Many Citizens Don't Take Their Voting Responsibilities Seriously

The United States Constitution

Article 1, Section. 8 of The United States Constitution (transcript from www.archives.gov)

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Ham on Wry finds it deeply disturbing that many voters in this country have never taken the time to at least skim through the document our founders created to lay the foundation for our federal government.  I chose Article 1, Section 8 because it clearly establishes some of the powers assigned to Congress that people often believe the President has.  Readers might find this power quite interesting: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.  Please note that the founders limited appropriations of money to raise and support armies to two years.  What happened to that?

Article 2, Section. 2.

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

Note that the founders did not give the President the power to declare war, yet that has happened many times, the first of which occurred under President Ronald Reagan.  The framers had deep concerns about giving that kind of power to one person because they had come from countries where a ruler could conscript anyone for service with no warning and force them to fight battles that had no just cause.  What has happened to that?

This country is awash with political ads claiming that one candidate or another will work miracles.  Ham on Wry suggests that perhaps it's time to adhere to those parts of the constitution that remain unchanged by amendments.  Pass this on, Readers.  Americans must awaken from their deep sleep and apathy in the voting process.   Politicians must focus on the majority of citizens, who fall somewhere in the middle of a continuum, rather that pandering to a vocal minority.  We must behave more like a community than a battleground and return to civility in political discourse.  Perhaps everyone running for an office should read All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.