freedom of speech too far in a lot of cases, but always resort back to, “It’s my right to say what I want.” While that’s true, it’s sad they want to use that right to hurt other people.

     I think separation of church and state is necessary for our country. While we are able to have freedom of religion, I feel like that would be infringed upon if the  state could pass laws with religious topics, even if they are not supporting one religion over the other. I don’t think there can be any unbiased laws passed about religion, because those choosing to pass or not pass those laws will use their opinions on how to vote. I think there should be a wall between the church and state so we can practice our religious beliefs without laws being pushed at us. 

     I do believe that defendant’s rights are crucial to our system of government, because until they are proven guilty, they are still citizens who still have to have their freedoms. Although, in some cases with such incriminating evidence, some may have too many rights. Some believe that if they get access to the right lawyer, they have a great chance of getting for the crime they have committed, and in some ways I do agree with that. I also still believe that any one person is innocent until proven guilty by a jury. That means they should have all the same rights as any other citizen, until they are proven guilty.

Power/Power Shift/Education

     I think that the national government and the state governments should have an equal share of powers, because if the national government possessed more power than the state government it would try to take control. Although, the national government does possess more powers than the state government so it can establish some control over all the states, too much power can be a negative thing. If the national government had too much power over all the states, it could result in a failing of the democracy system. The Articles of Confederation failed in similar ways, in that some areas of government controlled too much over everyone else. I feel if one area of government possesses too much power, it becomes similar to a dictatorship.

     National government power increased during the Great Depression for the sole fact that some order needed to be established to bring the economy back to life. When the national government power increased, it could control all of the states at once, so they were all doing something similar to establish the economy to what it was before. After the economy boosted some, during the Reagan administration, the power slowly shifted back to the states.

    I do believe that the national government should regulate education among the states, as well as the state and local governments. I think the national government should up their participation in the involvement of education so each child has an equal opportunity to receive the top education possible. Without the national government’s aid, some states and local governments may not be able to raise enough money to sufficiently supply student with an equal opportunity for education, supplies, activities, or keeping the school open for that matter. That’s why I think it’s important for the national government to step in on this matter, and help every child get the proper education they deserve.

Constitution/Bill of Rights/Death Penalty

        Before the Constitution of the United States of America, they had approved the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation has formally established the United States of America, and had declared it one nation which was under centralized control. Although, it had brought the United Staes under on nation, there were many flaws in this form of governing. One major problem is it had limited the powers of the people, and leaving Congress with too much power. There was no judicial branched established, and no separate executive branch. This led to predictable problems. One problem that arose was the nations debts going unpaid. This cause a major crisis, and that is why the shift to the Constitution was a crucial event in our government system. If the Articles of Confederation were still in effect today, or country very well may have failed as a whole. We already have enough debt to our country today, so there really is no telling how much financial trouble we would be in with the Articles in effect. As well as many other problems, including lack of power for the people of the United States.

The Bill of Rights are extremely crucial to the Constitution of the United States of America in that, we as citizens of the United States, have our certain rights that cannot be taken away from us. Without the Bill of Rights, which consist of the first ten amendments in the Constitution, Congress could take away said rights under certain circumstances, which completely takes away from our “free country.” The Bill of Rights protect our rights as a citizen of the great United States of America, and as a human being.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about the death penalty as a means of punishment. I am not saying that I do not think the person who had committed such a heinous crime, such as murder, should be punished to the most extreme extent, but I do not see the death penalty as very constitutional. I do not see it to be constitutional for the sole fact that someone else, who is seeing out the punishment, is also committing a type of murder. I also have to think about the victims, victim's family, and the community in which these heinous crimes were committed. Such a heinous act can stir up so much emotion and ruin lives. Which leaves me with mixed feelings; I feel that the person should get the highest punishment possible, which death penalty may be called for which such despicable and heinous crimes, but there is also that persons life that is at stake, because that leaves me with the question has who really gets to decide if this person should live or die? In saying this, I believe that those who are in prison, should not be subjected to such privileges as receiving an education, television, sports, etc. I believe they should receive the highest form of punishment possible, without restricting them of their life if possible.

Democracy/Separation of Powers/Moderate

I believe that Americans do take the idea of democracy in our country for granted, because for the simple fact that I feel these days we have lost our grip on the true idea of democracy. Democracy in its truest form is, as we all know by now, a government structure exercised by the people. I also feel that the simple fact of getting to choose whether you want to vote or not play into this issue. In recent years, the amount of people participating in the elections, of any sort, have gone down drastically. This is a problem in my eyes for two reasons: those who choose not to vote leave the others, who do vote, to choose who runs our country, and what goes on; also, those who do not vote seem to be the ones that usually complain about what is going on. I don't believe people should get to rally or oppose those running if they did not even bother to vote.

Separation of Powers is extremely crucial in our government system, because without it our system would be overpowered. Since our government is separated into three major branches of power, it is important they stick with their powers and not take on the duties of another branch. One branch cannot take over any duties of another branch, because it cannot have too much power, for the sake of our country and our democracy.

I mainly see myself as a moderate person on the spectrum. I agree with points of both liberals and conservatives, but not one stronger than the other. I also disagree with points on each side of the spectrum which would put me in the middle of the spectrum as a moderate.