Presidential Pamphlet
Ashley Ball, Hour 5
Becoming the President
Requirements to Become President:
+ Natural born citizen
+ Resident of 14 years
+ 35 years old
Presidential Powers Given in Article II:
Executive:
+ Execution and enforcement of laws
+ Sign legislation into law or veto it
+ Appoints the heads of federal commissions
+ Command armed forces
Diplomatic:
+ Make treaties
+ Send and receive amabssadors
Judicial:
+ Nomination of Supreme Court Justices
Legislative:
+ Veto bills
+ Propose new legislation
+ Sign bills into law
Executive power is the most important power given to the President because it gives the president the most power and freedom to act. Executive power allows the president to create and pass laws without the advice of his advisers, which no other branch has. The president has the power to pass or veto all legislation that is passed by both the House and Senate. He has the ability to start war and command all of the armed forces. Executive power is independent power.
Salary, Benefits and Perks:
Annual Salary: $400,000
Benefits:
+The president receives free health care during his term and after he leaves office, free transportation from a limo, the Air Forces, and the Marines, as long as it is for business purposes and an office and living space giving to him.
Perks:
+The presidential White House is given to him to live him during the term for free, and it can be altered to any of the president's requests. In his home, he also receives things that most people could only dream of. These include a personal chef, a personal gym, a movie theater and a pool (only to name a few).
Leadership Qualities
Trust:
+ The people must be able to trust their president or nothing else will be able to happen. The president is holding the well being of every citizen in his hands, and he will want to make changes that will allow the nation to run safer and smoother than ever before. The citizens must trust that the decisions made will be for the greater good.
Motivation:
+ The president must be motivated to run the nation well. If there is no motivation, none of the ideas of himself or otherwise will be able to start into motion. Presidents lacking in motivation will be able to do nothing but watch the nation fall into chaos that never had to be there in the first place.
Goals:
+ The president must have goals that will make the nation better. These goals can include anything from things that will make the citizens happier, to things that will make the military stronger. But all of these goals must be for the greater good of the citizens and the nation for the citizens will begin to protest.
Negotiation:
+ The president must be able to easily and efficiently negotiate with others. During his course as the president, he will have to negotiate with heads of committees and cabinets, the citizens, and even leaders of other countries. These negotiations will include creating/changing new laws, creating peace and lowering taxes.
Decisions:
+ The president must be able to make decisions well, and make a lot of them. The president will be required to make decisions on legislation that passes through his office, petitions by citizens that come through his office, how to act on national disasters, and whether or not war is necessary and where to sen the troops.
Roles of the President
Party Leader:
+ In this role, the president helps members of his political party get elected or appointed to office. The president campaigns for those members who have supported his policies. At the end of a term the president may campaign for reelection with his party’s support.
Guiding Questions
1. To what political party does the current president belong?
+ Democratic
2. In what ways can a sitting president work on behalf of his party?
+ He can pass bills that are in favor of his party and veto ones that are not.
3. In what ways can the president's party continue to work on his behalf?
+ They can propose legislation he is in favor of and enacting the president's policies.
Commander-in-Chief:
+ The president is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces. That means all of the military leaders report to and take orders from the president. The president performs this duty as a civilian, someone who is not in military service.
Guiding Questions
1. What is the benefit of having a civilian who is an elected public official as the commander-inchief?
+ The civilian knows best how much we feel we need war and if it is necessary.
2. What might be some of the drawbacks?
+ They may not care for the nation, but only for the government and power.
Chief Executive:
+ The president is the chief executive, empowered to administer the laws and affairs of the nation. While the president does not make the laws, his agencies have the responsibility and authority to carry out the laws.
Guiding Questions:
1. Which recent executive orders have impacted the state of the nation?
+ Obama recently created more laws surrounding gun control and ownership.
2. What article in the Constitution grants the president executive power?
+ Article II
Chief of State:
+ The president's role as chief of state is to represent the United States at public events. This is mainly a ceremonial role that allows the president to promote/convey/represent American values and acknowledge others who do the same.
Guiding Questions
1. When has a president visited U.S. cities in distress?
+ Obama visited Colorado after the effects of a devastating wildfire struck.
2. How would a president play the role of chief of state during wartime?
+ They play the role as the ultimate leader of the country and gain more power.
Chief Diplomat:
+ Being a diplomat involves interacting with leaders from other nations. The president takes the lead in foreign relations by associating with foreign leaders and, along with the help of Congress, develops a foreign policy with other nations.
Guiding Questions
1. Which foreign leaders has the president recently hosted at the White House? Which nations has the president recently visited? What have been the motivating reasons for these visits?
+ Obama visited France after the terror attack on citizens to give them assistance.
2. Which countries have been traditional allies of the United States? Do these friendly relationships remain strong today?
+ Our allies include Canada, Britain, France, Turkey, Italy, Australia, and Germany.
Chief Legislator:
+ Though the president cannot make laws, he can voice his own ideas and opinions to Congress while they draft legislation. He does this through speeches promoting his agenda and by meeting with Congress to discuss policies.
Guiding Questions
1. Name one controversial piece of legislation that the president has pushed through Congress.
+ Obamacare
2. How has the president pushed his plan for healthcare?+ He has supplied information to Medicaid agencies, employers and their citizens.
Describing the Roles:
Party Leader:
+ The role of the party leader is to make decisions that favor the political party he is a part of, and to ensure that they will be working for him; all the while keeping the nation as a whole happy.
Commander-In-Chief:
+ The role of the commander-in-chief is to declare war when necessary and to pull back when necessary. They need to make the best decisions as to when and where are troops will be sent and how they deal with the situation.
Chief Executive:
+ The role of the chief executive is to ensure that laws are listened to and carried out, while creating new laws that benefit the nation. He also has the ability to out executive order when legislation is necessary and needed immediately.
Chief of State:
+ The role of the chief of state is to make peace and keep the nation calm. This can be done by flying out to cities in need in order to give them reassurance that the government is helping them as best as they can to protect them.
Chief Diplomat:
+ The role of the chief diplomat is to keep peace between ourselves and foreign nations. The president can welcome in foreign ambassadors and create treaties between countries to keep allies and assistance and peace.
Chief Legislator:
+ The role of the chief legislator is to create legislation, oversee the process, and on occasion, use executive order. He can decided which pieces of legislation will be vetoed and which will be passed into law, based on the nation's needs.
Current Issue in America
The most common argument against stricter gun control is that these new laws would only take guns away from the law abiding citizens. Criminals who are already holding unregistered guns will be under no obligation to give them back or make their ownership known. This is a valid point that is backed up by facts and extensive research. In 1976 when a hand-gun ban and trigger-lock law became effective, gun violence stayed level for 10 years then went up by about 73% in three years! In 2007 when this law was struck down, we saw gun violence decrease by almost 11% in the first year alone.
In the past, the government has attempted to control gun ownership, and even go so far as to ban guns entirely in certain areas. The most popular example of this occurred in Chicago in 1982. Only certain citizens who were previously registered gun owners were allowed to have their guns. No new citizens would be allowed to buy guns. But even those who previously owned guns would have to re-register their guns every two years, or they would have them taken away; but this law was soon changed to require re-registration ever year. The gun violence rate decreased by about 5% immediately after the law was put into action; but within 10 years, the gun violence rate ultimately went up by 10%. These gun laws only took away guns from the people who need the protection. and safety.
There are other ways to create control within the nation that will be considerably more effective. It is necessary to meet in the middle when it comes to creating new laws, the extreme will not be effective. If I were the president, I would make gun ownership more regulated, but by no means get rd of it completely. I understand the guns are for protection and hunting because I come from a family of hunters and plan on going myself. The best idea would be to continue to require background checks and only allow those without a past of violent crime to own guns. This would keep guns out of violent hands, while still allowing the innocent people to protect themselves from the guns who have gotten into the wrong hands. The problem here isn't the guns, it is controlling the people who have them.
There are a few ways the president can make this happen using his Constitutional powers. The most common way to have a law passed is to create a piece of legislation to be sent to the House and the Senate for review. There must be a goal behind this legislation or there will be no effect on the citizens or only anger them, and they will lose trust in you as a president. Make sure that what you create will do only good for the citizens by helping to keep them safe. Once it goes through these two stages, the president is then able to either veto it or pass it into law. If the House and the Senate do not want this bill to be passed, there will always be room for negotiation. In extreme cases, you will have to make the tough decision to use executive order. Make sure the motivation behind this choice is positive, because the decision made will fall directly on your shoulders. There is always changes to be made within the country to make it run as smoothly as possible, make sure you are up to the challenge.