Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

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p. 166 The Dictatorship of North Korea vs. Our U.S. Constitution May 25, 2023

Show notes

Look at a map of the Korean Peninsula at night. In the southern half of the peninsula, you will see pockets of bright lights denoting South Korea's cities and population centers. In the northern part, you will see an expanse of a dark expanse with the occasional tiny light. That's not an ocean or other body of water. That's North Korea, an absolute dictatorship and one of, if not the most, isolated countries on Earth. How did this happen? Does North Korea have a Constitution? What is the relationship between the people and their government? What role does "juche" play in the lives of North Koreans? To help us understand this country, we are pleased to welcome Suzanne Scholte. Suzanne is a noted human rights activist, president of the Defense Forum Foundation is the vice co-chair of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. Thank you for joining Suzanne and our student panel for this eye-opening discussion on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Ep. 165 The Absolute Monarchy of Saudi Arabia Vs. Our U.S. Constitution May 18, 2023

Show notes

In our previous chat, we discussed how Iran's form of government is a republic in nature, similar to our own republic, but is decidedly authoritarian in substance. In today's chat, we are discussing Saudi Arabia, a country that lacks those same institutions in favor of an absolute monarch. Leading a country of roughly 38 million, the Saudi king is the head of the ruling family that dates back over 300 years to the First Saudi State. What do you know about how this country was formed and how it is ruled? What type of legislative body does Saudi Arabia have and how are its legislators chosen? What role does Wahhabism play in every aspect of the Saudi government? How is this country looking towards the future through its Vision 2030 effort? To help us unpack these questions, we are delighted to have Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC, join our all-star student panel for this exciting discussion.

Ep. 164 Iran's Authoritarian Regime Vs. Our U.S. Constitution May 11, 2023

Show notes

This country has a constitution which establishes an executive, legislature and judiciary. They have rights guaranteed under the law. No, we are not talking about the United States. Today we are discussing Iran. Although their Constitution May resemble ours, in practice, their government operates very very differently. Join us as we discover how and why and discuss just who the Ayatollah is, what is "Guardianship of Islamist Jurist and much more! Joining our panel is our guest speaker Dr. James S. Robbins, Academic Dean of the Institute for World Politics, writer for USA Today and Senior Fellow on the American Foreign Policy Council, for this insightful discussion on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ep. 163 Artificial Intelligence & The Constitution May 04, 2023

Show notes

When you hear the term "Artificial Intelligence," what comes to mind? Seemingly overnight, AI has become a topic of daily conversation with the rise of Chat GPT in 2022. But what exactly is AI? How can it be used? What are the Constitutional issues raised with AI? What are the potential effects on our civil rights and civil liberties? These are the questions we tackle in this week's Constitutional Chat. Joining our all-star student panel, we are excited to welcome privacy and cyber-security expert Dan Caprio, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of the Providence Group to hep us unravel all things AI.

Ep. 161 The State Department: Diplomatic Protection Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

The Department of Foreign Affairs started off as the first Department of the executive branch with 6 employees led by Thomas Jefferson in 1789. Now it's called The United States State Department and employs 75,000 and maintains diplomatic relations with around 180 countries. But what do you know about this historic agency and the work it does around the world? What is its role in International diplomacy, national security and advancing US interests overseas? Why is it a good idea to register with the State Department when traveling overseas? And what is an Ambassador and how can you become one? To answer all of these questions and many more, we are delighted to have Former U. S. Ambassador to Estonia and President of the Institute of World Politics, Aldona Woś, joining our all-star student panel for this informative and insightful chat.

Ep. 160 The Expansion of the IRS and You Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

Ben Franklin wrote in 1789, "…nothing is certain except death and taxes." Our chat today is all about the IRS and our taxes. Last year, as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress approved $80 billion in new IRS funding. How exactly is this money going to be spent? Will it lead to an increase in audits for everyday taxpayers? Why did Congress allocate this money related to reducing inflation? For these answers and so many more, join our all-star student panel and the Heritage Foundation's Preston Brashers for this insightful chat on the "certainty" of the IRS.

Ep. 159 The FBI, CIA & Homeland Security - and our National Security Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

Ever heard the term "alphabet agencies?" It often refers to various federal government agencies that have usually 3-letter names. Many of these are in the national security community: DHS, CIA, FBI, NSA, DIA, ODNI and many more. What exactly do you know about the various agencies and their mission? When were they formed and for what purpose? How did September 11th change the scope of their missions? We have a lot to unpack in this week's chat. Joining our all-star student panel, we welcome Dustin Carmack, Research Fellow, Cybersecurity, Intelligence, and Emerging Technologies, Border Security and Immigration Center with the Heritage Foundation to help us understand these agencies and their role in national security.

Ep. 158 The Financial Crisis and National Security - American Vulnerability Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

What exactly do you know about the debt and debt ceiling? What are they? Think of the debt ceiling like the credit limit on a credit card and the debt is the total sum of all that spending. In this analogy, wisdom would say spending should be kept to a minimum and the balance paid off in full each month. Unfortunately, this is not how our federal government operates and we routinely rack up debt future generations will have to pay off without their approval. We have been accruing national debt from the moment our country was born. In addition to our student panel, we are pleased to welcome Veronique de Rugy, the George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy and Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a nationally syndicated columnist. Her writing and research focuses on the economy, taxation and the federal budget.

Ep. 157 - Social vs. Anti-Social Media - What Is The Government's Role? Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

What would the Founders think of social media's unlimited and instant communication across the country and around the world? Would they try to regulate it? From what authority could the Founders and subsequent government actually regulate social media? What are the main differences between social media entities and TV or radio which use public spectrum to broadcast? These are questions worth pondering as we discuss the government's role in social media in today's chat. We are honored to welcome our guest, Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice and Adjunct Professor of Internet Law at George Mason Antonin Scalia School of Law and our student panel for this informative and lively chat.

Ep. 156 - Fentanyl & the Border Crisis Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

We share a 1,951 mile border with Mexico and that border sees millions upon millions of border crossings involving people and vehicles. Seemingly on a daily basis in the news cycle, we hear news related to the border. In this week's chat, we are honored to have two guests who have seen events unfold along the border in person: Former Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and Chairman of Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Clint Hickman. In this wide-ranging chat, we discuss numerous topics ranging from legal and illegal immigration, ongoing violence, fentanyl, cartels and what our government can and should do in response. Thank you for joining our student panel and actress Janine Turner for this insightful and frank discussion.

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