Persuasive Essay Sample: The U.S Constitution Should Be Rebooted

As Thomas Jefferson once said, “No society can make a perpetual constitution. The earth belongs always to the living generation and not to the dead… Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years.” The U.S Constitution defies both aspects of this claim; it has lasted for two hundred and thirty-two years and it is centralized around dead-hand control: past generations continuing to exercise influence well past their lifetimes. While it was initially an effective document for a young country, the U.S Constitution should be rebooted because it delegates a significant amount of power to the president, the Electoral College is a defective system, and it permits a dysfunctional party-based system of government.

On December 14th, 2020, Joe Biden was elected as the U.S President over Donald Trump. While Trump was still officially president, he tried to use the power given to him by the Constitution to reverse his loss. According to ABC News, Trump ‘contemplated ordering the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to seize states' voting machines.’ Although Trump chose not to do so, the fact that he had the liberty to consider doing so is shocking. The US Constitution, through the usage of general and abstract terms such as “judge necessary and expedient” and “shall think proper,” leaves a lot of room for the president to interpret the limits of these powers. Hence, the constitution gives the president a notable amount of power. Furthermore, according to Reuters, a president can be removed from office either by “the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution [or] impeachment followed by a Senate conviction.” This explicates that there is little standing in the president’s way. If the president is corrupt, then society will have to bend to the will of the president and lose its independence.

The Constitution favors who is president; however, to be president, they have to be elected by the Electoral College. The electoral college is an absurdly complex and indirect method of electing the president. The citizens of the United States think they are casting their ballots for their candidate; however, they are electing a slate of electors who cast their vote to decide who becomes the president. This complicated process leads to a consequential amount of problems. According to Vox, ‘in 2000, Al Gore won half a million more votes than George W. Bush, but Bush won the presidency after he was declared the winner in Florida by a mere 537 votes.’ Even though Al Gore won the popular vote, he still lost the election due to the magic of the Electoral. Furthermore, according to Jesse Wegman, author of Let The People Pick The President, "the fact that in presidential elections people in Wyoming have [nearly four] times the power of people in California is antithetical at the most basic level to what we say we stand for as a democracy." This indicates that the Electoral College is not fair, but also does not accurately represent the voice of the people. Yes, it is a formal method; however, it is not organized in the slightest.

Not only can the president be corrupt, but the system of government that is in place is built for inaction. According to MinnPost, “when the chambers are controlled by different parties they don’t agree on much, and their willingness to compromise seems to have shrunk.” Due to checks and balances, each branch of the government having the power to check and limit the other branch’s power, no decisions are ever made as each branch of the government is constantly overriding each other. This confirms that the government has difficulty addressing modern problems in today’s society, as they have difficulty addressing problems within their government. Furthermore, according to PoliticoMagazine, “of the approximately 2,500 veto contests over our history, presidents have won about 95 percent of them.” This depicts that even if Congress manages to decide on a bill, the president has the power to override the decision and send it back to Congress. Congress still has the power to overturn the president’s veto; however, it requires it to garner a ⅔ majority from both houses. This preposterous requirement is rigged in the president’s favor and restricts the government from governing. The Framers believed that a government is best that governs least; however, in an ever-changing society what may have applied centuries ago will not as easily apply now.

After stating the Constitution's flaws, how should it be rebooted? Firstly, it should divide the powers more evenly between the president and Congress. If the president can continually veto bills, then how will decisions ever be made? Secondly, the Constitution should make one house of Congress more powerful than the other. Yes, this could lead to tyrannical rule; however, a government needs to govern. Problems need to be addressed. Lastly, the Electoral College needs to be changed. It should allow the involvement of people in the government; it should eradicate the possibility that candidates could lose despite winning the popular vote, and each state’s power, in presidential elections, should be allocated proportionally to their population. By creating a formal and organized system of electing the president, the risk of corruption will be reduced and America’s society will be improved.

The U.S Constitution delegates a significant amount of power to the president permits a dysfunctional system of government, and the Electoral College is flawed which signifies why it should be rebooted. The Constitution, 4,543 words, is single-handedly governing America. If it is ineffective, then America’s society will be in shambles. Yes, it will be difficult to amend the constitution; however, its long-term impact on society will be paramount. Problems that are faced in today’s society will be addressed appropriately and presidents will be elected fairly. This ideal society will never be reached until we find our flaws and fix them. Fortunately, we have identified a flaw; however, we have yet to fix itю