”The Minority of the Opulent”

Last time we saw how important heads of government agencies are questioned by the senate. A senator is an influential politician, elected for six years. There are two senators from each state.

James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers wrote about his views on government. He had clear ideas for the new nation, the United States of America. He wrote:

Landholders ought to have a share in the government, to support these invaluable interests, and to balance and check the other. They ought to be so constituted as to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority.

(my emphasis)

Noam Chomsky, important intellectual and critic has the following to say about the government of the United States:

Checks and balances

Declaration of Independence

The Constitution, specifically focussing on the amendments

Task

In groups investigate and summarize your thoughts on the text you read. Be prepared to present them to class.

 

Note pronunciation of executive, legislative and  judicial.

10 reaktioner till “”The Minority of the Opulent””

  1. Checks and balances is a system to prevent one branch from becoming supreme, protect the opulent minority from the majority and induce the branches to assist.

    There are three separation of powers:

    Legislative:
    Passes the bills, controls the federal budget, can declare war and has power to borrow money on the credit of the United States.

    Executive:
    Executive is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. They have the right to declare states of emergency and publishes regulations and executive orders.

    Judicial:
    They determines which laws congress intended to apply to any given cause. Determines how a law acts to determine the disposition of prisoners.

    By Johan and Robert

    Gilla

  2. Checks and balances is a system integrated in the three branches to prevent one of the branches to become dominant and take control. Each branch has a check on another one and can prevent them from changing stuff if they don’t agree. For example the executive branch can deny a law offer from the legislative brand by vetoing it. This system of everything being linked can be seen in many governments in different countries Sweden for example. All in all checks exist to prevent imbalances between branches. Power balance is key.

    Gilla

  3. There exist a system called ”checks and balances” it’s there to make all the branches equal and to make the branches cooperate with each other. With checks and balances the branches and limit each other.

    Typical branches:

    Executive
    Legislative
    Judicial
    Auditory
    Electoral
    Prosecutory

    Gilla

  4. The first ten amendments are known as the bill of rights,

    The first amendment is about the individuals freedom, for example the freedom of speech.

    The second amendment gives people the right to carry a gun.

    The third amendment stops the government from forcing people to provide lodging for soldiers during peacetime,

    The fifth thought eight amendments protects the rights the people being prosecuted for a crime.

    The ninth amendment includes all other fundamental rights, in addition to those stated in the Constitution. Its main purpose is to prevent the bill of rights from being used as a reason for something (not thougth of when writhing the bill) not being a right at all. There for the rights protected in the ninth amendment are known as ”unenumerated”

    The tenth amendment exists to define the balance of power between the federal government and the states.

    Gilla

  5. Checks and Balances

    The system of having three branches of government is to lesser the chance of dictatorial power gain and corruption. The system is made so that the three branches have power over their own ”themes”. Therefore no-one can hope to corrupt or take over one branch too gainer control over the whole government. The different branches also have a responsibility to make sure the other branches are run fairly. If there were to be only one branch the chances of corruption and becoming a dictatorship is much higher. The one who seeks to become a dictator must only take control over one branch, and if they manage to it is all over. This system also allows for a much more precise governing. One set of people must´t take care of all of the laws and so they can have specialist who can be much more efficient and better at their work. One thing they may lack is a united understanding of each other and how their interests may interfere with the others. If you have one group working together they can have a much better view of the overall picture which SHOULD lead to better governing. This may be a bad idea at the moment though because people have way of becoming individualistic in groups and try to push their own goal, in a system where emotion, false information and lobbying is not a factor of the final decision the system would be more efficient and better.

    Scenario

    The scenario is that one of the branches have been corrupted and ”taken over”(The scenario may not be 100% inline with reality!). Imagine it being the Legislative Branch, the take away freedom of speech and implement capital punishment for slander of the government and the leaders of it. Then the Judicial Branch can decide that they won´t punish, since the are in charge of courts and of ”Jury Nullification”, the ones who break this rule so that an uprise can happen sooner because of reduced fear for the government. This is one extreme scenario of the means that the different branches can take upon each other but I think it shows how a system like this is an advantage. Also if one branch is corrupt the other two can do a lot together to make the damage minimal even if they can´t interfere.

    Gilla

  6. 1st amendment.

    The freedom of religion, Freedom of speech freedom of the press, freedom of assembly. and the right to petition.

    2nd Amendment

    The right to ”keep and bear arms.” aka ownership and sale of firearms.

    3rd amendment.

    prohibits the federal government from forcing individuals to provide lodging to soldier in their homes during peacetime without their consent.

    4th amendment.
    Protects the people agains unreasonable searches and seizures of either self or property by government.

    5th amendment.
    establishes the requirement that trial for a major crime may commence only father an indictment haas ben handed down by a grand jury.
    also protects the individual from saying things that might lead to self-incrimination.

    6th amendment.
    Provides and protects the rights of an individual who has been accused of a crime.

    7th amendment.
    extends the right to a jury trial to federal civil cases, and inhibits courts from overturning a jury’s findings of fact.

    8th amendment
    protects people from having bail or fines set at an amount so high that it would be impossible fir all but the richest defendants to pay and also protects people from being subjected to cruel and unusual punishments.

    9th
    declares that individuals have other fundamental rights, in addition to those stated in the constitution.
    like right to travel, vote and right to keep personal matter private.

    10th
    defines the balance of power between the federal government and the states.

    Gilla

  7. The Declaration of Independence

    Freedom
    the British are cruel and you will be able to do all the things that you ever wanted xd
    Independence to the freeman and no allegiance to whomever aren’t willing to help the American people.
    America is gods state for the man and for the nature
    Because political freedom and not believing in the British despotism
    the refusal of laws by the monarch made the people to dislike him even more

    Gilla

  8. Separation of powers

    The state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the other branches. The power is typically separated in three different branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
    The intent is to prevent the concentration of power.

    Gilla

  9. 1,People get rights not listed in constitution
    the ninth Amendment declares individuals have other fundamental rights and to those in the constitution
    the first congress added the ninth amendment as a compromise. because the rights protected by the ninth are not specified, they are referred as unenumerated.
    people got more rights than just the ones in the constitution by the ninth amendment by the bill of rights like as the right to travel, the right to vote and other stuff.

    2,Any rights not given to the federal government are given to the states and the people.
    the 10 amendments was made to balance the power between the federal government and the states.
    the government has control of many powers like declare war, collect taxes and others that are listed in the articles or in the subsequent constitutional amendments.
    but the things that is not on the list is controlled by the states or the people like affecting family relations, local law enforcement activities and some more.

    Gilla

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