Section 8

I need to bring to your attention a correction. In section 2 & 3 of Article 1, I had wrong information. I have now fixed it. The correction is that the Senator or Representative have to be a resident of the State they are to represent when elected.

Next:

Section 8 - Powers of Congress
Congress can impose taxes, and collect taxes. The taxes must be the same(uniform) through the United States.
Congress pays the debts, and provides for the common defense. They also provide for our general welfare(the meaning of this word as used in the constitution is our well-being and happiness).
Congress regulates trade with Nations, States, and Indian Tribes.
They can borrow money on the Credit of the United States.
They say how an immigrant can become a citizen.
They also make the bankruptcy laws.
They print the money and regulate its value. They punish those who counterfeit money.
They Establish post offices and the roads they use.
They secure copyright for artists and authors.
They set up tribunals(judges) who are lesser than the supreme court.
They punish pirates and punish offenders of the Law of Nations (foreigners).
They declare war and make rules of what to do with captured prisoners.
They raise and support armies, but the money assigned for that purpose cannot be used for more than two years. They provide the navy, and militia, and govern them and provide for them.
They can make any law necessary to help them carry out the powers given to them.
They also can use exclusive law of a District that they have (like the seat of the Government), but no bigger than 10 miles square, and to exercise authority over the places they have purchased. (This part about exclusive law didn't quite make sense to me. Can someone explain it?)

What did you do Sunday?

Ahhh...nothing like a Sunday afternoon spent making a lego house! Here is a tour through our creation. Above you will see the general layout. First is the entryway. You walk in through the arch and on your right is the bedroom and bathroom (complete with faucet for the tub!). Walking a few steps more, you will see the dining room to your left. This cannot be seen from this picture because there is a second story in the way. Then, farther on, is the living room with the Dad drinking his silver canned drink, watching his red tv, and in the kitchen is his wife.







Above is the view of the outside, and Ryan's blue bay window in the dinning room. Quite fancy.
Below, you see the upstairs, which is the play room. There are two ways to access this level. There are stairs by the bedroom, or there is a fire escape on the far left side. This room is complete with a surf board, rocket, cannon, treasure chest of gold, treasure chest of weapons, and of course, the pet monkey and parrot.

We know, we are geeks, but we have fun.

Next part

Section 4 - Elections, Meetings
Congress meets once a year on Jan 3 (previously first Monday in December)

Section 5 - Membership Rules, Journals, Adjournment
Each house chooses its rules of proceedings and the punishments for disorderly behavior. They must keep a journal of their proceedings and publish it, unless they think secrecy is necessary. Neither house can put off a session of congress for more than 3 days, or change the location, unless both houses agree to do so.

Section 6 - Compensation
The compensation should be paid out of the Treasury of the United States.
You can't be a Senator or Representative, and hold a civil office at the same time.

Section 7 - Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto
The Senate can propose raising the revenue, but the bills for raising the revenue are done in the House of Representatives. If a bill has been approved by both House of Representatives and the Senate, it goes to the President. He can sign to approve it, or he can veto it. If he vetoes it, it goes back to the House it came from with the Presidents objections. The House then reconsiders it, and if they pass it again with 2/3 vote, it goes to the other House who also reconsider it. If they approve with 2/3 vote, then it becomes law. If the President does not return a bill with his objections within 10 days (Sundays and adjournment of congress excluded), it becomes law.

We the people

I have never read the constitution. I have never had to take a government class. Last year I couldn't have even told you the branches of government. I think there is something wrong with that. We are an uneducated people who don't have a clue how things work in our country. Not all mind you. Some people do know, and some schools are great at teaching this. But for those of you like me, this post is for you. I tried reading the constitution and it confused me so much that even one sentence was taking a lot of concentration to understand. What I have done, is gone through and re-written in plainer terms, what I think they are trying to say. I will be posting the constitution bit by bit. PLEASE if you see that I have misunderstood something, tell me so I can better understand. Sorry if this is boring to you.

Preamble:
We the people of the United States made this constitution so that this could be a better country, have justice, that the government can have power to stop disputes and rebellions in states, provide armies for defense, encourage well-being and prosperity, and so we can enjoy freedom.

Article 1 - The Legislative Branch

Section 1 -The Legislature
Legislative power forms a congress which is in two sections: Senate, and House of Representatives.

Section 2 - The House
The House of Representatives is made up of people chosen every 2nd year. You must be 25 years old, a citizen for 7 years, and when elected, have to be living in the state you want to represent.
Representatives will be chosen proportionately according to the number of people, and direct taxes will be done proportionately also.
The House of Representatives choose their speaker and officers and are the only ones with power to impeach.

Section 3 - The Senate
There are two senators from each state. Each gets one vote. Originally these were elected by the Legislature but are now elected by the people.
Senators must be 30 years old, have been a citizen for 9 years, and have be living in the state they are elected for.
The Vice President is the President of the Senate, but he cannot vote unless there is an even vote.
The Senate has sole power to try all impeachments. 2/3rds have to convict the person on trial for impeachment. The Senate only has the power to remove a person from office.

Tetris

You know, there just aren't many games better than good ol' Tetris. We downloaded it on the Wii for $12 and it has been well worth it! It is the only game I can actually beat Ryan at. This is specifically Tetris Party, you can have up to 4 players, and if you get bored of normal tetris, there are different version of the game. One of our favorites is Field Climber. You have to get this little person to the top of the screen without trapping him. It sounded easy but we struggled for awhile to get him there!
We welcome anyone who wants to come try their hand at it...

Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Here are great things about Grandma and Grandpa both, since I am late on Grandpa's.

Grandma:
1. She is a great cook! (and always had cookies in her bucket to share)
2. She likes to share her fun trips
3. She loves flowers
4. She is always happy
5. She is very kind

Grandpa:
1. He is positive
2. He is talented with music
3. He is a great teacher
4. He likes to joke around
5. He does good service

Zoo life

Ryan and I went to the zoo here in Logan (yes we are cool enough to have a zoo).
The monkeys were so fun to watch!!! There were 4 or 5 of them and they were so active. They were chasing eachother, fighting, wrestling, pouncing, climbing. I think we stayed and watched them for a full half hour and had to move on before it got dark.

The two bob cats were active too. Usually they are just laying there so it was fun to see them move. This one is in a pounce position and the other bobcat was also ready to pounce. They were stalking a dog that was running around. It was hilarious actually. They acted as if they weren't in cage, and when the dog turned its back, the cats would hurry and slink a couple of feet and stop as soon as the dog was looking their way.

This was an attempted escapee. He kept trying to get through the fence and was hiding in the corner.