Table of Contents
Congressional Ethics
A recent member of Congress to be charged with violation of congressional ethics is Charles Bernard Rangel. Rangel is a member of Democratic Party from New York and served in the House of Representatives. He was a powerful and long-serving member in the house for a long time. In 2010, Rangel was found guilty for violating 11 congressional rules. The charges related to his utilization of personal finances and fundraising efforts. The house sub-committee reached a unanimous verdict where they found Rangel guilty. The full ethics committee agreed with the recommendations from the sub-committee (Newkirk, 2015). A censure motion by the whole house was approved. I agree with the verdict by the house in that the evidence showed that Rangel solicited for funds and donations to Rangel Center from businesspeople. He also used the congress’ resources such as letterheads improperly to solicit for the donations. Rangel made inaccurate financial disclosure statements that revealed that he had little regard for transparency and accountability. In addition, he failed to pay taxes for his Dominican villa against the established rules and laws in the United States. The verdict reveals the need to create regulations that will enhance integrity and accountability among the legislators. Rangel’s censure by the whole house was instrumental towards boosting the public confidence and trust on the house members (Newkirk, 2015).
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Third Party Candidates
Third party candidates face multiple difficulties in the United States due to high dominance of Democratic and Republican candidates. The majority of the American citizens have traditionally associated with the two parties. In fact, the American politics is largely shaped by the ideals of the two parties. The political rules in the country augment the challenges faced by third party candidates (Hershey, 2017). They are required to collect thousands of signatures to be listed as candidates on the ballot. Unfortunately, the regulations are created by lawmakers who subscribe to the popular and strong parties such Democratic and Republican. The officials of the popular parties have a great incentive to protect their duopoly. Moreover, third party candidates encounter financial difficulties since is required to get at least 5 percent votes during the previous election to qualify for funding from the federal government. The listed challenges make it difficult for third party candidates to mount a strong campaign that would culminate with a win at the presidency (Hershey, 2017). In case of success of a third party candidate, the United States is likely to change significantly as new ideals and ideas would emerge. The political impact of such a win would be disastrous to the establishment and political dynasties that have emerged over time due to their support for either Republican or Democratic parties. In the onset of upcoming elections, much debate and focus is put on the democrats and republicans and not the third party candidates as they do not have much impact in the house of representatives when it comes to policy formulation.
Federal and State Authority
There exists conflict between the federal and state marijuana laws. Some state government have legalized while others have banned the use of the drug. The federal law outlaws its use although it has allowed the state governments to decriminalize marijuana through appropriate legislations. With such provisions, the matter has drawn mixed reactions from the public and policy makers. It is my belief that the policies and legislations on marijuana should be within the jurisdiction of the federal government. First, federal laws will be applicable equally and bide all people within the American territories. Such legislations will have one and clear interpretation by the courts, including the Supreme Court if a criminal case regarding marijuana reaches such levels. Second, it will discourage people from taking advantage of the loopholes created by the existence of separate and non-uniform laws. Records obtained from the Justice Bureau of Statistics indicate that marijuana arrests continue to increase every year. It is thus imperative to have uniform laws developed by the federal government with the input of the state government and other stakeholders (Caulkins, Et al, 2012). The constitution of the United States allows for self-governing of the states by their own laws. Form of behavior and conduct therefore varies between the different states.
- Caulkins, J. P., Hawken, A., Kilmer, B., & Kleiman, M. (2012). Marijuana legalization : what everyone needs to know. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
- Hershey, M. R. (2017). Party politics in America. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.
- Newkirk, I. (2015). Ethical Crimes. Civil Disobedience: An Encyclopedic History of Dissidence in the United States, 21.