Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

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Ep. 115 — Avoiding the Pitfalls of Monarchy Apr 28, 2022

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When you think of a monarch, what comes to mind? Castles, moats and leading an entire country? Perhaps pomp and circumstance and a fancy throne? Have you ever thought about monarchies as perhaps the original form of government? In this chat with Professor Joerg Knipprath, our panel discusses the pros and cons of monarchies, how they can devolve into tyranny and how our Framers studied past civilizations in creating our country to avoid the pitfalls of monarchies.

Ep. 114 — Avoiding the Pitfalls of Greece's Democracy Apr 21, 2022

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Did you know the ancient Athenian Democracy was a pure democracy in that citizens directly voted rather than through representatives? However, only a few people, around 10,000, earned the title of "citizen." The Founders of our country studied this and recognized the perils of the Athenian Democracy and other past regimes and democracies. By studying history, they navigated these pitfalls in establishing our country as a republic. Join our student panel and special guest, Dr. Christoper Burkett with Ashland University as we explore the three major problems in the Athenian Democracy and how the Founding Fathers structured solutions in our republic.

Ep. 113 – Treaties & The Constitution Apr 14, 2022

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We all know of famous treaties that ended wars such as the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution or the Treaty of Versailles which brought peace between Allied Powers and Germany at the end of World War I. You've also heard of international agreements between sovereign countries like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Besides knowing that treaties and international agreements both exist between nations, what are the other commonalities and differences between the two? One has senate approval and carries the full weight of law and the other doesn't require senate input and can be rescinded by subsequent administrations. Join our student panel and constitutional expert, Dr. Eric R. Mandel, Executive Director at the Middle East Political and Information Network, for this discussion on Treaties and the Constitution!

Ep. 112 — War & the Constitution Apr 08, 2022

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War. We've all seen footage from war zones on the nightly news and most recently the tragic images from Ukraine. Did you know Congress has not actually declared war since World War II? How has the use of military force been authorized since then? What is the War Powers Act and how has it been applied? What does the Constitution say about this? What were the differing views from the Founders on war, specifically the differences between Hamilton on one side and Jefferson and Washington on the other? And how is all of this highly relevant in today's heightened geo-political landscape? For all of these answers, please join our special guest, Andrew Langer with the Institute for Liberty and our student panel as we discuss this salient topic.

Ep. 112 — War & the Constitution Apr 07, 2022

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Ep. 111 — The Founders on Foreign Policy Mar 31, 2022

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Have you thought about the Declaration of Independence as a foreign policy document? Or have you thought the same about Washington's Farewell Address? Well they certainly are! The Declaration outlined our case for independence from another country and in itself is a statement on universal principles that were the cornerstone for our new country. Washington's Farewell Address cautioned against "international friendships of dubious value." The Founders put an emphasis on prudence as a classical virtue, echoing Aristotle. According to our special guest, this caution was woven into our approach to foreign policy, especially as a fledgling nation surrounded by hostile powers. Join our guest, Dr. Matthew Spaulding with Hillsdale College and our panel for this insightful discussion on the origins of the United State's foreign policy.

Ep. 110 – Bitcoin: History & Future of Currency 101 Mar 24, 2022

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How much do you actually know about bitcoin? You've undoubtedly heard about it and people becoming wealthy because of it. But what do you actually know about what it is and what gives it value? Bitcoin is described as the world's first decentralized digital currency but it is neither the first digital currency nor the first decentralized currency. Join our special guest, Brandon Vanderford, Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Arlington and our panel as we dive into bitcoin, what it has in common with the ancient Rai stones of Micronesia and why it's called Gold 2.0.

Ep. 109 – Imports/Exports: Tariffs 101 Mar 17, 2022

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Trade. Trade Wars. Economic Sanctions. Tariffs. These are terms you hear nightly on the evening news but what are they? The Founding Fathers saw a need for our country to regulate international commerce–both leaving and coming into our country–as a tool to protect and advance our country's interests. One of the tools they gave Congress is the power to levy a tariff, or a tax on an imported item. But who bears the burden on that tax, the country sending that good or the country importing it? Our guest argues empirical evidence overwhelmingly shows the importer bears that burden so tariffs seldom punish trading partners but rather the consumer. Join our guest, Christine McDaniel, Senior Fellow with the Mercatus Center, and our panel for this insight into economic policies behind the goods we buy and sell.

Ep. 108 – America's Budget Deficit 101 Mar 11, 2022

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The deficit. The debt. What are they and aren't they the same thing? To be concise, the debt is the total of the yearly deficit our country runs yearly between tax revenue and debt and no, they are not the same thing. Did you know the President is supposed to submit a budget to congress to approve? Instead, Congress tends to pass short-term spending bills that more often than not are politically motivated. And what is the result of that? Over the last 62 years, we have had a national deficit for 58 of those years and a surplus, when tax revenue is higher than spending, only 4 of those years? We have so much debt right now that we currently spend 7% of our annual spending just to pay the interest on the the total debt our country holds. Join our panel and special guest, Dr. Ivan Pongracic from Hillsdale College and we further examine the effects of continued deficit spending.

Ep. 107 – America's National Debt 101 Mar 04, 2022

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What is our national debt? How much is it and why does our government continue to spend money it does not have? How is it different than our deficit? Whatever our government spends has to be paid back, eventually, through either increased taxation or increasing our debt load. Knowing that, in what way does debt misrepresent the size and price of our government? These questions and many others will be discussed by our panel and Dr. Gary Wolfram, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Hillsdale College. Join us for this conversation on our national debt.

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