Why Our Presidents Need Less Power
I have noticed in the recent years that our recent presidents have suddenly gained a lot of power. Do you think that’s a good thing? Hear what I think.
The next issue that has brought on extreme skepticism is the USA PATRIOT Act. At the time of its arrival, our nation was only one month removed from the attacks on the World Trade Center. Terrorism had become a sudden threat to our country, and no one really knew what was going to happen. To tighten security the USA PATRIOT Act was set in place. I do like the idea of the USA PATRIOT ACT, yet I strongly believe it violates our citizen’s rights. The president violated the Fourth Amendment our founding fathers wrote. I support the idea of protecting our citizen’s rights by listening on phone conversations, or even using surveillance for people who could be a threat. Yet I do find it eerie that the government could listen in on anyone’s phone conversation without a warrant. I am a strong believer in national security before civil rights, but I don’t see how getting a warrant would affect anyone’s safety. I understand why President Bush would want to implement something like the USA PATRIOT Act, yet I do believe he crossed the line in doing so.
In conclusion, the sudden changes our executive branch enforced were not good for our civil liberties. I do like the idea with every issue I touched upon, but I think they were all carried too far. I strongly believe in doing what is needed to protect our country, yet I do not believe that we need to violate our people’s right to do so. Our presidents should not gain anymore power than they already have, and I believe that congress needs to step up and be more involved in these important decisions. Our civil liberties should be restored, and to do so the issues do not need to become extinct, they should just abide by the constitution.
Notes
1. “TASK FORCE ON PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENTS AND THE SEPARATION OF POWERS DOCTRINE.” Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice. American Bar Association. 07 May 2009 . Page 14
2. “Bush’s Final Approval Rating: 22 Percent – CBS News.” CBS News – Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News. 16 Jan. 2009. CBS News. 04 May 2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/16/opinion/polls/main4728399.shtml
3. Woodward, Bob. State of Denial. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.
Call number: E 903.0.w67 2006 page 205
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