Revising the constitution

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The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are very detailed and intricate documents. They remain effective documents for guiding our country even today. Many people believe that there should be regular reviews of the documents with regular updates. Technology, accepted lifestyles and world events have changed significantly and continue to change at a rapid pace. The constitution should be written to include all states, replacing individual state constitutions. Although the Constitution and Declaration of Independence remain applicable today, they require regular review and update. For example, in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States, it states “To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years (Harmon, Carolyn).” The war powers are defined in Article 2, Section 2, Congress declares war, while the president wages war. It seems that this should be clarified as presidents have sent US troops to battle without a declaration of war, these battles lasting much longer than two years. In Article II, section 2, “The President shall be Commander in Chief … and he shall have the Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in cases of Impeachment (Harmon, Carolyn).” Why should the president have sole power to pardon people? This seems unfair, especially after the person has been tried and found guilty and a sentence has been imposed. The president should not have to the power to overrule the verdict and release someone. Article III, section 3 “No person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court (Harm... ... middle of paper ... ...ricans will have an opinion about something in the Constitution. Our government has a system of checks and balances but without compromises, stalemate is inevitable. Constitutional amendments can be added, ratified and repealed over time. Through its amendments, our constitution is changed. Regular reviews of the constitution would ensure that is is relative to our world today. Our Constitution and Declaration of Independence have endured for 225 years and remain powerful and effective tools to guide our country, however our world continues to change at a rapid pace. Some argue that the Constitution needs to be discarded and completely re-written. Ongoing regular review and update of our Constitution would guarantee that the problems of the United States are addressed and that our Constitution remains applicable to current world issues and times.

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