Overview for constitution

Res Judicata: Where is the Authority For a Cell Phone Ban?

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has proposed a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving, which strikes me as a good idea in principle. But like so many good ideas, we cannot judge it by its facial appeal. Moving beyond that, one needs to ask, does the federal government …

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Written by Howard Foster on Monday December 19, 2011

Newt is Confused by Democracy

Newt Gingrich believes in much more democracy than the founding fathers. They believed the U.S. House should consist of representatives elected by white male property owners. Voting at the time was a public act. On election day the voters would show up at a public place, usually a county seat, …

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Written by Howard Foster on Monday December 12, 2011

Free Minds, Free Markets, Free Booze?

A colleague sends over this video of a man in Montana being stopped for a DUI. He responds by proclaiming his fealty to the Constitution and Ron Paul: The video is amusing, and to be sure, one intoxicated man doesn’t necessarily represent an entire movement. However, there still …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Monday September 12, 2011

Balanced Budget Amendments: Ineffective, Untried

The Balanced Budget Amendment has more support now than at any point in the past decade and a half. Nearly all Republican candidates for President support it in some form and many Democrats in Congress also have nice things to say about it. A look at states in the United States and countries around …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday September 6, 2011

The Debt Limit has to be Constitutional

The Balkin-Bartlett view of the Fourteenth Amendment and the public debt is tempting. But that view seems to me very clearly wrong. The Balkin-Bartlett view of the Fourteenth Amendment and the public debt is tempting.  But having read and considered Ajay's excellent blogpost , that view seems …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 6, 2011

Sorry, the Debt Limit Looks Constitutional

Despite what some would hope, it looks like the debt ceiling is indeed constitutional. With negotiations over the debt limit going down to the wire, the threat of a catastrophic default looms on the horizon. In order to prevent this disaster from happening, some analysts and experts think …

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Written by Ajay Ravichandran on Wednesday July 6, 2011

Iceland "Crowdsources" Constitutional Reboot

Iceland is "crowdsourcing" its new constitution, posting draft clauses on its website, inviting feedback at its Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube channel. While others preach the potential of e-government as a possible method of push-button direct democracy, tiny Iceland has seized the …

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Written by Robin Tim Weis on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Michele Bachmann: Bad Constitutionalist

Michele Bachmann’s recent statements on the budget fight show she still has a lot to learn about the U.S. Constitution. Michele Bachmann’s recent statements on the budget fight show she still has a lot to learn about the U.S. Constitution. In her criticism of the compromises being made, she …

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Written by Perry Yates on Wednesday April 13, 2011

Why the Balanced Budget Amendment is No Good

The proposed Balanced Budget Amendment is an awful idea that would fundamentally change American politics for the worst if it passed. The latest Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) proposal is not only an unworkable fiscal monstrosity but also the most fundamental change to our system of government …

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Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Sunday April 3, 2011

The Whiskey Rebellion

Today - September 24th - marks the day in 1794 when President Washington ordered the militia out to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. It was the first time under the United States Constitution that the federal government used military force to exert authority over the nation's citizens. Today - …

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Written by Sean Linnane on Thursday September 24, 2009

Honduran "Coup": Blame Zelaya, Not Congress

Currently, deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is holed up in Tegucigalpa after a harrowing overland escape into his own country. He is attempting to stir up anti-democratic populism to overthrow the current government. Yet, the United States still won’t budge from it's stance that his …

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Written by Tyler Montgomery on Thursday September 24, 2009