Grading the USA
By Sarah Rebane
To Form a More Perfect Union
The Legislative branch has worked hard to make laws that help the US as a whole. They have promoted equality and are working on new ways to improve our country.
Establish Justice
"After serving 42 years in an Arizona prison for a crime he didn’t commit, a 58-year-old man was finally released this April. When Louis Taylor was just 16, he ventured out of his comfort zone to try a happy hour advertised by an upscale Tucson hotel, a typical foray for an adventurous teenage boy.
Unfortunately, that night a fire broke out that ultimately claimed 29 lives. In that moment, Taylor stopped being typical and became extraordinary. He did not run from the danger as most people would. Instead he took responsibility. He was spotted during the crisis busily helping people escape the flames, escorting guests to safety and assisting people on stretchers.
Ordinarily, he would have been hailed a teenage hero for demonstrating a civic duty only expected of grown men. Yet eyewitness accounts of his beyond-the-call-of-duty service were not credited as outstanding demonstrations of good character. To police and even some bystanders his very presence made him automatically suspect. More than the possibility that he could have saved someone’s life, people were consumed by their sense that he “did not belong in a fancy Tucson hotel”.
The forensic evidence suggested faulty electrical wiring or some building defect as the likely cause, not arson, but scientific facts could not derail a hardwired determination that because Taylor was black, he had to be at fault. His youth, his innocence, and even his dramatic work to save and comfort the victims were imperceptible and irrelevant.
Outraged citizens wanted the death penalty. A profiler was brought in who swore under oath that the likely perpetrator was “a black teenager.” Taylor was convicted by an all-white jury and sentenced to multiple life sentences, ensuring he would die in prison. Fortunately, the Arizona Justice Project recently took up the case. New research from the National Academy of Science proved there was no evidence of arson in the fire. Wrongly convicted, Taylor was finally released—42 years later." - washingtonpost.com
The Judicial Branch has neglected its duties in the past because of racial or gender inequalities but it is now on its was to being equal for everone and much less biased.
Insure Domestic Tranquility
"Walker may have to fire a small army of state workers but Democratic Rep's are still drawing their pay and benefits even as no one in the state of Wisconsin, including law enforcement, can find the little band of recalcitrant absentees; no tranquility there."
"The news is rife with sound bites, video clips and hurried analysis offered by a thousand different experts, but any calm, reasonable, meaningful or contemplative assessment of what's happening is relegated to the backwaters of the internet and a few good news magazines. On the street there is little contemplation going on but only something akin to thuggery and even violence. No tranquility there." -renewamerica.com
The Executive branch has ensured that our country stays free from military occupation from other countries. By building up a strong militaries we've been able to discourage any enemy attacks therefore keeping overall tranquility in the US. However there are still people inside the country that wish to disrupt the tranquillity and there always will be simply because people have different ideas of what should be law and what shouldn't be.
Provide for the Common Defense
"U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia's claims about the situation in Ukraine are untrue and warned that sending military forces "could be devastating."
"nd U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States is examining a series of economic and diplomatic steps to "isolate Russia," and he called on Congress to work with his administration on an economic assistance package for Ukraine." -CNN.com
The Executive branch has done a good job at providing the common defense not just for the Us but for countries that are being pressured buy their larger, stronger neighbors.
Promote the General Welfare
Compared to the rest of the world, the United States ranks 32nd in math. Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan and Korea have a majority or near majority of students performing at the proficient level, unlike in the United States.
Meanwhile in reading, the United States ranks 17th, with 10 countries significantly ahead. In Korea, 47 percent of the students are proficient in reading, with other high-ranking nations including Finland (46 percent), Singapore and New Zealand (42 percent), Japan and Canada (41 percent), Australia (38 percent) and Belgium (37 percent)." -Progressive.org
Even in the US as progressive as the US is it is still not completely equal for every race. Schools are still not completely equal even more so in the south where slavery was practiced while it was discouraged in the north. The US has taken big steps toward equality in the last 50 years and will continue to get closer in the future. The legislative branch should make more laws addressing these issues instead of pretending they don't exist.
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
"Liberty is a concept in political philosophy that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions."
Does anyone else notice that in our vast centralized government's attempt to promote the general welfare they have limited all our liberty?
Our ability to self govern continues to diminish as state's rights have diminished...just look at the fight that Arizona is having with the federal government over their illegal immigration law.
Our ability to behave according to our own free will is being diminished by the federal government's new health care law...they are mandating that the people buy insurance or face the consequences.
Are we allowed to take responsibility for our own actions? The government says they must control social security, it cannot be privatized because they cannot trust the people to make their own decisions or the free market to make the right decisions with money.
What I want to know is how my general welfare is promoted when my liberty is being reduced to a memory." -ireport.cnn.com
The Executive branch unconstitutionally appending and modifying the existing healthcare law without consulting congress. This is a violation of the constitution since it limits the liberties of American citizens (not illegal aliens). The government imposing a restriction of these liberties on its citizens.
The Grading (DUN... DUN... DUNNN)
I would give the United States of America a B- on following the preamble. Overall the US followed the ideas presented by the preamble but occasionally it would stray form it. Some of these events happened in the past and have been fixed, such as equal rights fir every race and gender. Things were't always like this though and the US will continue changing, hopefully for the better. New laws have been created that protect peoples rights equally but injustice still happens and because people have flaws they fight and when they fight the general welfare of our country are effected. While people fight our domestic tranquillity are effected. However the US does many more things right than it does wrong. It has gone long ways to creating equal opportunity and although our union is far from perfect, we have managed to stick together and become the most powerful country on the world. Being the most powerful has its advantages. We have a very sting military that helps keep our country safe, providing for our common defense and the safety of Us citizens. Our GPA is twice as high as the world average, our country is very well off and very powerful which helps us keep our blessings of liberty secure. Living in the US has more benefits than drawbacks and is one of the best countries to live in at the moment and overall is very pleasant. People have freedom of speech, press, religion and many more things that developing countries do not have, but it is far from perfect. The godthings outweigh the bad so i would have to give the Us government a B- on doing its job.