The claim that the Constitution was born of distrust is without a doubt a true statement. As professor Skeptic has said, the framers had many things to not trust, many of which are mentioned in his argument. These worries held by the framers are clearly put into view by the safeguards they put in place to avoid some of them. Among these safeguards are the electoral college, the senate, unelected courts, and the elaborate system of checks and balances that we all know about (Wandrei). As Baron De Montesquieu advised in his writings, the framers engineered a system with branches that not only delivered a balance of power, but that could also check the actions of the other branches. In this elaborate system of checks and balances put on our government …show more content…
According Forbes Magazine, in the year 2010, a year that was not even a presidential election, the Koch brothers contributed over $45,000,000 to campaigns through a group they deemed “Americans for Prosperity” (Poole). With this money going towards the men in congress almost any legislation proposed by President Obama has been stalled, resulting in what is known as a policy gridlock. Whatever the case, seeing the huge money being contributed by individuals or their businesses, makes the campaigns run by people such as Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders more admirable for not being bought out by big money. Elissa Nunez of NBC News reports that 64% of Americans believe that the big money in politics discourages many great candidates from running (Nunez). On top of this number, 76% of people believe that "money has a greater influence on politics and elected officials today than in the past," (Nunez). These numbers lead to a fundamental issue in our government; a huge distrust in our federal government. Only a month after 9/11, 60% of citizens said they could trust the federal government, however, following the Iraq war and an economic downturn the number dropped to a mere 24% in 2007
More than half of the citizens of the United States believe that the government has more power than they should. This amount is the highest it has ever been and it continues to grow each and every year. Trusting your government is crucial to building a solid country. If the United States government is becoming more untrustworthy, the country is sure to fall apart at its seams. The government has too much control over people because they are constantly watching with cameras and electronics, they can kidnap or kill you without anyone ever knowing what happened, and they intervene in citizens lives too often.
So, you’ve got the Koch Brothers and other billionaire families who are prepared to spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in elections to buy the candidates of their choice, often extreme right wing candidates.
With great money comes great power. In the United States, the richest men and women of the country own the top 20% of wealth. The kind of money the wealthiest people in the country have, they can approve or disapprove any law passed by the government. So, money brings on power over the government. The government mostly pays attention to the monetary backbone of the country; if the backbone is not satisfied then trouble can brew. That is why the poorest people in the United States decide not to be active with politics because they feel as if their vote will make no difference. They will be in the same situation no matter who the president
This loss motivated the Koch brothers to impose their will under the shadows, as they began to donate large sums of money, approximately 100 million over three decades, mostly undisclosed, to various, “Seemingly independent organizations aimed at advancing their radical ideas.” (Mayer, 58) Moreover, with philanthropy guaranteeing anonymity it evolved into their influential instrument of choice. The brothers front groups essentially, “Demonized the American government,” and depicted it as an enemy of the people rather than an organization by and for the people. In fact, in 1984 he began to form a private political sales force known as, Citizens for a Sound Economy, which on its exterior seemed to be just another political group created by actively
Today, more individuals trust their state and local governments than trust the legislature in Washington. Yet, it was not generally that way. A quarter century back individuals were more sure about the government than in those closer to home. From that point forward trust in Washington has dissolved, while confidence in state and local government has really developed. The more extensive issue is the American open's association with its political administration. While trust in government does not specifically connect with that bond, sentiments about political pioneers and the managers of government with unmistakably do. Generally, Americans stay receptive about government. Most think it can improve. One customary clarification of trust underscores the part of history and society.
Do we elect officials to do what is right for ourselves, or to do whatever is better for the country as a whole? On the other hand, do they act in the most popular manner in order to secure their own re-election hopes? The two-party system is in continuous lockout. One party wants reform but another will try to block it just to show the public how incompetent they are without showing the truth. This paper will outline cases why the American Public should trust or distrust the Federal Government.
In 1789, when the U.S. constitution came into effectiveness, America’s government, laws, and citizen rights were established. The constitution, known as the supreme law of the United States of America, is comprised of various philosophical foundations. These foundations of the constitution have shaped America’s society and government, and continue to affect it daily. So, in this paper, these philosophical foundations and their impact on America will be discussed. Popular sovereignty is one critical foundation of the Constitution.
In the United States of America, a large portion of our political beliefs center around a balanced government, where no one group has complete control over the government. Where no man can change the whole of America with a swipe of a pen. But, even America, the Land of the Free, is not free from political corruption. For our government, beautiful as it may seem, hides away the evils that plague our political system. Is political corruption in the U.S.A real? Or is it simply something to laugh at on Snopes? Today, we will go over the evidence, and I think you’ll find that there is political corruption in the U.S.A.
Campaign contributions destroy the marketplace by expelling the views of average citizens in exchange for the views of corporate donors that don’t have the opportunity to have their views scrutinized by the public. Their views are safe from criticism because they are able to shield their views through backdoor talks with candidates. According Samuel Issacharoff, a professor of Constitutional Law at the New York University of Law, in reference to political corruption, “the source of corruption was large expenditures capturing the marketplace of political ideas” (Issacharoff). The spread of ideas is essential to democracy and large donations to campaigns prevents ideas from average citizens from being considered. The corruption from large corporations needs to be regulated to allow for our democratic elections to be free and fair for everyone involved so that all suggestions can be heard.
When reviewing the creation of the Constitution, one would find that its creation was not a foregone conclusion. Prior to the Constitution, the Founding Fathers developed the Articles of Confederation as a general outline of organizing the government and its powers. As time went on, political leaders faced issues that involved amending the Articles of Confederation. After editing the document to protect the Americans’ rights, the leaders needed the support of the states, which all had different ideas. To start off, “states convened special conventions comprised of popularly elected representatives to vote on ratification” (Lecture 5). “A fierce public battle ensued, producing hundreds of pamphlets and newspaper articles and spirited campaigns
In our world today, the more money and power have a direct relationship. What this means is that the more money one has, the more power that person has – whether it be the power to influence, inspire, or even rationalize with others. In the United States, we have the privilege of being governed by a democracy, which, in turn, allows power to be vested in the people and also exercised by them as well. That power and voice that we have the ability to exercise is being drowned out by large corporations and labor unions who donate extremely large amounts to political parties and campaigns. For example, research done by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non profit organization that tracks the effects of money and lobbying on elections and public policy, shows that donations made by corporations in the years 2013-2014 were as high as $222 million (Open Secrets). These donations made by corporations and labor unions lead to decisions made by some, but not all, politicians and political parties that favor the views of their top contributors. With that being said, it is morally wrong for these corporations to have the ability to donate capital to politicians and political parties because these donations induce corruption within our society and government while additionally completely defeating the purpose of a democracy. Because of these reasons, corporate political funding must be put to an end or regulated stricter before it is too late.
Corporate money in politics has become an increasingly prominent issue in the political spectrum of the United States after the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision which lifted the cap on political contributions from corporations, thus increasing the influence companies have on the US electoral process (Shekar 71). This controversial court case brought the issue of non-voter influence on elected officials to the political stage and gave worry to many Americans who sought equal representation in government. In response to the worries of many of these voters, political experts and scholars have written at length on possible solutions to the problem, with three main
In the Economist article written by Max Hastings he brings up the fact that we do not trust our government officials to do anything other then make the rich, richer. When the constitution
Distrust and lack of faith in someone or something will happen when the person or persons in the leading position misuse their powers and lie. This is why the American people continue to lack the ability to not be skeptical of their government. The skepticism was caused by President Richard Nixon and his Administration actions during the Watergate scandal, which should have ended with his public impeachment instead of resignation, which will continue to be the case for many years to come.
Today, the Koch brothers are famous because of their influence in libertarian politics; but the relationship between