The Debates

This is a late blog for me as I have been pondering the complexities of American government. Tonight we bear witness to one of the tried and true traditions of Democracy in action, The Debate.  I think it's very important to watch and listen and really try to have an open mind regarding the messages of both Presidential candidates.

The United States is a very complex country. It's vast. It's filled with so many different people and some very different opinions, which as an American, is pretty awesome. I'm quite proud of it. I just hope the people that watch the debates tonight do so with an open mind. I've run across far too many closed minded people lately who are very politically charged but don't seem to take a few minutes to understand what is really at the heart of political leadership.

First things first, in these United States of America, real power lies with Congress. The President does not have the power to just make up laws like a king and enforce them upon the people. The President may suggest legislation to Congress and it is then up to scrutiny and revision by the members of both houses. If it's properly vetted and is legislation that will work toward the betterment of our Country, then congress will ratify it and make it a law. The President does have a veto power, which can be over turned by a 3/4 vote in Congress. So let's just be clear about how laws are made and put into action.

The role of the President is as the lynch pin of the checks and balances system between the legislative branches of Government. The President cannot arbitrarily just raise taxes or take away any rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Any changes to government must be ratified by Congress, as representatives of the people. The President does not run America. We run America through our elected officials.

As the Leader of the People of the United States of America, the President must be a diplomat, a businessman, a peace maker, and a tireless beacon of hope for the downtrodden. He/she is the face of America to the world. The duty of the President is spelled out in the oath of office, "To uphold the Constitution".

I think the most important thing a President can do is to be an example to the people he leads. The President must have the interests of the people in his heart with every decision and action. We all know that you can't please everyone in this vast Country. As a leader however, you have to show that anything is possible as long as the American people work together. That working together includes listening to what the candidates have to say and weighing it against our own sense of right and wrong.

I'll share with you a great quote from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson in a letter from May 19, 1821.
"A free government is a complicated piece of machinery, the nice and exact adjustment of whose springs, wheels and weights, is not yet well comprehended by the artists of the age, and still less by the people."