Constitutional Amendments & Me

BY MARCO GUTIERREZ

Constitutional Amendments & Me

BEING BORN IN THE USA, MY LIFE HAS BEEN SHAPED AND DEFINED BY MY RIGHTS. THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION SERVE AS CORE RULES THAT WE, AS A CULTURE, HOLD MOST DEARLY.

In the words of the Bill of Rights:

The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

How is are amendments ratified?

!! First, an amendment must be proposed by at least

two-thirds of both of the houses of the Congress or a convention called by two-thirds of the states. Then it must be ratified by three quarters of the Congress, or by three quarters of the convention. !! Only once has an amendment been ratified by a convention: in 1933, the twenty-first amendment, an amendment thats sole purpose was to repeal the eighteenth amendment, which established prohibition of alcohol.

1st Amendment
!! 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. !! To me, this amendment is very important. My philosophical and spiritual beliefs as a person are no concern to the government, and I am very glad I am able to practice my beliefs in peace. I also am a strong supporter of protest and assembly, as I think it a practice that our country was founded upon, and something fundamental to the structure of society.

2nd Amendment
!! 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. !! The right to bear arms is a right that is currently the subject of debate and controversy. Although I am not extremely opinionated on the subject, I do believe the right to bear arms is a right which is of great importance. I do not believe that banning guns would get them out of the hands of criminals and violent people, since those people already have an affinity to breaking the law, and they will get them anyway. I believe banning guns would simply create a much larger business of illegal gun trade between Mexico and the United States, which would cause even more violence and corruption. I do, however, believe in healthy restrictions. I am happy to know, personally, that if I were to ever have a need to own a gun (though hopefully I never will) I will have the ability to attain one legally.

4th Amendment
!! The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against

unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. !! I am very happy to know that I am not at any time of the day due to be searched for no good reason. Search warrants, to me, offer the security to know that if I am not breaking any laws and giving evidence of it, I am safe from having my home and my property invaded.

8th Amendment
!! Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual

punishments inflicted. !! Although I am no excessive law-breaker, it is good to know that if I were to ever be arrested for something that the punishment for it would be reasonable. No cruel or unusual punishment is an essential part of living in a fair society. !! That being said, I do believe that certain punishments for crimes are very unbalanced. An example of this is that there have been companies laundering drug-money, getting caught, and receiving minimum punishment, while at the same time small-time drug dealers are being given strict, long-term sentences.

19th Amendment
!! The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the

United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. !! As a white male, this amendment does not directly apply to me. It does, however, apply to my mother and all of my female relatives. This amendment is, perhaps, one of the most important and long overdue, being that it reinforces and practices the equality our country was founded upon.

26th Amendment
!! The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote

shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. !! If we were to enter a situation of crisis, and the United States would be forced to draft people into the army, I would be a viable candidate for the draft and likely to be sent to war against my will. I think it makes sense that if I am able to go to war against my own will, I ought to at least be able to vote on the people making these decisions.

27th Amendment
!! No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives,

shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened. !! This prevents Senators and Representatives creating laws to make themselves more money. I take comfort in this law, because I do not want to see my tax money going to pay for these people to get richer and richer in office, simply because they want to.

REMOVE: 9th Amendment

!! The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or

disparage others retained by the people. !! I believe that the rights that we consider to be not enumerated by the bill of rights should be specified and then put into the form of amendments. This will get rid of any ambiguity. Some of the rights included are the right to send ones children to private school, and the right to privacy in marriage.

ADD: 28th Amendment

!! Beginning with the next national election, elections shall be held by popular vote, and

not by the electoral college. !! The electoral college serves no good purpose anymore. It was originally intended to balance out the amount of uninformed, uneducated voters who would simply default for the most familiar name. With mass media, including television, internet and radio, the number of people uninformed and defaulting on familiarity is extremely low, no doubt a negligible amount, making the electoral college unnecessary, outdated and overdue for removal.