Abstract
A constitution is without any doubt a highly vital document. It gives a clear outline along which any sovereign state or country sets out to carry out its operations. It generally plays the role of protecting the rights of the citizens of a concerned nation, irrespective of their religion, caste, creed, sex, social status or physical appearance. In a nutshell, it may be defined as a document that contains a set of rules or fundamental principles defining a system of government, the institutional structure, and confines it within which a regulated measure of power. Ruhl, (1998).
There are several goals and rules that generally govern the designing of any constitution. This ensures that once it is passed, it is able to fully carry out its intended purpose. The first is freedom for the people. Ely (1980). Situations such as over-taxation and over-regulation create a sense of oppression for a nation’s citizens. By upholding security, protection, order and justice it will ascertain that countrymen can enjoy their lives and move into prosperity. The mode and choice of governance is also crucial. As portrayed by Burns, (1986). The constitution should be structured in a manner in which it does not create a monopoly of power since it may easily fall prey to abuse.
The nature of the people or subjects of leadership also holds a lot of weight when it comes to the issue of execution of the constitution. As the American founding fathers said, the form of your constitution is not important but the moral stability of your people is. If you don’t have moral stability, no amount of careful structuring and mechanization of a political constitution will save you. It begins and ends in the quality of the people. The constitution is based on a social compact between the people themselves.
Benjamin Franklin – who was one of the writers of the US constitution, acknowledged that only a virtuous people can be able to attain freedom. He went on to warn that if nations chose to become corrupt and vicious, there is a greater need for masters and people themselves will insist upon it. This phrase was very instrumental in the year 1787 which is the same year that the constitution launched what turned out to be the miracle of America from which we have heavily strayed. The founding fathers passed a law that dictated a mandatory teaching of religion, morality and knowledge. Skousen, (1986).
In general, it was all in an attempt to lay out the basic structure in an attempt to create a well balanced centre for governance and development as well as deals with limitations on power.
In this paper, I chose to assess the Executive Function of the National Government. It comprises four agencies that advise the president on key policy areas. These are; The White House office, The National Security Council, The Council of Economic Advisors and The Office of Management and Budget. It entails the president’s main advisors among others; who are collectively placed and designed to deal with domestic, foreign and military policies affecting security issues, economic policy and preparation of the federal budget. Longley (2006)
The first area that is of much sensitivity is the matter of government spending. The president submits a national budget to congress and signs the budget into law. It determines how much money is going to be spent each year. If a country is in recession, the executive branch might increase the government spending to promote jobs which might directly increase people’s welfare through provision of jobs and unemployment payments.
We also have the tax cuts and increases. They have an impact on the American economic system because they have an effect on the amount of money the American people have to spend. If the country is in a recession, a tax cut will give people more money to spend, thereby helping the economy grow.
The final aspect to be examined is that of national security. This is actually the most essential task or endeavor that is embarked on by the executive. Legislation of laws to govern the security of an individual as well as techniques put aside to steer off any threats or enemies from the country as a whole definitely stands for a weighty matter. Bush, (2007).
These moves in turn foster good relations between Americans and their government since it plays a crucial role in helping them attain economic empowerment and ensuring they are able to earn their living within a comfortable and reachable range.
In the international platform, tax cuts will encourage business relations between America and other nations since the cost of doing business will be significantly reduced.
On the overall world stage, it places America in a leadership and trend setter position in matters of economic growth and development. With the improved living standards of its inhabitants, the economy is also raised substantially. Enhancement of national security will also go a long way in maintaining the trust and confidence of the American people.
However, as we may all understand, these advancements are not without their short-comings. The issue that has led to the greatest antagonism has been the amount of funding and general attention that has been allocated to the national security sector. It has been said that too much funding is being disbursed to it and is in-turn leaving other crucial sectors such as the socio-economic front unattended.
Numerous thinkers have also criticized the unitary executive arrangement claiming that the concentration of power at the presidency level is dangerous. Thinkers such as Naomi Wolf stepped forward to suggest that if a nation is seriously challenged by terrorism, there are actual possibilities of a dictatorship or tyranny stemming from an over-zealous president striving to uphold the safety of his people. Sulcer, (2011).
References
J. B. Ruhl,(1998), Constitutional Law. Vol 1.
J. H. Ely, (1980), Democracy and Distrust.
Robert Longley, The Basic structure and Functions of the United States Federal Government.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/rightsandfreedoms/u/gov101.htm#s1
George. W. Bush, (2007), National Security and Homeland Security Directive. p 1&2
Roger. A. Burns, (1986), A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the United States Constitution, Washington DC p 1-3.
Clean. W. Skousen, (1986), The Role of the Constitution in the Development of a Nation.
Thomas.W. S. (2011), Talk, 02:42 (UTC)
