The President Essays - Heads Of State, Titles,

The President Article II of the US Constitution grants the president numerous powers and responsibilities, but the the authority granted to the modern presidency far exceeds the constitutional definition of office. And through the years, a variety of presidential roles have evolved that were not originally or specifically outlined in the Article. Some of these roles were legislated by congress, the courts granted some, and powerful presidents assumed others. The president's first role is as chief executive, the head of the executive branch and most of its workers. He is responsible for the ethics, loyalty, efficiency, and responsiveness of the federal government and its employees. The evolution of the chief executive's primary role provides a useful example of how the presidential power has developed through the years. At the outset, the Constitution granted the chief executive the power to appoint all officials in the executive branch, but after George Washington's term. Custom gave the chief executive power to remove appointees. Finally, legislation granted him the power to reorganize agencies and to prepare the budgets. In the role of chief of state, the president acts as a ceremonial head of the federal government. This is an extremely important role, for in this capacity, the president must greet distinguished visitors, bestow medals, and host state dinners. The impression he gives others while performing these duties can help him gain support, lift his reputation, and help towards reelection. President William Howard Taft once said the president must act as ?the personal embodiment and representative of the dignity and majesty? of the people, the government, and the laws of the United States. The president also serves as commander in chief of the nation's armed forces, which makes him ultimately responsible for the nation's defense. He appoints and removes generals, makes key military decisions (such as when and where to wage war), and negotiates armistice terms. During wartime emergencies, the president is also entitled to restrict civil liberties, to exert greater control over the economy, to seize industries, to fix wages and prices, and to settle labor disputes. Finally the commander in chief alone decides when and if the nation will use its atomic weapons. This role is extremely important because in acting out his decisions, the president is deciding the future of the nation, and we the people are putting extreme powers in the hands of one man. Though he is influenced by his associates and generals about the proper actions in times of political crisis, the last decision is up to the president. People who are not supporters of the president or his decisions te! nd to panic in times of war, and thus it is extremely important that the president makes the impression to the nation as a competent and capable man who one can have faith in. Another extremely important role that the president takes on is that of the nation's chief diplomat. Although the Constitution attempted to divide diplomatic affairs between the president and congress, these affairs have become primarily a presidential responsibility. He negotiates treaties and executive agreements, manages foreign alliances, recognizes new governments, appoints and supervises diplomatic personnel, and receives foreign ambassadors. The Constitution accords the president the power to veto congressional bills and recommend legislation to congress. This means that if the president disapproves of a bill (this usually happens when a bill contradicts the president's political group or personal beliefs), he can respond with a ?message veto' and return the bill to Congress with a message stating the reasons he has for not signing it. This helps Congress ?edit? the bill in such a way that the president will pass it, though many times it looks completely different than the original bill that they began with. If Congress is about to adjourn, the president can also respond with a ?pocket veto' and refuse to sign the bill within ten days. If Congress adjourns within that time, the bill will not become law. In modern times, the president also has a responsibility to the legislature: he must annually address Congress on the state of the Union. The roles of chief executive, chief of state, commander in chief, chief diplomat, and a key legislator originated in the Constitution. But over

The Word ” Civilization ” Essay Example

The Word † Civilization † Essay Example The Word † Civilization † Essay The Word † Civilization † Essay Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: The Word â€Å"Civilization† Introduction The Oxford Dictionary of Word defines civilization as the â€Å"stage of human social development and organization, which is considered most advanced. It is the development of human cultures, which become complicated daily. The development of science and technology affects civilization. The concept of civilization is central to the historical theories identified by Arnold J. Toynbee. Toynbee described history as the process of the rise and decline of civilizations. Civilization is also central to the political beliefs of Samuel P. Huntington who argues that the defining characteristic of the 21st century will be the interaction and conflict between civilizations (Lord Kenneth Clark). Civilization has many positive and negative impacts on culture. Discussion The civilization movement has been there for many centuries. Lord Kenneth Clark notes that, â€Å"From a native European Christian ethnocentric viewpoint, human history is the history of progress.† This view contributed to the development of civilization as represented by the European Christian culture. This was associated with the European colonialism, and with the relation of Europeans and Americans with the indigenous people such as the Native Americans. Unlike before, where progress was seen from a Christian perspective, other viewpoints hold that â€Å"there are and there have been many advanced civilizations in human history and that no one culture is inherently superior.† The role of civilization on culture has been an integral part of colonialism. The Europeans were the major colonizers in human history and wherever they went, their main agenda was to introduce Christianity as one of the ways of introducing civilization, they considered their culture superior an d they sought ways of introducing it to the people they colonized. Civilization has however not been confined in the early European viewpoint. According to C. H. Hacksins, â€Å"The one who contemplates the reason modern science and technology have taken giant steps and advanced to the present state would certainly agree that it is due to Islamic civilization, which transmitted and introduced vast amounts of knowledge and produced many scholars.† The advancement of the Islamic faith was instrumental to bringing civilization and defining the progress of humanity. Positive Effects realized through Civilization One of the most important benefits of civilization has been technology. Technology has been introduced in all aspects of human life and it has changed the way things used to be done. The internet is one of the major achievements of technology. This was made possible by the advancement of computer technology. The internet was first used by a few individuals when it was first introduced. Nowadays almost everybody in the world has access to the internet. It is practically impossible to imagine life without the internet. As Bill Gates noted, â€Å"Today, the internet is far from obscure-it is the center of attention for business, governments and individuals around the world. It has spawned entirely new industries, transformed existing ones, and become a global cultural phenomenon. but, despite its impact, today’s internet is still roughly where the automobile was during the era of Henry Ford’s Model T. we have seen a lot of amazing things so far, but there is much more to come. We are only at the dawn of the internet age. No industry can survive without the internet today. It has greatly contributed to civilization because it has caused progress. People have however fully utilized its use and for progress to be fully achieved, the internet has to be utilized fully. Negative Effects Realized through Civilization Despite the many and obvious benefits of civilization, there are still those who assert that it has caused negative effect on people’s lives. Most of the arguments are based on the bad effects of civilization on technology. Other negative effects of civilization have been noted on a health basis where opponents argue that civilization had a role in the increased number of bacteria and germs. Junji Takano questions the role played by civilization in the health sector. He alleges that, â€Å"It is true that civilization creates bacteria and viruses. It means that more diseases are surfacing to the world. Civilization created thousands of modern sufferings as you can see in medical books of the world. What did civilization do to us? Who did it? Is it not scientists of today? Are they facing to right direction? Are they not leading us to wrong world?† Although many diseases were eradicated, the human race has been faced with more diseases such as Alzheimer’s, which w ere not known previously. Takano also notes that civilization has also had an affect on the quality of food. â€Å"Pork, beef, chicken, and even fish are cultured artificially in a cage. Fruits you eat are no longer the taste we knew several decades ago. Vegetables at supermarkets we buy are all house cultured without soil. It is very difficult to find meats and vegetables grown in the wild. Food itself has no power of immunity from bacteria and other foreign diseases.† The use of chemical herbicides, fertilizers and pesticides affect the quality of food and makes them unhealthy and non-beneficial for human consumption. Foods grown in natural habitats add more benefit to humans because they are full of nutrients. Conclusion Civilization has, and continues to play a big role in human life. It is not limited to one culture and no culture can be seen as more civilized since civilization entails many things. It has had both negative and positive effects. The positive benefits of science and technology have especially been instrumental in improving living standards and conditions of people. Civilization has contributed negatively especially in the health sector. Despite all this, the positive effects realized through civilization outweigh the negative.