Colby Mathe
Bio
Student of Political Science at UC Merced.
Stories (4/0)
I Object
“We live in a free country!” This is something you have likely heard if you live anywhere in the U.S. other than under a rock. Even with all its flaws, the United States is at least more free than most other countries (cato.org). We are a constitutional republic, a representative democracy in which the government is bound to a written constitution. One feature of our constitution that some say lends to our freedom is our system of checks and balances. Each of the three branches of government works to counter and balance each other out so that no one branch becomes too powerful. This system works in several ways, among the most notable being the presidential veto power. The veto power allows presidents to overrule congressional decisions, forcing congress to re-vote and requiring the vetoed bill to pass with a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to bypass the veto. This power, though great, is rarely used and instead presidents often choose to use alternative methods of dissuading congress from taking certain action. Three veto alternatives that presidents have used are signing statements, issuing veto threats, and the line-item veto. Should the president use these methods though, or do they represent executive overreach?
By Colby Mathe3 years ago in The Swamp
One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Dinner
“Eat your food! There are starving children in Africa!” This is a statement many of us in the U.S. have heard (or at least we have heard something similar to it). It is meant to make it clear that we as Americans are lucky to have food and spell out that wastefulness is harmful. The truth is we are lucky, and even when we have not eaten all day, most Americans do not know what it is to be truly starving. In other nations however, starvation to the point of even death is a very serious and present threat. Even truer is that food waste is a massive problem in the U.S. There may however be something the U.S. can do to alleviate this horrible burden, and it is right under our noses.
By Colby Mathe3 years ago in The Swamp
When the Government Came For Your Gold
“Screw the president!” This may be something that you have thought at some point about a president. Presidents, for better or worse, have a notable impact on American politics. While a lot of what presidents do like signing bills and holding press conferences might not require a lot of direct action or initiative, Executive Orders are an exception. With the ability to steer the direction of Federal agencies, presidents hold a policy making power not entirely unlike that of the Legislative branch. One such Executive Order, Executive Order 6102, allowed the government to seize privately owned gold, but also had compelling legal and economic justifications. Nevertheless, the order was still seen as rather controversial and has had lasting implications for the United States.
By Colby Mathe3 years ago in The Swamp
3 Reasons That You As An American Should Care About Global Poverty
"There are starving children in Africa. Eat your food!" Almost every American has heard this phrase used by their parents. It is meant to invoke feelings of gratitude, but it holds a grain of truth; there are children starving in Africa, and Asia, and Central and South America. Anywhere you go, there is, at some level, poverty. Many of you reading may be thinking to yourself something along the lines of "Why should I care about poverty abroad when the U.S. has its own problems?" This article seeks to answer that very question by providing 3 reasons that Americans should care about global poverty and support foreign aid for developing nations.
By Colby Mathe3 years ago in The Swamp