Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Constitution Monday Article. II. Section. 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President. The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States. No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Section. 2. The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. Section. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States. Section. 4. The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. 12:03:48 PM     Traverse City Record Eagle Thinks Scattering Library of Michigan Collections A Poor Idea. A lot happens in Michigan's state and local libraries, much of which apparently is taken for granted, undervalued and misunderstood by state leaders. It's the only way to explain Gov. Jennifer Granholm's misguided Executive Order 2009-36 that would irreparably damage the Library of Michigan and its invaluable historical collections forever in an attempt to save $2 million and start a more "entrepreneurial" and "modern" Center for Innovation and Redesign. The people of Michigan stand to lose their public libraries as they know them if the state House votes next week to approve Granholm's July 13 executive order without making very clear that they must remain whole and intact. The order calls for eliminating the Department of History, Arts and Libraries, and relocating the state library and its holdings from the Library of Michigan building in downtown Lansing to Michigan State University and other locations. The order also establishes a board to examine establishing the new center. The order ignited loud protest from genealogists, researchers and library advocates. Granholm has since issued an executive directive to reassure library advocates that electronic databases, the state's electronic library and catalogue system and historical collection would remain open and accessible statewide. She also said the role of the state librarian would be "respected" and that librarians, historians and archivists would be sought to serve on the Michigan Center for Innovation and Reinvention Board. It is yet unclear, however, whether the Library of Michigan's collections will remain whole and intact. The Center for Innovation and Reinvention proposal also needs more public scrutiny before the library is relocated. The Senate voted last week to disapprove the executive order and to keep the collections intact, but library advocates fear that won't stand up. The center, at present, is little more than a lofty proposal prepared for Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon by the Liberty Science Center, which opened New Jersey's first major state science museum in 1993 in Jersey City. The 42-page report contains little detail about cost and who will pay for it, but it does include redesign drawings of the Library of Michigan building. Indeed, the proposal makes the executive order look more like a ploy to find a home for the center than to save the state $2 million. The state library and its collections are a state treasure. The Library of Michigan was founded in 1828 when Michigan was still a territory. It plays an important role today in assisting public libraries in outstate communities, colleges and schools. This role has become increasingly important in the age of the Internet, chainsawed state budgets and high unemployment. Trading it in for a new model still in the design process would be a tragic move. For the full article, see "Editorial: Library move misguided", Traverse City Record Eagle, September 4, 2009. [Red Tape Blog] 11:56:34 AM     Trampoline (un)Safety Each year tens of thousands of people (mostly children) are seen in emergency rooms for injuries they suffer as a result of trampoline accidents. This year, I'm one of them. You see, the accident happened weeks ago while I was having a little fun with my daughter on a trampoline. It's important that children are supervised on trampolines, and besides, I think they can be fun to bounce around on too. We were having a grand time bouncing around, until I turned my ankle on a landing. I knew it was hurt pretty badly, and it showed all the signs of a serious sprain. I didn't go to the doctor right away (mistake) because I was certain that I didn't break a bone (wrong). The ankle seemed to be healing well, until suddenly it became very painful and swollen again. A sensible friend who is a nursing student shuffled me off to the emergency room for an x-ray. So here I sit with my ankle elevated and in a splint. I have an avulsion fracture. There are a few lessons I take away from this: Practice trampoline safety especially not having too many people on a trampoline. If you have a trampoline at home, you may want to consider changing your insurance in case someone hurts themselves on your trampoline and decides to sue you. I'll never avoid a doctor visit when I have a serious ankle injury again. My mom is right - trampolines are dangerous! - Joanne [Gov Gab: Your U.S. Government Blog] 11:53:48 AM

© Copyright 2009 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 9/16/2009; 9:11:49 AM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien