congress
A handy guide to all Congress happenings on both sides of the aisle. Thank goodness for this political body that keeps Presidential power in check.
The 9th Amendment
“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people,” this is the text of the 9th Amendment. On September 17, 1787 the Anti-Federalists demanded a Bill of Rights be added to the final draft of the Constitution. Federalists felt that a Bill of Rights would give the government too much power. The Anti-Federalists had to be contrarian and were against ratification of the Bill of Rights. Fascism means that the government has the right to do whatever they wanted, so the Anti-Federalists were paranoid that having too many rights would lead to this.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
The 8th Amendment
The 8th Amendment to the United States Constitution is about not having excessive bail to get you out of trouble. Excessive bail is not supposed to be a thing, especially heavy fines, or cruel punishments inflicted. Cruel and unusual punishments are not directly specified in this Amendment. It means to measure a punishment’s cruelty or unusualness. In 1689, England adopted their Bill of Rights that prohibited “cruel and unusual punishments,” well before the 8th Amendment cropped up 100 years later in 1791. The first version of the Constitution, however, when ratified didn’t have a prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, which was not added until the Constitution was ratified.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
Bryan Watch
Bryan Watch: January Weeks 1 and 2 Back in the early 2000's, I kept a close watch on Congressman Paul Ryan’s voting record under the label “Ryan Watch.” It fell by the wayside once he became speaker. But now that Wisconsin’s First Congressional District has a new congressman, Bryan Steil, it seems like a good time to begin looking at Congress again.
By John Heckenlively7 years ago in The Swamp
Tricia Gives It to Her Congressman!
TNP co-host, Tricia Smith, asks her Congressman, Blaine Luetkemeyer, seemingly difficult questions in response to his newsletter lauding his and his party’s “accomplishments.” Read below and judge for yourself. Do YOU see that anything was accomplished? If not, there is one way to fix it. VOTE!
By The Disruptors7 years ago in The Swamp
Writing to a Government Official
Do you feel strongly about something going on in politics right now? (I'm sure your answer is, "Yes," like many other of the millions of Americans). Do you express your political beliefs/feelings to friends and family members? (I'm sure the answer is also, "Yes"). Instead of ranting to others, how about you write the politician him/her self? I'm sure you're thinking, "No, they already have enough stuff going on, they don't have time for me." I thought the same thing before I wrote to Illinois Senator, Tammy Duckworth. I've written to her twice and she has personally responded both times! I wrote about issues regarding human trafficking, a topic I feel very strongly about. The fact that she answered back, heard my voice, and promised to do something about it made my day. If you truly want to make a difference about something you really care about, I strongly encourage you to do the same!
By Ariadne Romanos8 years ago in The Swamp
Why I Want to Run for Office
I want to make a difference in the world. First I’m going to get onto the Work2Future board in San Jose, which meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month. I can get to this meeting, first thing. Second, I have to run for District 10, or my home district. I want to get more involved with District 10. This is the same reason I want to run for office in the California State Senate. I went to see the State Senate both in 8th grade for a class trip to Sacramento, and in junior college with student government. I can start off by becoming a City Commissioner appointed for three years. I can also become a District 10 volunteer. There is even a way to become a city volunteer.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
One Problem With the Constitution
Article 2 of the Constitution sets up the executive branch. In section 1 it specifically says “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the same time of the adoption of this constitution, shall be illegible to the office of president…” This basically means that any person born in any country other than United States cannot run for president.
By aoirhg a;oeirhg;o8 years ago in The Swamp
The Challenge of Revising the Iran Nuclear Deal
On Thursday, October 12th, Zachary Cohen of CNN reported on fear of potential consequences of decertification of the Iran nuclear deal. He cited Jake Sullivan, a top foreign policy advisor to Hillary Clinton who helped negotiate the original nuclear deal in 2015, and Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council, as two particular doubters of President Trump's potential approach to the deal. Sullivan, when testifying before the House Foreign Relations Committee, said that President Trump risked leaving America with the sole responsibility for whatever happens, a scenario similar to what America faces with North Korea. In a statement to CNN, Parsi said "The risks are too great to allow Trump to open up a nuclear Pandora's box in the Middle East. Trump's national security team, and all serious thinkers in Congress, must block the President from a failed certification before it is too late."
By Michael McKeever8 years ago in The Swamp
Dear President Trump
President Trump, First, thank you for running and taking on the enormous undertaking of MAGA. Recently, as talk grew about the large Powerball jackpot, I began to think what could be done with that kind of jackpot... like many others for sure. As a former term limited legislator here in Montana, I have some experience on how difficult the legislative process can be to navigate. Getting comprehensive legislation passed... well Congress has proven lately that is nearly impossible. The dynamics are so complex and fluid that even the most desired public interests cannot be achieved. While I could point to many different failures and problems America faces, I think one need only look at our debt to realize congress is part of our problems.
By Daniel Fuchs8 years ago in The Swamp
We the People...
I don't give a shit how long its been or how far Black people (and others) have come since 1789. NO. FUCKING. BODY... should be allowed to hide behind freedom of speech to spew and express racial, religious, gender-based, and non-heterosexual hatred towards others. Hiding behind a 228-year old document? Cowards.
By Dre Joseph8 years ago in The Swamp
Draining the Swamp
In American society, there are some careers, which may be very lucrative that people just aren't able to do forever. Professional athletes, commercial airline pilots, supermodels, even artists in certain genres of music all have an unwritten shelf life policy in their hypothetical employee handbook that classifies their careers as stepping stones to assuming more senior levels in their individual industry.
By Victor Trammell9 years ago in The Swamp
