AJC.com > Opinion > Opinion Talk > Archives > 2007 > October
October 2007
Mandatory national service for teens?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Should Americans be required to perform two years of national service? That’s the latest topic in our series “We the People,” which springs from a new book about how to reform the Constitution.
In the book, “A More Perfect Constitution,” University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato suggests that with their Bill of Rights, Americans also need a Bill or Responsibilities — a constitutional amendment requiring all able-bodied Americans between 18 and 26 to serve for two years. The service could be either civilian or military.
What do you think? Would Americans be well-served by this idea?
(For more information, see Sunday’s article.)
12 justices on the Supreme Court?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This week’s “We the People” topic is a suggestion by University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato that we increase the Supreme Court from nine members to 12, which he believes would address the phenomenon of one swing vote deciding all close cases.
“The problem with having an odd number of justices is that, increasingly, you find that one justice becomes the entire Supreme Court,” says Sabato, professor of politics at UVA and author of “A More Perfect Constitution. “Sandra Day O’Connor was the Supreme Court. Now Anthony Kennedy is becoming the Supreme Court. That is unhealthy.
“The advantage of having lots of 6-6 ties is, it simply upholds the lower-court judgment. So you don’t have precedents set. And courts ought to set precedent sparingly.”
Sabato also proposes that federal judges, who currently enjoy lifetime appointments, be limited to one 15-year term (including Supreme Court justices). What do you think? Should we increase the number of Supreme Court justices and limit their terms?
What should the newspaper investigate?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC’s investigation of death penalty cases was the subject of Angela Tuck’s public editor column Saturday.. Editors at the AJC are interested in hearing from readers about investigations they’d like to see the paper take on.
Most of the newspaper’s investigations will center on metro Atlanta or statewide public agencies, government bodies and officials. The newspaper is also open to investigating banks, insurance companies, charities and other big private institutions.
We respectfully ask that you keep your comments on topic. This blog will be edited for profanity, as well as offensive racial and sexual content.
Term limits for Washington?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new book from University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato proposes sweeping changes to the U.S. Constitution — 23 often innovative measures that Sabato believes will make America fairer. Among them is an idea to limit the president to one six-year term. In the fifth year of that term, the president would have the option of standing for an up-or-down election, without an opponent, to serve an additional two years. If the people vote yes, the president’s in for two more years; if they vote no, he or she is out in one.
In the House, Sabato would have candidates run every three years, instead of every two, and he would impose term limits on all federal elected officeholders. Finally, Sabato would increase the membership of the Senate to at about 140, which would include former presidents and vice presidents serving (at their option) as “national senators.” He also would raise the membership of the House to 1,000. These moves, he believes, would make Congress more representative.
What do you think? How would you structure term limits for Congress, if at all? And do you think the current limit on the presidency (two terms) is adequate, or would you support a change? (Learn more about Sabato’s proposals at the site for his book A More Perfect Constitution.)
Half-empty or half-full? Two views of state’s handling of drought
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week the director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division banned virtually all residential outdoor water use in metro Atlanta and the rest of North Georgia.
Has this happened because state leaders knew a water shortage like we are experiencing was inevitable but failed to make the tough decisions necessary to prepare has Jay Bookman argues in this column?
Or is the region actually coping well witih this drought because of lessons learned from the 1999-2002 drought as three academic experts claim in this op-ed.
What is your opinion? Are state officials doing a good or bad job in handling the regions water demand? Do you forsee more trouble in the future or you encouraged that lessons of the past combined with technological advances in the future will ward of more water crises?
Services »
