Constitutional Democracy Essay -- essays research papers

systemal Democracy     The basic premise of a constitutional democracy is that organisation hasrules and solely of the people have voices. Through free and fair elections weelect candidates to represent us. The composition of the United Statesguarantees us the right to do this, and to live democratically. The framersattacked tyrannical government and advanced the following musical themes that governmentcomes from below, not from above, and that it derives its powers from theconsent of the governed that men have certain natural, inalienable rights thatit is wise and feasible to distribute and balance powers within government, grown local powers to local governments, and general powers to the nationalgovernment that men are born equal and should be treated as equal before thelaw. The framers of the U. S. Constitution sought to make these ideas thegoverning principles of a nation. Constitutional democracy has three basicelements. Those being interacting values, interrelated political processes andinterdependent political structures.     The first idea of interacting values is popular consent. Popularconsent means that government must obtain consent for its actions from thepeople it governs. It is similar to majority rule, a political process, in thatthe most popular acts or ideas of the people will be adopted by our government.There must be an allowance or willingness on behalf of the unpopular group tolose.     Popular consent may provide a means for judging parental consent lawsfor minors seeking abortion. Since minors are not legally allowed to becompetent to engage in sex, to enter into contracts, or to form sufficient"informed consent" to agree to their own medical treatment, it is improbablethat they would be regarded as competent to make a life and death decision aboutsomething that later in life they might themselves regard as a real person, withindividual rights   &nbs p Drawing on several major contributions of the enlightenment, includingthe political theory of John Locke and the economic ideas of Adam Smith,individualism posts the individual human race being as the basic unit out of whichall larger well-disposed groups are constructed and grants priority to his or herrights and interests over those of the state or social group... ...ve powers of the president likewise wereproscribed in a number of places by designated responsibilities. The judicialpower was to be wielded by judges. Explicit jurisdiction of the courts wassubject to congressional definition.     Checks and balances are the constitutional controls whereby separatebranches of government have limiting powers over each other so that no branchwill become supreme. possibly the best known system of checks and balancesoperates in the U.S. government under provisions of the federal constitution.The operation of checks and balances in the federal government is s pelled out inthe Constitution.     The Constitution of the United States has afforded us many rights. Attimes, those rights are in contention. At others, we would be in anarchywithout them. Constitutional democracy is a beautiful thing. Although we maynot all have the same amount of wealth, we have the liberty to. We have theright to be heard. And how is this right anymore exemplified than voting? Ourrepresentatives will do what we want, and if they dont give us a couple ofyears and well find someone else who will promise to. AMEN.