Essay on History: United States Constitution and Government

Submitted By luquin06
Words: 1439
Pages: 6

U.S. Constitutional Amendment Proposal

U.S. Constitutional Amendment Proposal The Constitutional Amendments exist to correct any perceived problems within the existing document. The subject matter that will be addressed in this document is: Should the Constitution be amended to give voters the power to enact or reject laws by ballot initiative, as a direct method in addition to the legislative authority of Congress? The proposing amendment to be considered is as stated; “It is in the power of each individual to enact or reject laws by ballot initiative.” The proposal of this amendment would allow the voters to gain the right to create and retract laws as they deem fit. The amendment will prevent the government from interfering in the ballet results and conclude upon voter results.
Positive Outcomes
If voters were given the authority to enact or decline laws through a ballot process as a personal and direct method in addition to the legislative authority of Congress, there are several positive things that could occur. Foremost, some would argue that more voters would feel empowered to vote in the first place. Voters would feel that they have more control in Government and considering the number of bills voted upon each term, responsible voters would keep better track of the voting of their representatives in Congress and the other branches of Government. Voters would want their votes to count more than ever before and they could prove to be a reinforcing factor to keep the U. S. Government on track with the peoples’ needs and desires for the future of American democracy by policing their own representatives. Congressional representatives would be more inclined to allow the public to have open access to their political lives as proof to their constituents that they are representing their voters as they want to be represented. Voters would also feel more confident that they are being taken care of by the Government and, in turn, learn to trust the Government with more power in terms of military and foreign policy because we the people would be able to determine how strong those forces and policies would be. This event would also change the way that Congress as a whole would work, as voters would now essentially be a part of the Congress.
There are several powerful repercussions to that line of thought: Could the United States Congress ever be voted out of existence? Although the United States Congress is defined as necessary in the United States Constitution, some voters could be lead to believe that because they themselves now aided in voting bills into laws, why could voters not create laws too? This could lead to a powerfully negative path, that is true, but it could also be a very positive train of thought. By voters taking control of their own creating and processing of bills into laws, the replacement of the United States Congress and Senate could eradicate several billion dollars in possible regular pay wages, retirement wages, and special benefits packages. The voters would have to take a hands on approach to government at this point because without new bills or laws being placed into effect as the United States changes over time, due to new forms of income or new dispersal of wealth, or possibly altering laws that over time were realized to do more harm to the country than good; the United States would grow stagnant. Luckily, the United States citizenry always has its fill of men and women with a fighting spirit and the will to do what is right for the country if this was to occur. The possibilities are truly wide open if the citizens of America were given the ability to control the processing and, possibly the creation of our own laws.
Negative Outcomes
Quite often individuals are not fully aware of the integral parts of the law making system. While believing to have a full view of the process, there are so many different parts that are often overlooked. Without these parts laws would not