Ancient Greece Government

Ancient Greece  has a Democracy as its government. Athens was the first city to create the democracy. A democracy is a government run by the people. The said thing about ancient Greece is that it is not equal.  It would be considered a Fair government. It excludes Women, Slaves, and Children. So because of the Government Greece is run by the people.

Due too the democracy, The laws were made by the people and the punishments were given by the people.  The laws must have been as harsh as the person delivering them wanted them to be. They had all the free will they wanted to have. In Greece Assembly, every male was allowed to attend the assembly. He had the right to debate, offer amendments, and vote on proposals. Basically anything that needed a decision was anything any man could be apart of.

Americas government is different but we have some things similar.  The USA has a representative democracy, we vote for people to make decisions for us. Also some things we have  that we got from Ancient Greece is their local communities, Assembly and People’s Counsel. These are basically like our Judicial System. The difference is that we have a President and a Legislative branch to make and enforce laws. That difference is that everyone is equal in America and have a right to their say but it all ends up under a judge, law or case.

http://www.canadianlawsite.ca/AncientGreek.htm

http://www.rightsofthepeople.com/education/government_for_kids/3-5/government/branches.php

http://www.clearedgemarketing.com/2013/07/branding-does-not-equal-your-logo-or-visuals/

Senate vs. the House of Representatives

Technically, the constitution grants all of Congress an equal share of legislative power in order to make room for checks and balances. However, I think that the Senate possesses more power because it has a stronger influence on decisions that are being made in the American government.

The Senate contains 100 members, two for each state. This gives the states with a lesser amount of people the ability to have a fair say — in the House, certain states have more representatives than others and may overpower smaller states when it comes to decision making. In the House of Representatives, there are 435 members, with variance in the number of people representing each state; Each congressman represents around 700,000 people, and because some states have a higher population than others, certain states will have a large number of representatives while some have only a few.

The term-lengths for congressmen are only 2 years and not much time for influencing legislation. They also have a limited amount of time to speak on issues and bills that are presented. The 6 years that a Senator is in office allows them more time to make more decisions and have a greater impact on the laws that are or aren’t passed. There are no limits to the amount of time a person is allowed to speak in the Senate, giving them as much time as they need to fully convey their opinions, thoughts, or concerns. It also allows them time to think through bills and policies extensively and provide better judgement.

The Senate possesses the authority to decide whether or not a person nominated by the president for certain government positions is put into office. Also, they have the ability to ratify treaties with foreign nations. These powers allow the Senate to influence decisions on a wider scale.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/whyhouseandsenate.htm

Difference Between House and Senate

http://www.ilonanickels.com/CC_housedifferences.html

Federal Grants: Beneficial or Detrimental?

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The Founding Fathers were created this amendment as a check to the power of the federal government. They realized that over time the federal government would seek to expand and gain more power, and more control over the states’ governments. This amendment has done a reasonable job of protecting the states’ government’s rights, especially in the more obvious cases. However, in recent years, the federal government has found an alternative and less conspicuous way to control the state governments. Federal Grants.

Tossing aside a book full of political jargon and legalese, a federal grant is when the federal government offers a state government a substantial amount of money to assist in running the state. However, nothing in life is free, and neither are these grants. Each one is accompanied by ‘mandates’ or ‘rules of aid’. These outline what the state can and cannot do with the money.  At first, state governments welcomed the much needed funding, willingly complying with the mandates that came along with it.  Soon the state governments being dependent on the federal government for funding, and Washington D.C. found it extremely easy to control the states’ governments. After a while though, local governments began t o complain. The amount of funding in federal grants was remaining the same year after year, but the requirements that went along with them were steadily increasing, as well as the cost of meeting these requirements.

Despite the careful checks and balances put forth by the Founding Fathers at the creation of the United States of America, the federal government has succeeded in expanding its power. The individual governments of the fifty states now heavily rely on the federal government for funding, and so have given over much of their independence.  Instead of our federal and local governments being equal in power , the local governments of America find themselves the personal errand boy of the federal government, answering every beck and call of his master in hopes of  receiving few cents in his palm.

Power in Congress

Checks and balances are a major part of the U.S. government. Without them, the country could potentially turn into a dictatorship, or some other form of unfair government. In Congress, checks and balances are specially important, considering that what happens in that branch of the government will affect the laws of our country. That’s why Congress is divided into two sections, the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

            In the House of Representatives, there are 435 members, and one member represents about 700,000 people. In the house, everyone is divided equally. In the Senate, every state gets two senators, no matter how big or small the state is.

            In my opinion, the Senate holds more power. While they have no control over what goes in the laws that come to them, they can choose to kill the bill. Also, the Senate can choose to affirm or reject the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice by the President, and the Vice President himself resides over the Senate. Senators’ terms are six years, which gives them a longer time to really figure out what they are doing and persuade others to vote for or against certain bills, while in the House, their term limits are two years, which gives them very little time to do much of anything.

            On the other hand, the House of Representatives does have a few things going for them. Because of their short terms, they are seemingly always running for election, and it’s more important for them to actually represent what the people want, unlike the Senators, who are often isolated from their states during at least the beginning of their terms, and vote upon their own established beliefs. 

                While the Senate does hold more power than the House of Representatives, it is not way more power, and in the end, they balance each other quite well. 

 

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/whyhouseandsenate.htm

http://www.wisegeek.org/in-us-politics-what-is-the-difference-between-congress-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives.htm

http://constitutionus.com/

 

WHo has the most power: The Senate or The House

The Untied States government has three branches. They are the Legislation, Executive and Judicial Branches. The House and the Senate fall under the legislation branch.  Thee word Congress normally means the house and the senate in the government.

The Senate in my opinion has more power than the house. Even though these groups are thought to be equal in power, I believe the Senate has more power. One reason is because the ration of people. The senate has fewer people than the house and it seems like the Senates vote is worth more. The senate has the power to dilute legislation passed by the house if they don’t agree. This says a lot. If one person can change a vote means one person has more power. Also the idea of the Senate having people in  for longer terms, means they get to know the system better. Plus they have less rules than the house, making their choices their own free will.

The history of our government has shown us that their are checks and balances put into place for Americans. This limits the power of both groups to make it equal. But no one is perfect and the system is def. not perfect. So in my opinion the Senate has more power than the House.

 

http://www.wisegeek.org/in-us-politics-what-is-the-difference-between-congress-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives.htm

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101102211246AA6jDPB

http://www.uriahfields.com/gpage14.html

Articles of Confederation Vs. Constitution

Finally got my laptop back so now I’m posting the last few blog posts.

Article of Confederation Differences

• congress had no power to tax or regulate trade
• No common currency
• No executive or Judaical branch
• No federal government
• State has all the power
• Each state has one vote

Similarities between the articles of confederation and the constitution

• Congress has the power to declare war, raise armies, and create treaties
• Congress had the power to make laws
• States had some degree of power

The Constitution Differences

• Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branch
• Bill of Rights
• Common currency
• Strong federal government
• Shared power between the federal and state government
• Congress has the power over tax and can regulate trade
• Federal law is the supreme law of the land
• Federal powers limited to those specified in the constitution

Senate vs. House: Who has more power?

The United States Congress has two houses.  The House of Representatives and the Senate. Both, while similar are also extremely different in their powers and characteristics (see chart).  There has been an ongoing debate since their formation in the 1780’s as to which house has more power. In my opinion, the Senate has more power than the House. With fewer members, a vote in the Senate carries more weight than one in the House. The qualifications for a senator are stricter than those for a representative (comparison). The Senate is also more formal, more stable, and more equalized in terms of power. Senators also remain in power for longer. The Senate was designed to be slightly more powerful than the House. Originally, senators were appointed by state legislature, not elected like representatives. This gave the states’ governments unique power in Congress. Also, the terms for senators are scattered so that approximately 1/3 of the seats are up for election every two years. The House, on the hand, is completely up for election every two years. This slower turnover rate also gives the Senate more power. 

While the Senate is more powerful than the House, our Founding Fathers smartly provided a set of checks and balances that has successfully kept the Senate from have power OVER the House. The United States Constitution lays brilliant foundations that enable the two houses to work together for the greater good of our country.  “

“To me the key to understanding it is balance. The founders went to great lengths to balance institutions against each other—balancing powers among the three branches: Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court; between the House of Representatives and the Senate; between the federal government and the states; among states of different sizes and regions with different interests; between the powers of government and the rights of citizens, as spelled out in the Bill of Rights … No one part of government dominates the other” (Lee, Hamilton)

John V. Sullivan (July 24, 2007). “How Our Laws Are Made”. The Library of Congress. Retrieved September 11, 2010.

Lee H. Hamilton (2004). “How Congress works and why you should care”. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34425-5. Retrieved September 11, 2010.

www.fayette.k12.il.us/isbe/socialstudies/StageH/socsci14BH.pdf

Comparison: the Articles of Confederation and the Consititution

Differences

• Articles: Congress is unicameral

         Constitution: Congress is bicameral, split into the House of Representatives and              the Senate

• Articles: The state government is responsible for its people

         Constitution: Both state and central government are responsible for the people

• Articles: Congress does not have power over commerce between states and other countries

         Constitution: Congress can regulate interstate and international commerce

• Articles: The states have the power to tax, not Congress

         Constitution: Congress has the power to levy & collect taxes

Similarities

Both documents…

• give Congress authority in certain aspects.

• address the country as the United States of America.

• were the official laws of the US government at the time they were in effect.

• gave the government(s) the ability to build up its military

Ancient Athenian Government

What structure/leaders do they have?

In the early years of the Athenian government, a few rich and powerful men called the Great Council ruled over the people in an oligarchy. These men only looked to the good of the wealthier people of Athens and in turn, made life much harder for the poorer, common individuals. Between 750 B.C. and 550 B.C., however, the lower class Athenians began to demand a better, more fair system of government in which the people would have a say in the decisions and laws that were being made. Eventually, a “demos kratia,” or “democracy” as we know it, was born. They formed a structure of government containing three main institutions: the ekklesia, the boule, and the dikasteria. Each consisted of a group of elected Athenian citizens, with the exception of women and residents of foreign background.

How were laws made?

The ekklesia was the branch of government that dealt with writing laws and altering the existing laws. The ekklesia was also given the power to make decisions on war and foreign policy and were able to ostracize citizens. Decisions were made by a majority vote in the group and unless one was a citizen serving in the ekklesia, one did not have a say in those decisions.

How harsh was the enforcement of their laws?

There were no law enforcement officers such as police in Athens. It was up to those in the dikasteria to bring to attention cases in which the law had been broken. The dikasteria was a group of over 500 male citizens who were elected each day to serve as a jury. They were chosen at random through a lottery and would serve for one day before another group of men would be chosen the following day. Therefore, the Athenians, in a sense, dictated how harsh the enforcement of laws would be by enforcing it themselves.

What is one way that their government influenced our own?

The invention of democracy by ancient Athens is an immense way in which their government has influenced our own. They allowed their citizens to be involved in their government’s decision making as U.S. citizens are allowed to today. Although they limited the kinds of people who had a say in the government through their criteria for citizenship, their idea of “rule by the people” created a fair government – an idea upon which America was build upon.

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Culture/

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/governmen1/tp/102309GreekGovernment.htm

http://www.dsusd.k12.ca.us/users/scottsh/Sources%20of%20Ideas%20That%20Shaped%20the%20American%20Plan%20of%20Government.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece-democracy

Differences and Similarities of the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation

Similarities between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

• One state cannot enter into war by itself.
• The central government, not the states, is in charge of the value of money.
• There are term limits for different offices in the government.
• Every single state had to observe and obey the document.

Differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution:

• The Articles offer Canada admittance into the U.S. if she so chooses to join us, while the Constitution does not.
• In the Articles, it says that no amendments can be made unless all states agree; in the Constitution only 3/4 have to agree.
• The Articles gave power to states individually, with minimal central government power, while the Constitution gave main power to the central government.
•  And lastly, the Articles of Confederation gives power to one Congress, while the Constitution has one Congress, but two sub-divisions; the Senate and the House of Representatives.