Only the President Can Declare War

Michigan Education Portal ^ | Unknown | National Heritage Academies

[Nick Danger]

American System = Democracy
A democracy is based on balancing the power between each branch of the government so that one branch is not so powerful that it is able to control the whole.

Executive	Legislative		Judicial
President • is the only branch of the government that can declare war • leader of the military • can veto laws passed by the Legislature • makes appointments to many committees • suggests laws and proposes budgets • can take military action without approval of Congress	Congress • is the only branch of the government that can pass laws • makes and passes laws • passes budgets and allocates funds to departments and projects • can withhold funds for military actions, but otherwise has no military power • can pass new tax laws without a vote of the people	Supreme Court • is the only branch of the government that interprets and enforces the Constitution, Bill of Rights and codified law
	Basis of Power • elected by the population through a vehicle called the electoral college	Basis of Power • elected by a majority of votes cast in the states whom they represent		Basis of Power • appointed by the President and ratified by the Legislature
Limits on Power • two 4-year terms • has no judicial power except to pardon criminals • has no power to tax the people and must get funding from the Legislature • has no power over the Legislature except through public opinion. Has power over the Judiciary because the President appoints new judges.	Limits on Power • has no judicial power except for investigation • has no power over other branches except to impede the passage of laws or special programs	Limits on Power • has no power to write law • has no power over the military • have no power to tax the people and must get their funding through the Legislature • has no power over the other two branches except through stricter or looser interpretations of the law

[Nick Danger]

Freepers, this is what the Michigan education system is teaching third graders about the U.S. government. I tripped over this page by accident, and could not believe it. According to the web site,

Michigan EPIC is an educational technology project currently focused on the social sciences. A feasibility study for Michigan EPIC was funded in part by the Michigan Department of Education who recognized the need for an electronic, Internet-based, distance learning website that supplies hard to find social science resources and offers pre-service and practicing teachers material to re-educate themselves in new areas targeted by the Department of Education. This initiative is intended to provide materials for teachers and students to achieve the new social studies learning goals set by the state in the Michigan Curriculum Framework and the federal government in Goals 2000.

[duk]

It's no wonder so many people think congress does not need to declare war, only the president can?!
The president can veto BILLS not laws!

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Clause 2: To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

Clause 4: To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

Clause 5: To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

Clause 6: To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

Clause 7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

Clause 8: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

Clause 9: To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

Clause 10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

Clause 11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

Clause 12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

Clause 13: To provide and maintain a Navy;

Clause 14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

Clause 15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Clause 16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

Clause 17: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, byCession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And

Clause 18: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

[ancient_geezer]

A democracy is based on balancing the power between each branch of the government so that one branch is not so powerful that it is able to control the whole.

Strange definition for democracy. It sure doesn't look like what the founders figured democracy to be:

In a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. - Madison, Federalist #14.

Furthermore the Constitution mandates a Republic as the form of government, not a Democracy:

Constitution Article IV Section. 4:

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.

[general_re]

Public school teachers are consistently drawn from the bottom 25% of their high school and college classes. I can only presume that public-school bureaucrats are the bottom of the bottom of the barrel...

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

I suppose they are reflecting the "state of fact". When was the last time Congress had the guts to declare war or to prevent a Prez from making it? The Consitution is becoming less and less relevant and teaching the kids that it's the Congress who declares war would be misleading.

[lefty4w]

Where is the "America is a Republic" statement.

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP

[FredZarguna]

[Congress]

has no judicial power except for investigation

That would come as a surprise to Andy Johnson and Bill Clinton [and several federal judges]

has no power over other branches except to impede the passage of laws or special programs

Interesting, since it has supreme power over the organization of Judiciary, and it's scope of authority. And must advise and consent to Executive appointees.

Hey, listen, this is all minor. I was taught that the "Constitution of the United States is a living document." Once you accept that lie, anything else is just details.

[FredZarguna]

it's = its, jug.

[First_Salute]

American System = Democratic-Republic of United States

[2harddrive]

This cute purple display does NOT represent good scholarship. For example, it is flat wrong when it says only the President can declare war. He CANNOT. Only CONGRESS can.

[2harddrive]

The Supremes are not elected, either.

[First_Salute]

It's amazing stuff[ing], isn't it?!

[Eastbound]

"Where is the "America is a Republic" statement."

Webster's Twentieth Century Dictionary:

republic, n, ...
1. (a) a state or nation in which the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote (the electorate) and is exercised by representatives elected, directly or indirectly, by them and responsible to them; (b) the form of government of such a state or nation.
The founders of the Constitution laid the cornerstone of our national republic. -- Joseph Story.
2. ...< snip >...
3. a state or nation with a president as its titular head; distinguished from monarchy.

________________________________________

U.S. Constitution, ARTICLE IV, SECTION 4:

"The United States shall guarantte to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."

[Eastbound]

I should have prefaced that with, we should take up a collection and send the school a dictionary.

[Eastbound]

..... along with a copy of the U.S. Constitution.

[Eastbound]

Re: My # 17. I'll donate $10. Perhaps FR would like to sponsor this and send them the articles -- along with an ....(ahem)....appropriately worded letter.

[Nick Danger]

Re: My # 17. I'll donate $10.

I wonder if it's even worth it. This came to my attention by a fluke. I'll bet it's only one of a thousand such ignorant misrepresentations foisted on our nation's unsuspecting schoolchildren every day by our "professional educators."

You have to figure some committee did this... it was proofread... editors of some kind looked at it. Then somebody put it on a web page. And not once during that whole process did this poor web page encounter a single soul who recognized the glaring errors in it. This has to be epidemic among these people. I'm sure it's no better in the other 49 states. Fix this page and ten more just as bad will pop up.

I guess I'd rather see people spend money or time on draining the swamp altogether. Let's fight for school vouchers and hope that in the long run, competition drives the truly inept out of the business.