Article 3
posted by erdecker @ 6:35 PM
8 comments
JM AP English Government
A resource for John Marshall's Advanced Placement English and Government class. Woo-hoo!
Sunday, December 18, 2005
About Me
- Name: erdecker
- Location: Lanesboro, Minnesota, United States
Enchanted April at Roc Rep Jan 2016 (Sound Design). Donnybrook's Dilemma Murder Mystery Jan 10 (Donnybrook actor). Valentine's Murder Mystery at Plummer House Feb 13 (actor). Ole and Lena in Love at Rochester Sons of Norway March 19 (Director).
8 Comments:
By definition "the power of legislative oversight involves a continuing review of how effectively the executive branch carries out the laws Congress pass." Just as warned by our first president, George Washington, factions (parties) have created problems in running a constitutional and efficient government. The republican house and senate have been lenient in conducting oversight in the Rep. President Bush, ie. patriot act, katrina response, and iraq war. The differences of "factions" should not be creating inefficiences in government.
This article just provides another perfect example about the dangers of strict partisanship. The Republican-controlled Congress issued 1,052 subpoenas to Clinton and the Democrats and only 3 to the Bush administration in approximately the same amount of time. That is an enormous difference! People far too often go with the flow of their party. It is easier to mimic their party’s ideas and beliefs and assume that the people in their party are doing the right things. It’s even worse when they go against their personal convictions for fear of offending their party and not gaining support for re-election. I applaud Representative Davis, a Republican himself, for having the courage to admit that the Republicans have done a poor job of legislative oversight. As we have discussed in class, the powers of the president have grown tremendously. In order to keep those powers in check, Congress must increase their supervision of the president and his actions. When it does nothing, it not only betrays the people that it claims to represent, but it betrays the ideals of our founding fathers who wished for the three branches of government to be equal.
How did this get so out of hand. As Dalena said, there were 12 investigations with Clintons administration, and only 3 for Bush? I like Rep. Henry A. Waxman's comment "There was nothing too small to be investigated in the Clinton administration and there's nothing so big that it can't be ignored in the Bush administration." Democrats say that there are 14 different areas that have been ignored for an investigation.
My question is; why didnt this unjustice raise any red flags earlier? Davis says that he hesitates to issue a subpoena because the Feb. 15 deadline is approaching and it would just be 'tied up in court by administration.' and embarass the administration. I agree with Monica, lets just do what it takes to find the truth.
Breann Bender :)
1,052 subpoenas for the Clinton administration.
3 subpoenas for Bush administration.
It seems to me that our republican-heavy Congress is watching too much of their competitor's back than their own. Congress shouldn't pick favorites when it comes to leaders and how many subpoenas they issue. Congress needs to look at the issues at hand and do whats best for our government.
-katie b!
Breann, to answer your question of why didn't they spot it earlier, its because they didn't have time for it. "...When you come into session Tuesday afternoon and leave Thursday afternoon, you simply do not have time for oversight or deliberation." Wow, I think that is unacceptable. Our government is our leader, and every decisions they make affect the lives of millions of people. They can not be excused from their mistakes because they didn't have enough time to do better.
This whole issue is frightening to me. While everything has pretty much been said thus far, I wonder how we are any longer an effective protector of freedom when our government worries more about a president's private affairs which have no relation to the American public's well-being than about a blatant violation of Americans' rights by the executive branch of the government. How far will power-hungry, partisan politicians go? It's definitely scary.
-Caty Schmitter
I agree, Caty, this is scary. Especially the idea that one man can make such decisions as bypassing all standards for spying on American citizens without approval! And now we'll see if there will even be a trial to determine the legality of such actions.I was watching C-SPAN over break, and the Cheif prosecutor from the Nuremburg Trials (WWII) was saying (among other things) that the Bush administration must be put on trial to determine the legality of his actions in Iraq. He made it clear that he was not accusing Bush of misconduct, but saying that an issue with so much uncertainty about it must be brought entirely into the open, and justice must be payed no matter what the result. Unfortunately, as long as law makers remain so passive and complacent, the executive branch basically has free reign.
--kirin---
Unfortunately, George Washington was correct on the negative impacts of political parties and how they create corruption. Nowaday, party affliation plays too much of a role in government. Rather than who is right or wrong, it's about who is democrack or republican! Read the following quote: "Republican Congresses tend to overinvestigate Democratic administrations and underinvestigate their own." For a better tomorrow, we must find a way to evenly balance the government, especially when both houses are controlled by the same party.
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