Amendment XX

Amendment XX

Text:

Section 1. The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of the Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3rd day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3rd day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President  elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President shall have qualified.

Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Background info: 

(Ratified on January 23, 1933 nearly a year after it was passed by Congress on March 2, 1932)

The introduction of the 20th amendment was inspired by the problems caused by the “lame-duck period”, in which an elected official who is leaving office still holds the power of office for a period of time before his replacement enters office. The 74th Congress was the first one to follow all the requirements of the amendment; first Congress wanted to have the first session in the fall, but transportation was bad so they pushed the congressional meeting date back to January.

Effect:

The twentieth provides order to the government and ensures to the people that the government will convene a few times a year at the least. It also prevents people who may have been voted out of office from continuing their job past their term. However, because there is an established order for replacements, planned people outside of the government can also predict the order of leaders in the case that something bad happens to the current office holder (provides more motive for assassination).

Amendment XXVIII

Amendment XXVIII

No person shall be discriminated against or denied Constitutional rights based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, or lack thereof.

Group 6: 28th Amendment

Amendment XVIII :

Amend the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which establishes a minimum drinking age of 21 years old, and punishes states that allows persons under 21 years of age to purchase and publicly possess alcohol, to a minimum drinking age of 18 years old. 

[Mastermansocsci37] The United States has one of the most serious alcohol abuse problems in the world, yet, our minimum drinking age is one of the highest in the world at 21 years old. For the majority of the globe's countries, the minimum drinking age is 18 years old:

(some of the 18-year old countries are cut off, so there are more)

 

Perhaps it's time to think about why that is. 

Deprivation may be the answer. 

When a person is deprived from something for a long time, they might be more excited to grab it at any chance possible. In the United States, alcohol has a great presence in popular culture. Children are able to approach alcohol when people in their families consume it, they see it on television when it's portrayed as people "having a good time", kids grow up seeing alcohol, yet they aren't grown up educated in it. 

So when they turn legal, or when they enter college, a private vicinity where the substance can be readily available, well...they leap. Many do not know their limits, and end up on stretchers and ambulances outside college campuses.

Take France for example, the minimum drinking age is 18 years old, but there is no restriction for minors drinking in public. Rather, drinking alcohol over there is seen as an art. Parents are seen teaching their children the art of wine at the age of 10. 

Because alcohol is seen as an art, children are taught to be well versed in it at a young age, it isn't seen as a way to "enjoy oneself" as much as it is seen here. It's the mentality of it that's different. When the public perception of a substance is healthy, that generally produces healthier habits.

It is not to say that this amendment will produce immediate results. It won't. Not until parents learn to educate their children properly on the consumption of alcohol, and that will take at least a few generations. 

However, getting rid of deprivation can be a big factor in helping with the alcohol abuse in the U.S. Since many 18 year olds violate the current law anyway, why not amend it to the age of 18, like it is in many places in the world? 

Perhaps, if parents are allowed to educate their children earlier under their supervision, the children will learn to understand their bodies' signals, develop tolerance, and stop when they really should. 

Again, this will take the general change in attitude and education in relation to the consumption of alcohol, and results will not be immediate, but it can be a start to leading the youth of the U.S to a better place. If other countries can do it, why not the U.S?

Group 9: 28th Amendment

Amendment 28

Equal Work Deserves Equal Pay

Section 1:
 No employees shall be subject to lesser compensation of job or work on the basis of sex. No employer shall discrimination against his/her employees on the basis of sex by providing unequal pay for equal or similar job positions performed under equal or similar working conditions.

Section 2:
Minimum wage, health care benefits, and maximum hour limitation may not differ for employees for reasons pertaining to sex.




Similar to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, our proposed amendment would prohibit discrimination based on gender in terms of salary. People of both genders in the same field of work, or the same working conditions deserve equal pay.
Also, work hours, wages, and benefits cannot differ between employees because of his/her gender

Amendment I, XIII, XX Comic Strips

The Eighth Amendment Of the United States Constitution

The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

The Eighth Amendment has its roots in the U.S. Constitution as one of the original ones. It has its seat in the top ten Amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights.

Like other amendments in the Bill of Rights, the eighth amendment finds its roots within the Magna Carta, written in 1215, detailed in section 20:

A freeman shall not be amerced for a slight offense, except in accordance with the degree of the offense; and for a grave offense he shall be amerced in accordance with the gravity of the offense, yet saving always his "contentment"; and a merchant in the same way, saving his "merchandise"; and a villein shall be amerced in the same way, saving his "wainage" if they have fallen into our mercy: and none of the aforesaid amercements shall be imposed except by the oath of honest men of the neighborhood.

Effect On the United States

The eighth Amendment, as directly state, does not permit the practice of cruel and unusual punishment. It forces the judicial system to standardize procedures and punishments that can be confirmed, and that do not violate this Amendment.

Effect On Me

The Eighth Amendment protects my dignity, that if I were to commit a crime, repentance through punishment is enough. The Amendment prevents those who have passed the line of mere judgement, to the line of revenge and rage, to inflict worse punishments. It's what prevents someone from making me do dangerous work, for a mere accident. Of course, what defines "cruel and unusual" punishment can be defined, however it now makes it legal for me to challenge it in court, to stand up for myself, saying enough is enough. It is one thing to repent from justice, but another to suffer it blind.

Video:

~47~

Amendment I

Amendment I

Text:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. 

Background info: 

(Ratified December 15, 1791 as a part of the “Bill of Rights”) 

The amendment was written three months after the creation of the Constitution because citizens demanded a guarantee of their basic rights. The amendment was written by James Madison and went into effect after Virginia ratified it and the majority of states in the country agreed.

Effect:

The first amendment allows us to publicly criticize the government and not get arrested for it. It allows us to make loud jokes on the street about Tom Corbett and how he’s ruining our education system. In addition to this, we can participate in rallies and marches to support education and to prevent budgets cuts from the school (and sign petitions against the budget cuts for the school district). We are allowed to assemble outside the School District building and play patriotic music in order to appeal to the sympathies of higher authority (our instruments are terrible, please give us more money).

The first amendment helps support separation of church and state. It prevents polarized religious belief from ruling over people of other religions. For example, there are several states, including Arkansas and Mississippi,  that ban atheists from holding office. As atheists, we feel fundamentally oppressed.

We do acknowledge the downsides to the exploitations of such freedoms mentioned in this amendments. Enforcing the freedom of speech and press is disadvantageous to gullible people who read tabloids and blindly follow the media. Truth can be misrepresented and malicious propaganda can be utilized to start revolutions. However, the freedoms allowed are vital to the creation of a free country. We are vehemently against censorship, and a more strict enforcement of this law would help prevent misrepresentation and brainwashing.