These days I’m studying Article 2 of the Constitution, which deals with the Executive branch of government. That’s a hot topic these days, and one our current Executive doesn’t seem to understand very well. Last week in Article 2 §1.3 I started to learn about what the electors do. This week I’m looking at Article 2 §1.4 which puts Congress in charge of the electors.
ByGD
Congress Calendars the College, Constitution Article 2 §1.4
ByGD
Income Tax – Constitution Article 1 §9.4
On Wednesdays we study the Constitution. I thought I’d never finish Article 1, Section 8, which lists the powers of Congress. I finally got to Section 9, which denies Congress specific powers. It started off weak with a 20-year timeline for denying the importation of slaves, but it’s getting better. Last week I learned about ex post facto laws. This week I’m on to Article 1 §9.4, which never uses the word “income tax” but used mean America didn’t have one. Read More
ByGD
Constitution Article 1 §8.4 – Bankruptcy
In the wonderful anime series Kino’s Journey, a character who wanders the world in search of a place to settle down finds a country where people live in relative peace and freedom and are welcoming to newcomers. His companion comments that it seems like a perfectly normal place, to which he replies, “A lot of people have to work very hard to make a place normal.”
Democracy is not a spectator sport; but to play the game you have to know the rules. (Ok, it’s not a game, either, but just roll with it.) I’m studying the Constitution, one clause at a time. I’m up to Article 1 §8.4, on naturalization and bankruptcy. Read More
ByGD
Constitution Article 1 §8.4, Naturalization
The Constitution can’t defend itself, and we can’t defend it either if we don’t know what it says. That’s why I study a little bit of it each week. There are seven articles in the Constitution, and I’m still on the first one. Article One has ten sections; I’m studying Section 8, which enumerates the powers of Congress. Last week I read the Commerce Clause.
Buckle up, because Clause 4 is about immigration. Read More
ByGD
No Slacking, Constitution Article 1 §5.4
It’s not exactly great reading, but like a lot of literature, the Constitution is a simple text people have argued about for centuries. Unlike most literature, the outcomes from those arguments affect our lives every day, even if we aren’t aware of them. I like to know about the things that affect my life, when I can. So on Wednesdays we study the Constitution. Read More