Analysis of the Constitution
In my personal opinion, the most significant institutional power is the authority the United States Congress has over the country’s finances and budgets. The US Congress exercises control over the paying of debts, collecting taxes and excises on imports, and ensuring the general welfare and defense of the country (Epstein & Thomas, 1998). This institutional power enables the seamless running of the whole country, and without it being appropriately exercised, the country would plunge into severe problems, including shutting the entire government down.
In the US Bill of Rights, the first section contains the ten amendments to the US Constitution. Of the ten rights, the most fundamental personal liberty, in my opinion, is the freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments (Neil, 2015). This individual right is essential as it looks after the interests of seemingly forgotten members of society. Even when facing criminal charges, humanity and the uprightness of the US Constitution must still be upheld. The personal right of freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments gains its significance from making sure that this humanity and the uprightness of the Constitution is upheld.
With the various institutional powers exercised by the US Congress, the country can keep on functioning even when some are removed. For instance, the power to put in place road posts and post offices, give weight and measurement standards, and give copyrights and patents can be exercised through other avenues (Epstein & Thomas, 1998). These tasks are essential to the running of the country; however, the US Congress already handles a lot of responsibilities, and it would only be fair that these responsibilities are undertaken by other bodies to lessen the burden of the Congress.
Of the personal rights contained in the US Bill of Rights, the right to keep and bear arms to maintain a well-regulated militia should be done away with (Neil, 2015). This right gives civilian Americans the authority to buy, keep and carry firearms. As a consequence, the rate of uncontrolled gun activities such as public shootings in schools and malls have increased in the country. The country is at crossroads trying to keep cases like the Sandy Hook shooting from happening again, and I believe the first step in curtailing these gun-related crimes is by limiting the right to keep and bear firearms.
Congress should be empowered through the Constitution to monitor and regulate the internet. Cyberspace is growing to be an essential aspect of the US community in terms of social, political and economic interactions. However, with the increased cyberspace activities, so does cyber-crimes, including terrorist funding and cyberbullying. When used for the wrong purposes, the internet can cause havoc in the society and the world at large. For this reason, therefore, the power of Congress to monitor the internet to curtail cyber-crimes should be enshrined in the American Constitution.
As we even curtail the right to bear firearms, there is a need to add one more right in the US Bill of Rights to protect people against the infringement of their other human rights. In most cases, the law enforcers overstep in their role to curtail the possession of illegal arms. The police have, in numerous occasions been accused of conducting arbitrary arrests and searches without court orders which violates peoples’ right to privacy. In other times, lives are lost when people, especially of color, are misjudged by the police of harboring deadly weapons. Hence, the Constitution should defend people against subjective policing by ensuring that the implementation of one right does not cause an infringement of the others.
References
Epstein, L., & THomas, G. W. (1998). Constitutional Law for Changing America: Institutional Powers and Constraints. New York: Cq Press.
Neil, H. C. (2015). The Complete Bill of Rights: The Drafts, Debates, Sources, and Origins. New York: Oxford University Press.