Today, we remember the thousands of Americans whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the tragic events carried out by terrorists from the extremist group of Al-Qaida where 19 men hijacked four separate airplanes and crashed them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania thanks to the heroism of the passengers who took action and averted a possible attack on either the White House or the Capitol.

     We also honor the bravery of the first responders who sacrificed their lives so that others may survive and those fighting in the military who defend and fight for our freedoms even to this day.

     Although 9/11 was a tragedy in which no American can ever forget, it also brought us together. We proved we truly are the “United” States of America, and when someone tries to knock us down, we get right back on our feet and keep going. 9/11 showed the world what it is truly like to be an American.

     Most of today’s teenagers do not remember what happened that day, as some had not even started kindergarten. As for me, I will never forget where I was and how I felt on that horrible day.

     On September 11, 2001, I was in the second grade, and it was a Tuesday like any other. I remember my teacher got very serious and said, “I want to show you guys something, and I don’t want you to be scared. There’s no reason to be scared, and you are perfectly safe.”

     As she said those words, she turned the TV to a news station, and I remember seeing two enormous gray towers with smoke pouring out of one of them. I just remember how scared I felt at that moment. I got the worst pain in my stomach, and I had absolutely no idea what was happening. I just wanted some answers. For the rest of the day, people’s parents came to get them from school. That’s all I personally remember from that horrific day.

     I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing, but then again, I don’t think any American, whether they were 7 or 97, could make sense of what they were seeing. I will never forget that day and how it made me feel.

     For those of us teens who remember 9/11, it is important to write it down or tell someone else so we may always remember what truly happened that day. Anyone born in the past decade will only know what happened through things they read or hear, and it is important they know the truth.

     Please, take a moment to comment on this post saying where you were, what you remember and how you felt on this day ten years ago. Also, let’s remember the unity this tragedy brought to our nation. It’s sad that it took a terrorist attack to bring our country together. Let us never lose that patriotism we all felt on September 12 and each day that followed. May God bless the families of the victims of September 11, and may God bless America!

~Taylor~

     Today is a day for all Americans to honor and celebrate. Everyone celebrates in their own way with their own traditions, but while we break out our grills and fireworks we have to remember our history and the events which took place over two centuries ago.

     July 4, 1776 is a date every American knows or should know as the day our brave founding fathers and patriots of the 18th century declared their independence from Great Britain. Many countries throughout history have done the same, but our independence was special. We didn’t wait for anyone to recognize or grant us our independence. We declared our own independence from a tyrannical government, and we knew we weren’t turning back.

     The founders of this country knew the dangers of signing their names at the bottom of that declaration. They knew the consequence could mean death by hanging for going against the King, but out of their bravery and hope for posterity they did what they knew was right. They began an experiment that has continued for 235 years and hopefully many more to come.

     The founders knew what it was like to live under an oppressive government and knew an individual could govern himself much better than a King who ruled from thousands of miles away.

     As we celebrate this day, remember the bravery of the men and women who sacrificed or gave their lives for the liberty we enjoy today, and remember those who continue to give everything they have so the American experiment may continue to all future generations.

     Although he was a couple days off, believing American Independence would be celebrated on July 2, John Adams was dead on with his idea on how the momentous occasion should be celebrated:

 

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not." --John Adams

Happy Independence Day!

--Taylor

     Today is the day we celebrate the most caring, loving and supportive woman in our lives: our Mothers! Our mothers are the ones who had the strength and courage to carry us around for a grueling nine months and then bring us into the world. Once we arrived, they protected us, held us but, most of all, loved us endlessly.

     They are always there to pick us up when we fall, to hug us when we’re sad, guide us when we don’t know which path to take and teach us right from wrong. Throughout all their sacrifice and love, it’s no wonder why there is an entire day dedicated to moms! But how did this day come to be? Well, I’m proud to say it all started in my wild and wonderful state of West Virginia!

     Although numerous holidays throughout the world’s history have been practiced to celebrate motherly figures such as goddesses, the American mother’s day we celebrate today is basically the first to celebrate one’s actual mother.

     The woman who started it all was Anna Jarvis of Grafton, WV. After the death of her mother, Jarvis wanted a day to honor and remember her mother. On May 10, 1908, after petitioning the superintendant of the church where her mother taught Sunday School, the first Mother’s day celebration took place at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, WV. 407 people attended the event, and each mother received two white carnations, Jarvis’s mother’s favorite flower.

     West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day in 1912, and two years later, everyone’s favorite president, Woodrow Wilson, declared the second Sunday of May as an official United States holiday.

     Now, every year we use this day to celebrate and honor our moms and all the hard work it took to raise us and shape us into the people we are today. If you haven’t taken the half hour out of your day yet to call your mom and say thanks, put the mouse down, pick up the phone and call your mom or someone who is like a mother to you and show them you appreciate every big and small thing they’ve ever done for you! Even better, let’s use every day to honor mom by helping her around the house and show her how much we love her by treating every day like it is Mother’s Day!

     “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” –George Washington

Happy Mother's Day from Taylor, Karen, Victor, Matt, Kelly and Brendan!

 

 

Sources: Click here and here to learn more about the history of Mother's Day!

-http://bit.ly/jYiCV1

-http://bit.ly/lSIL0j

 

Below is a video of the History and Faith of Mother's Day. Go get your mom, and enjoy it together!

 

 

The Constitution was written to keep the Government VERY limited in its role. When I used to be a liberal a couple of years ago, I never took the Founders seriously. I mean, most kids these days think the Founders were simply old, rich, white, powdered haired, racist slave owners. I actually used to think, "Why should we even learn about these guys. They are so over two-centuries ago." lol. That thought has obviously changed. But as many of you know, it was Glenn Beck who helped lead me to think otherwise.

The law makers in Washington have betrayed us. Presidency after presidency the government has grown and "We the People" have been left with less of our liberties, and with an enormous debt to boot! This has been a bipartisan failure that has led America to be in this position we are in today. But I can say that there is hope. 

This can change, and has changed a little bit. It's been a result of millions of Americans who have been taking a look at current affairs and the state of the union. This movement and uprising has people who recognize Washington's failure to lead. Failure to act and tackle the big issues. Sure there have been attempts and even some success in the past to try to reform and cut back the size of government but they haven't done enough to say the least. Patriots in America see just how fragile things are. Our foundation set by the founders is now extremely weak. We are the solution, and I am convinced that the more we are dedicated to restoring our Republic, the more restoration we will start to see.

     One of the issues I feel the strongest about politically is the issue of taxes in our country. It's no secret that there are a huge amount of Americans who point-blank don't pay their taxes, and it's no secret that the richer Americans pay FAR more taxes than the lower income brackets in this country.

     I've heard many times the arguments of liberals and progressives for this system. "They make more money, therefore they should pay more to help those less fortunate! They have money to spare, so why not make them give back a little more? They make enough!" Even our President himself stated that he believed there was a "point where you've made enough money."

     I have a big problem with this. I have a BIG problem with this. I hope to provide a reason why in this article.

     I am a firm believer in American exceptionalism. I am a firm believer in a (TRULY) free-market economy. I am a firm believer in capitalism. I am a firm believer in moral and ethical business practice. I believe that if you turn the people loose in a free-market economy, kick back, and let the profit motive take hold, that the economy will naturally boost itself through spending and incentive. I believe that the richest people in the country have earned their wealth, and that they create huge amounts of jobs in their companies. I believe that the government should tax no more than is absolutely required to carry out it's two main goals: that of protection of the innocent, and punishment of the guilty. And i most definitely believe that government is the problem in an economy, not the solution. Particularly when said government burdens down the creators of jobs with crushing taxes and regulations. And finally, I believe that the tactics often used by Marxists to demonize the wealthy and encourage a welfare state are both unfair and disastrous to any economy under any circumstances.

     Initially, socialism, like many other ideas (national healthcare, anyone?), comes off sounding great, and appealing to emotions, but are completely illogical at their core. Much like nationalized healthcare, the notion of socialism at first sounds fair and nice: "Everyone works, and all that's produced is split evenly between them so that it's all nice and fair!" This is a logical fallacy known as The Fallacy of Faulty Appeal To Emotion. With nationalized healthcare (or perhaps we should just call it as it is, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE), the appeal to emotion lies in the arguments made by its supporters: "If you don't support it, you're against healthcare for seniors, and children! Why would you want to deny healthcare coverage to those who can't afford it? And you also hate puppies, and apple pie, and John Wayne, and everything else that is good and patriotic!" Okay, perhaps I may have added on a little bit there. What can I say? Similarly, with socialism, the argument is that if you don't support it, you're "against fairness and want some to be able to profit more than others." This couldn't be farther from the truth!

     Many Americans are unaware that when the pilgrims first came to America, the very first system they tried using was basic socialism. Everybody works and it all goes into one big pot which is distributed equally. Here are two articles for further reading on the subject:

     http://bit.ly/u1jMd and http://bit.ly/fl2pTw

     William Bradford soon realized that this system was failing, due to a lack of what is called the "profit motive." The profit motive is, in short, the economic principle that individuals are more likely to work hard and produce more when there is personal benefit to be had from it. I.E. a person works hard at their job because they want more money. This is the core flaw in socialism that was realized by Governor Bradford. The fact is that when the amount you recieve for your efforts is going to be the same as the man next to you, regardless of how hard either of the two of you work, there is no motivation to work hard and produce, because there's no way to be better than anyone else. There's no way to earn more profit. The profit motive is a huge part of the noted novel "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand.

     Bradford then switched to a free-market style economy, which would be best personified in the simple phrase coined by John Smith in Jamestown. "If you don't work, you don't eat." Plain and simple. If you aren't willing to do the work and provide for yourself, you don't deserve the food you eat. This view was a result of the Pilgrim's strict Christian heritage and upbringing. The Christian worldview places emphasis on self-government, living within your means, and working hard to provide for yourself and your family. Ever since Adam and Eve fell from the garden when they sinned, man has been forced to plow the earth and work for what we have.

     This mentality is what has made America great. Throughout our history, whenever the economy has been set loose, and the people free to make their own way, we have delivered remarkably. As the old saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." It doesn't take a genius to look back and see how necessity has spurred the American dream. Take for instance, the period following the Civil War up until the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson (AKA god-awful president #1): The country was in a period of renewal, and progress. We colonized the Great Plains, and invented key items like the telephone, phonograph, lightbulb, morse code, and cotton gin just to name a few! The economy prospered when it was allowed to run free and do it's thing.

     I'm borderline Libertarian on the economic issue of taxes and the economy. It makes no sense to tax hardest the portion of Americans who create the vast majority of jobs and push cash into the economy to keep the flow going. It is unjust and wrong to take from someone else simply because you think they should be using their money differently. The only money government should be able to collect from us is enough to keep its base functions going.

     The question that I hear most often in response to this is: "What about those in need? What about those who cannot support themselves? Surely we must do something to help them!" To all those who make that argument: I completely agree. We agree upon the ends. We disagree WILDLY on the means. The key difference between the conservative and the liberal is that when the conservative sees someone in need, they help them up themselves, and provide them with care on a personal level. When the liberal sees someone in need, he demands that someone else give up what they themselves have rightfully earned to help someone else.

     There are five key "spheres of sovereignty," so to speak, that exist in society. They are: The individual, family, business, church, and government. They each serve their own purpose and function and have sovereignty over certain things. The common error made by most liberals is to confuse which sphere should be in charge of charity. As you'd know for certain if you've watched the Glenn Beck Program at any point over the last two years, the role of charity lies with the individual, the family, and the church. NOT the government. The Bible is clear in its demands for Christians to help their fellow men, and to provide charity and goodwill to those in need. The Bible says the Second Greatest Command, after loving God with all your heart, mind and soul, is to love your neighbor as yourself. Nowhere in Scripture is this better expressed than in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

     The parable goes that as a man was walking on a journey, he was beaten and robbed of all he had by robbers. Two men walk by, a Priest and a Levite, but pass along side the road and don't help the man. Finally, a 3rd man, a Samaritan, finds the injured man and takes him to an inn, where he washes his wounds, tends to him and provides him with charity untill he is well. Note that the big focal point here is that the Samaritan PERSONALLY helped the injured man and gave up some of his own funds to provide for the stay at the inn and the medical treatment. He did NOT demand that the wealthiest in the land be required to pay more taxes to go towards helping men like this. It is the responsibility of the CHURCH, the FAMILY, and the INDIVUDAL, to provide Faith, Hope, and Charity.

     Government is not supposed to fill this role, and they never will properly. Paying taxes to government is much like giving money to a hobo on the street that you see after a sporting event in the city. You know that the money will most likely not be used wisely because it never has. In the case of the hobo, the money is likely to support the poor man's distillery, and with government, the money is likely to support some wasteful government welfare program or bureaucracy. When government attempts to step in and fill the shoes of the individual or the church, the American Dream is stifled.

     I titled this piece "Why Pursue the American Dream?" for a reason. In our current society, there is less motive than ever to pursue happiness and success, because we live in a world where our government discourages it. Why try to make it to the top when you're only going to be taxed 80% of your income when you finally get there???

     When government keeps its nose out of places that it doesn't belong, things function the way God intended them. Americans want to pursue the American Dream. They want to pursue happiness. It's in their blood. They're Americans. But how can we hope to achieve the American Dream, when the promise of success is replaced with the promise of oppressive and harmful taxation?

     The Bible says "give unto Caesar that which is Caeser's, and to God that which is God's." I do not dispute this Scripture. But nowadays, "Caesar" isn't trying to take that which is his, he's trying to take that which is ours. And THAT, is something i refuse to stand for.

I'll be covering the War Powers and the remaining Enumerated Powers.

Provision 96 states: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to grant letters of marque and reprisal.' This gave Congress the RIGHT to grant letters of marque and reprisal. This means to give authority to any individual to wage war against the enemy. This basically means instead of Declaring War, hire some private people to get the job done. I love this personally. The Founders advocated Small Government Foreign Policy even the most serious situations lol! That my friend is what you call HOLDING TO PRINCIPLE.

Provision 97 States: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to make rules concerning that which may be captured on land or on water'. This provision gave the Congress the exclusive right to regulate captured prisoners or the process of taking land from the enemy.

Provision 98 for Article 1.8.12 States: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to raise money in the support of its armies, but appropriations for that purpose shall not extend beyond two years.'

Provision 99 States for Article 1.8.13 States: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to provide and maintain a navy'. This gave the Congress THE RIGHT to set up a navy, but implied a mandate that it should be provided'. During the Revolutionary WAR we lost New York for the simple fact that we had NO Navy. John Paul Jones and Ben Franklin worked together to launch a flotilla from France where Franklin was highly known, and sail along the North-East coast of England. John lost his ship but conquered and boarded the Serapis with his own sinking vessel lashed to it. This gave our Navy a tradition.

Provision 100 From Article 1.8.14 States: 'The people if the states empower the Congress to make rules and regulations for the governing of the land and naval forces'. This gave out Congress the RIGHT to dictate the specific rules and regulations that the land as well of the naval forces of America would operate.

Provision 101 From Article 1.8.15 States: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to call forth the state militia when needed to: (1) execute federal laws, (2) suppress insurrections in the states, or (3) repeal invasions from abroad'. This basically gave Congress the RIGHT to form state militias singly or en masse to accomplish any of those three specific provisions at any time when needed.

Provision 102 From Article 1.8.16 States: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to provide for the organizing, arming and training of the state militia and shall have the authority to govern (direct and control ) any of the state militia which are called into the service of the United States'. So this gave the Congress the RIGHT to equip, arm, and control the state militia whenever any of them are called into the service of the United States.

Provision 103 From Article 1.8.16 States: 'The people reserve to the states the power to appoint the officers of their state militia and carry out the training and discipline in each of the states as prescribed by Congress'. This gives the states the RIGHT to appoint their own officers in the state militia and to provide the discipline as well as training of the militia prescribed by the Congress.

Provision 104 From Article 1.8.17 States: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to have exclusive jurisdiction and lawmaking power over a designated district (not to exceed ten miles square) which shall be the seat of government for the United States'. This gives the Congress the RIGHT to set up a ten-square-mile restricted area for the sole purpose the seat of the government to be under control of the Congress.

Provision 105 From Article 1.8.17 States: 'The people of the states empower Congress to exercise complete jurisdiction and authority over all lands or facilities purchased within a state, providing it shall be with the consent of the legislature of that state. Such lands shall be used for the "erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards,and other needful buildings. This gives Congress the RIGHT to exercise complete jurisdiction over lands or facilities which has purchased with the sole consent of the legislatures for the specified purposes.

Provision 106 From Article 1.8.18: 'The people of the states empower the Congress to pass any laws which shall be "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers designated above, ir to carry out any other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in the department or offices thereof'. This gave the Congress the RIGHT to pass any other laws needed to implement the provisions of this Constitution.

     Our worldview determines the way we live our life. Our religious belief, moreso than anything else, determines our worldview. It is critical, therefore, for us to have the correct worldview and to live out our lives in adherence to it. But just as critical as what we believe, is the reason for why we believe it. We must look deeper than the surface level of what we believe, and find the deeper value for why we believe it. To use the analogy of a house, what good is a roof without a good foundation upon which to build it?

     I have never made any attempt to hide my adherence to the Christian religion. I wear the title of "Christian" like a badge of honor, and try to live my life as Christ would have me live it. (though i undoubtedly come up short sometimes, as do we all!) I believe the Holy Bible cover to cover, and acknowledge the divinity of Christ and his teachings. As I have matured, I have taken an interest in history, philosophy, and apologetics. (apologetics is, for those who don't know, the study and art of defending the faith)

     1 Peter 3:15 says:

     "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to anyone who asketh a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." (King James Bible)

     Matthew 22:37 says: "...Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy MIND..."

     I, as a Christian, am commanded by God to give a defense of my faith in Him, and to challenge other theories which go against His teachings, and defeat them. I will attempt to do so in this series of articles with a logical, scientific argument.

     In my opinion, the Church has not been doing a proper job of giving an answer for their faith against the other worldviews. In particular, Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The Church has, in many ways, accepted the doctrines of Darwinism and Atheistic principles, and have mixed them in with Scripture. (The Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, Theistic Evolution, Progressive Creation, etc) The lack of response from the Church has led to Christianity gaining a reputation of a "superstituious group of fools who place blind faith in something they have no proof of." The Church has failed to love the Lord with all our MINDS (Matt 22:37).

     In these articles, I will attempt to give a logical, philosophical, and scientific defense of the Christian faith. Many atheists or skeptics view the Christian religion as one of blind faith simply because they've never seen a Christian give a proper response. So let's recap and let me give you a heads-up of what's coming in the following articles:

     I believe wholeheartedly that the Bible is the infallable, inerrant, everlasting Word of God, and that it is scientifically and logically accurate. I believe the Theory of Evolution is the most dangerous lie ever concoted, and that it has never led to anything beneficial in society, and that it holds no relevance because it is a foolish, unproven, unprovable theory that lacks any scientific evidence. I believe that, though faith is indeed a part of Christianity, a knowledgable Christian requires much less faith than an atheist does in what they cannot prove. And I believe there is sufficient evidence in the known universe to dispell the theory of evolution and point towards the existence of a benevolent God who rules and guides the universe.

     I do hope you all enjoy the series, and I will recommend several other written works that defend the faith better than I ever could and in much better detail over the course of the series. If you are an objective seeker of truth, I have no doubt that by the time I am complete, you will, at the very least, have serious thought provoked in what you believe and what defines your worldview.

     But bear in mind, only objective truth seekers need read these articles. I can present a completely logical defense of my faith, but if you refuse to believe in God because you don't want to, then you have another problem entirely. Many atheists' skepticism of God is not scientific, but volitional. So if you don't believe because you don't want to, you need not read my articles. But if you do seek the truth, then I'll do my absolute best to provide a defense of the faith to get you on the right track.

     Thank you, and I look forward to the rest of the series!

                - Brendan M. Wren

Hello guys and thanks for staying with us! In this part of our journey through the constitution, we will be covering what powers are granted to congress.

When the founders were writing the constitution, they had seen that the Articles of Confederation were to open ended and weak, so they decided to incorporate checks and balances into our legislative system.

Starting from Article 1 Section 8 reads: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises…” You may be asking what some of those words mean, don’t worry; I will define them for you! Duties being: imports, exports, or manufactured goods. Impost being imports of different kinds similar to duties, and Excises being the federal sales tax. This seems like over taxation while just looking at it, but that is why the people must elect wise Representatives to adjust the tax levels. Another important note is that Representatives and Senators also must abide by these taxation laws.

“…To pay the debts…” This was due to the debt that the U.S had saddled itself with from the Revolutionary War, and all the States debts along with it.

“…and for the common defense...” Why did they write “common” before “defense?” Well, good question, they included it to clarify that the whole nation came under the “common defense.”

 “…and general welfare of the United States;...” I do believe that this has caused some mighty big confusion up in Washington. Let Thomas Jefferson explain what they meant by “welfare.” He said that this clause was not a grant of power to “spend” for the general welfare of the people, but that it was proposed to “limit the power of taxation” to issues which provided for the welfare of “the Union” or the welfare of the entire nation. Basically, federal taxes could not be levied for certain states, counties, cities, or special interest groups.

“…but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;…” The purpose of this is that it gave the people the right to not have discriminatory taxation placed upon them.

“…To borrow on the credit of the United States.” The purpose of this part basically gave congress the authority to create a national debt. In which we can see as of right now was maybe not the best decision. Thomas Jefferson was a great advocate for not wanting this. Very similar to what we see people saying now, is what he was saying back when writing this. “The question, whether one generation of men has a right to bind another,… is a question of such consequences as not only to merit decision, but place also among the fundamental principles of government. “

This next section will be covering America’s commerce, naturalization, and bankruptcy.

“…To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;...” This gives the federal government the exclusive power to regulate commerce between all foreign countries create a common market of free trade between all of the states including the Indian tribes.

“…To establish a uniform system of rules and regulations for the naturalization of those desiring to become citizens of the United States…” This gave Congress the right to decide how immigrants could become citizens of the United States. This was later re-defined by the 14th amendment.

“…To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;…” This gave Congress the right to make a uniform bankruptcy law to cover all of the states since all of the states had different laws.

The last section will consist of money, post offices, and copyrights and patents.

“…To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;...” This provision gave Congress the right to make its own national coin, lay out the weight and value it with other national currencies. The standard weights and measures means that Congress could provide a uniform currency to discontinue all of the states different types of currencies to all equal the same.

“…To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;…” This made it a federal crime to counterfeit U.S. securities and coins. As of now, the Secret Service, a branch of the Treasury Department handles all of the cases with counterfeiting.

“…To establish post offices and post roads;…” Basically, this gave congress the power to set up the U.S. Postal Service and determine the routes for which it should take for quickest delivery.

“…To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;…” This gave writers and inventors the exclusive right to their work for a designative amount of time. Through this clause, the U.S. has been able to become the worlds most innovative society yet.

“…To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;…” This gave Congress the responsibility to provide the people a sufficient federal court system.

“…To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;…” Because of piracy, commerce was heavily attacked on the seas, so now Congress could define and punish those crimes. The “law of nations” means international law. This allowed Congress to define crimes committed by other countries against the United States.

Well, that was a lot of information to ingest, but thanks for staying with me! Keep looking out for the next part of our Constitutional discussion!

-Matt

     Hey T4AT readers and fellow Patriots! In this post, I’m going to talk about Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution. Section 7 is about the Legislative process and explains what it takes for a bill to become a law in America. So grab that pocket Constitution, and let’s get started!

     As we all know, the Legislative Branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A bill will usually begin by saying “Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that…”

     Once the Representatives are elected by the people, all legislative powers are granted to them.

     “The legislative cannot transfer the power of making laws to any other hands, for it being but a delegated power from the people, they who have it cannot pass it over to others…” –John Locke

     To begin, Section 7.1 of Article 1 says, “Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.”

     This part of Section 7 intended to make the House of Representatives responsible for raising taxes since they were the direct representatives of the people. This has changed somewhat, however, with the Seventeenth Amendment which also made the Senate elected by the people. The House still has the power of handling money legislation, but they aren’t the only branch of government that represents the people anymore.

     “The House of Representatives…will represent the immediate interests of the people. They will originate all money bills, which is one of the greatest securities in any republican government.” – James Iredell

     The founders feared giving monetary powers to the Senate because they were afraid it would create an aristocracy or even corruption.

     “…The first branch would be the immediate representatives of the people; the second would not. Should the latter have the power of giving away the people’s money, they might soon forget the source from whence they received it. We might soon have an aristocracy.” – George Mason

     “The Senate will be more likely to corrupt than the House of Representatives, and should therefore have less to do with money matters.” – Edmund Randolph

     To summarize, the founders gave the power of legislating money matters to the House of Representatives because they were the direct representatives of the people. And who knows how to spend the peoples’ money better than the people themselves, right? The Senate, however, has the power to amend or reject the legislation after it is approved in the House.

     Article 1.7.2 explains the process a bill must go through in order to become a law.

     Below is a flowchart from nutritionwsda.org which explains the process in simple terms.

     Click here to view the chart. (For some reason it wouldn't upload correctly, but it's a great visual for how the Legislative process works, so please check it out!)

     Finally, Article 1.7.3 says all Orders and Resolutions passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives will be presented to the president. From there, the president can either approve of the bill and sign it into  law or disapprove by vetoing the bill. However, the Senate and the House have the power to overturn the veto with a 2/3 vote in each house.

     In conclusion, Section 7 of Article 1 explains the process a bill must go through in order to become a law. Although the chart above makes it look simple, the road from legislation to law can be a long, slow-moving process. The checks and balances each House and branch of government has on each other is also a crucial part of our Republic as it ensures the law-making process is fair and in the peoples’ best interest. Thank you for reading, and check back for more Truth for American Teens Constitutional Discussions!

Taylor

Make sure you're reading the Constitution along with us!

~Karen