RESPOND TO YOUR CLASSMATES POST AND PROVIDE 2 REFERENCES!

ORIGINAL QUESTION:

Go back and re-read the powers of Congress located in Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution:1)Identify anything on the list the surprises you and why and2)Identify anything that is not on the list for which, in your experience, you know there is Federal involvement.

In your replies try to find ways to drive the discussion toward any of the lessons learned in the first three units. Find ways to refer to our textbook as often as you can in your discussion.

CLASSMATES POST:

Hello class,

A handful of items on the list take me by surprise. To begin, Congress has the authority to declare war. This is a massive duty, and I'm amazed it hasn't been assigned to the president. I suppose the founders intended to ensure that going to war was a conscious legislative choice. Second, Congress has the authority to create money and set its value. Again, this is a massive duty, and I'm amazed that it hasn't been delegated to the executive branch. I suppose the founders intended to ensure that the country's monetary policy was not subject to the president's whims. Finally, the president can be impeached by Congress. This surprises me because it appears to be quite challenging to remove a sitting president from office. The founders, I suppose, sought to ensure that the president was not above the law. Overall, I'm amazed at the amount of authority Congress possesses. I suppose the founders sought to ensure that the executive branch did not have too much authority.

I know the federal government is involved in a few areas that aren't on the list. To begin, the federal government is active in education. The Department of Education is a government organization that funds public schools and establishes educational standards. Second, the federal government is concerned with environmental issues. The Environmental Protection Body is a government agency responsible for pollution control and environmental protection. Finally, the federal government participates in social welfare. The Department of Health and Human Services is a federal government organization that assists low-income families. Overall, the federal government is involved in a few things that are not on the list. I suppose the founders didn't want to list everything the federal government could do, but rather the major powers it possessed.

References:

Primus, R. (2020). Reframing Article I, Section 8.Fordham L. Rev.,89, 2003.

Peterson, F. (2020). Expounding the Constitution.Yale LJ,130, 2.

Walston-Dunham, B. & DeLeo Jr., J.D.(2020). Introduction to law (7th Ed.). Boston, MA.: Cengage Learning, Inc.