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INTRODUCTION PREFACE INTERVENTION OF RIGHT LOGICAL FALLACIES HEAVILY UTILIZED by POLITICIANS and HOW TO SEE THROUGH THEM THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES RANK CHOICE VOTING

The ideal of freedom is an innovative notion that can be found at the heart of America. This ideal is embodied in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution. But its greatest power lies in where it lives – in the hearts and minds of the American People. The Constitution of the United States provides for checks and balances among the three branches of government. Our Forefathers who authored the Constitution expected the greater power to lie with Congres

This document is meant to be a historical retrospect of the development of the United States of America and how it affects us today; a forward-looking perspective of where the nation may go; and a collaborative intervention for each American to consider how every individual may contribute to reach the ultimate reconciliation of our Founding Fathers vision. I am attempting to write this blog to speak plain language to the American people in the same manner that Thomas Paine di

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Gandhi pioneered and practiced resistance to tyranny through mass nonviolent civil disobedience. While leading nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, build religious and ethnic harmony and eliminate the injustices of the caste system, Gandhi supremely applied the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience to free India from foreign domination. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) As chair of the United Nations Human Rights Commission

An Intervention of Right  is an intervention that grants we citizens the absolute right to intervene when citizens claim an interest is the subject of the proceeding (in this case the governing) that the citizens may be impeded from protecting due to the many tools and obstacles the government (Federal, state and local legislatures, current and past) have put in place to deny the majority and minority of the American people all of their rights due under the constitution that

THE MAGNA CARTA (1215) Magna Carta, meaning “The Great Charter”, is one of the most famous documents in the world. But what does the document actually say? The charter of English liberties was granted by King John on June 15, 1215; by declaring the sovereign to be subject to the rule of law  and documenting the liberties held by “free men” , the Magna Carta provided the foundational expression of the concept of due process  in Angelo-American jurisprudence. It was the first d

Personal Freedom To what extent should the government be able to limit individual freedoms, such as free speech, for the sake of public safety or national security? 1                    2                    3                    4                    5                    6                    7 Total Limit                                                                                                       No Limit In our society today how much of our “true fre

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, to provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America. Article I Section 1: All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a

Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Amendment II A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment III No soldier shall, in

11th Amendment The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State. 12th Amendment The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in the

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Declaration  (ADOPTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS IN PARIS DECEMBER 10, 1948) Preamble Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of

Politicians speak political-speak, a lot of the time without saying anything. They are very clever at making an argument that is illogical. They make something seem authoritarian when there is no authority. Words are said over and over until you believe the non-truths.  These are all utilized extensively by politicians. They utilize deductive and inductive arguments, often incorporating appeals to emotion, authority, and personal experiences to persuade audiences. They also a

While the terms “republic” and "democracy" are often used interchangeably, especially in the United States. There are important distinctions. Listed below these distinctions. Democracy: Rule by the People: The core principle of democracy is that the people hold the ultimate power. Direct or Representation: Democracy can take the form of direct democracy , where citizens vote directly on laws and policies, or representative democracy,  where the people elect representatives to

The Founders distrusted political parties. They saw them as engines of self-interest and division that were at odds with the public good. But political parties formed quickly in the early republic, starting only a few years after the Constitution was ratified. The subsequent development of a two-party system became an invaluable way of organizing the American people into blocks of voters with shared ideas about important issues. The waning strength of organized parties in rec

Historical Perspectives Nations and citizens of nations must decide how much government regulation of the economy is appropriate. Therefore, a clear understanding of the historical developments, meaning, political associations, and synonyms of these three words is essential  The words capitalism , socialism , and communism describe different economic systems.  The concepts of capitalism and socialism originated in Europe in the early 19th century. Prior to their advent, the e

Article I Section 2: The House of Representatives The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty-five Years and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when

WHAT IS RANK CHOICE VOTING A Ranked-Choice Voting  system (RCV) is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. There are multiple forms of ranked-choice voting. This page focuses on the most commonly used form of RCV for single-winner elections, also known as instant runoff voting (IRV), and provides some supplemental information on other forms of this electoral system. In instant-runoff voting, if a candidate wins a majority of first-p

Acknowledgements Democracy and the Constitution Clinic Fordham University School of Law Caroline Kane, Gianni Mascioli, Michael McGarry, Meira Nagel January 2020 This report was researched and written during the 2018-2019 academic year by students in Fordham Law School’s Democracy and the Constitution Clinic, which is focused on developing non-partisan recommendations to strengthen the nation’s institutions and its democracy. The clinic is supervised by John D. Feerick and Jo