The Constitution gives the President three discrete functions following bicameral adoption of a bill in Congress. First, he may elect to sign it. Second, he may veto the bill and return it with a statement of his objections to the house of Congress in which the bill originated. Finally, he may do no...

The line item veto came into effect January 1st, 1997 after being passed in an overwhelmingly Republican House, and the Senate, (with many objections by Senator Robert Byrd). However, the republican bill did not live for long, although it took a very long time to pass it, it was struck down in 1998 ...

Is Tony Blair more like a President than a Prime Minister In order to assess whether Tony Blair's leadership is more presidential than prime ministerial, one must first consider the significant differences between the presidential and Parliamentary regimes. The Presidential system of go...

On November 7, 2000, American voters went to the polls to elect the 43rd president of the United States. Ritualistically, the nation watched that evening for the election returns. The tallies for Democrat Albert Gore and Republican George W. Bush teetered in the makings of a dead heat. It soon be...

Homosexuals: A Suspect Class? The struggle for minority protection by lesbians and gay men has movedto the center of American life at the outset of the 1990's. It is almost certain that lesbian and gay issues will be a more eminent aspect of the public consciousness and American political scene ...

The United States Constitution gives very specific powers to congress. These powers are very limited and are each enumerated in the text of the Constitution. One of the powers is "[t]o regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes" (Ar...

The significant debate on religion in schools is becoming more and more heated. Many people say that banning religion in schools would be unconstitutional, which in some aspects is understandable since the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of religion....

The Constitution of the United States of America contains the basic rights of citizens of this country. There is, perhaps, no right more controversial than the First Amendment in the Constitution, first introduced on December 15, 1791. The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no...

The politics of privacy in America are imprudent and sentimental, fired by heart-tugging anecdotes that capture public imagination. Not too long ago TV actress Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered by an obsessive fan that obtained her address through the department of motor vehicles. This later led Con...

The U.S. - a Legitimate Democracy? In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic political system has certain characteristics which prove its legitimacy with their existence. One essential characteristic of a legitimate democrac...

It is a crisp cool October morning. Two hikers are enjoying a quiet walk through the frost tipped fields of Laramie, Wyoming when they are startled by whimpers begging for help. They find a young man tied up to a wood fence, ready for crucifixion. He has been burned, bloodied, beaten, and broken....

Marijuana In America Marijuana. The word itself can strike fear into the hearts of parents across the nation. For some reason marijuana has found itself on the most wanted list of law enforcement officials throughout the country. How is this possible when alcohol is responsible for over 100, 000...

In general, guns have been a major problem for years upon years. The threat of guns in cities and towns is astonishing. Many people in the United States are fighting to ban guns everywhere, others think they should have the right to own a gun with no questions asked. Considering the amount of...

In general, guns have been a major problem for years upon years. The threat of guns in cities and towns is astonishing. Many people in the United States are fighting to ban guns everywhere, others think they should have the right to own a gun with no questions asked. Considering the amount of...

The power of the Executive Branch of the government is given to a President. The Constitution grants this power in Article II, Section 1, Clause 1, which states "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." The Constitution also outlines qualifica...

Presidential Powers The many powers of the President have expanded tremendously since the beginning of our nation. These changes have been made, for the most part, because of certain events that have taken place in the past. Some of these changes have been made because of outside contributions, s...

On June 21, 1788 Congress ratified the US constitution. This historic document contained the powers that congress would have under this democratic government. The first amendment specifically details several powers that would be excluded from this list. The first amendment states "Congress sha...

There are many approaches to studying the presidency of a country, ranging from concern with constitutional authority of the office to dealing with the personality dynamics of a particular president. This paper will deal with the comparison between the American president to the French president. ...

Blood, guts, cuts, bruises, scars, decapitations, shootings, guns, knives, nudity, sex, expletives, bad role models and freedom of speech. Is that what you think of when you think about the content of the mass media? Has the media gone too far? Is this violence in mass media affecting our children? ...

In struggling to determine whether or not the American political system is pluralistic, elitist, or a representative democracy one must first understand what these systems are. A pluralistic system of government focuses upon interest groups to convey the interests and views of public opinion. A...

Is the Unites States Political System a Legitimate Democracy In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic political system has certain characteristics which prove its legitimacy with their existence. One essential characteristic of a legit...

On June 21, 1788 Congress ratified the US constitution. This historic document contained the powers that congress would have under this democratic government. The first amendment specifically details several powers that would be excluded from this list. The first amendment states "Congress shal...