Citizens can now access the information held on them by some 100,000 organisations. This act came into full force n 2005 yet even though public authorities are required to publish more information there are still many which can withhold information on the grounds of public safety or national security. In the respect this reform was of little impact as many companies can excuse not giving away information by claiming its for national security or public safety. One reform which has had a major impact on the constitution was devolution. Britain, at best can be described as quasi-federal as opposed to unitary state or a federal state.
Should the Westminster electoral system be reformed? The Westminster electoral system has been a target for reform for a long time. Despite the loss in the 2011 referendum, reform is still wanted by a number of people especially the Liberal Democrats who will benefit the most. First Past the Post is the system that Westminster uses for election to the Houses of Commons it is a simple majority or plurality system that requires a candidate to get more votes than anyone else. One argument that the Westminster electoral system should be reformed is that First Past the Post doesn't give the social representation that other system gives, for example in the Parliament elected in 2010, women, 51% of the population, are represented by 22% of Parliament therefore an under representation, however, university educated are overrepresented, 91% of the Houses of Commons represent 31% of the population but having PR doesn't guarantee that the social composition of Parliament only making the percentage of votes more proportional towards the seats.
Only seven states ratified the 27th Amendment in the 18th century, and after the seventh did so, it took the eighth state almost 81 years to ratify it, and another 105 years in addition for the ninth state. Only due to one student, Gregory Watson of the University of Texas at Austin, and his valiant letter-writing campaign, did this amendment even get resurfaced attention, let alone a serious look at ratification. Over 202 years after its proposition, the amendment became a part of the United States Constitution. Even with this amendment in place, it does not address the larger issue of congressional pay itself. While the prohibition of immediate pay raises does help the problem on a smaller level, it does not do
There have been approximately 11000 proposed amendments to the US constitution but only 27 have been passed with the first 10 being collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The success rate of amendments since the constitution was first set up has been less than 1%. One reason why most proposed amendments fail to pass is due to the Founding Fathers when the Constitution was first drawn up. The founders wanted the bar set high because they believed that most issues should be left to the ordinary political process. A constitutional amendment takes an issue away from the normal process of democracy.
| The Relevant Constitution | | | | | 12729C.P. EnglishSeptember 22, 2012 | This year the Constitution is 224 years old, and some Americans think it is high time it retired. Although the Constitution is the oldest national Constitution in existence, in the eyes of America and the planet it is still fairly young (Jamison). The fact that the Constitution was made by the Founding Founders to flex with time and economic status, that over half of all Americans are blind to the political and governmental society, and that the Constitution is the foundation of Americas whole government being; despite the counter argument of others, supports the relevancy of this sacred document. The structure of the Constitution is relevant in every economic situation.
What is an amendment to the Constitution? It is an improvement, a correction to the original Constitution that was approved in 1788. Article V of the Constitution shows that an Amendment becomes a part of the Constitution in two ways, but one has actually been used. All 27 Amendments have been ratified after two-thirds of the House and Senate approve of the proposal and send it to the states for a vote. Then, three-fourths of the states must affirm the proposed Amendment.
As Americans, it is hard to think that the constitution was a “rough draft“. When it was written by the founding fathers, it was implied that it wasn’t perfect. As it was used, it was supposed to be revised and made to adapt so it could become a new and strong form of government. However, if a glance is taken back in history, hardly any revisions have been made. There have only been twenty seven amendments to our constitution to up to the present.
One of the most controversial social and economic problems in the U.S. today is immigration reform and illegal immigration. With the most recent studies done by the Pew Research Center, as of March 2012 there are 11.7 million illegal immigrants residing in this country (Nakamura) Out of these 11.7 million, it was estimated a year before that 198,000 reside in San Diego county (Lee, “Estimated 198,000 illegal immigrants in SD County"). These illegal immigrants range from single migrant workers to whole families who are here on overstayed working visas. Although there are many sides of the illegal immigration problem, one the main disputes is the education of these illegal immigrant children. Public education is considered a right for every
THE CONSTITUTION It provides the main rules, the function and the framework for the government. It also delineates the individual liberties and rights. The US was drafted in 1787 and it is the oldest still existing written constitution. George Washington said: “I do not expect the Constitution to last more than twenty years” but yet it survived because it is short, vague and flexible, and so it is a “living document”. There are no clear details, people is free to interpret, is constantly re-reading it.
Participants in debates on immigration in the early twenty-first century called for increasing enforcement of existing laws governing illegal immigration to the United States, building a barrier along some or the entire 2,000-mile (3,200 km) U.S.-Mexico border, or creating a new guest worker program. Through much of 2006 the country and Congress was immersed in a debate about these proposals. As of April 2010 few of these proposals had become law, though a partial border fence had been approved and subsequently