Dear scottie...

Heres my post for LBJ's domestic policies and Vietnam. I am rather short on time. My best friends mom died, so please excuse this post if it is a tad slipshod due to being rushed.

Sabella


What happened...

Lyndon Johnson was the first president to keep legislation on the vietnam war behind closed doors. To this day it would be difficult to track down legislation on Vietnam, yet troop increases were frequent throughout the war. On the other hand there was alot of non-warlike legislation, which was made to set up Johnsons vision of "the great society". The tax Reduction act cut taxes to stimulate growth, an important precedent used today by president bush. The Economic oppurtunity act Created programs to fight poverty. Medicare was established by Johnson. Johnson also helped the deppressed appalacian area by means of the Appelachian Regional Development act. The Omnibus Housing act provided cheap housing for low income families in the city, along With the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Area Redevelopment act helped clean up slums. The Elementary and Secondary Education act and the Higher education act set up funding for the imropovement of quality and eligibility of schools and colleges. The Civil Rights act outlawed discrimination. Johnson also passed laws to help protect the environment, sich as the wilderness preservation act. Through the truth in packaging act, Johnson also set up the government to be a consumer advocate. There are a large amount of laws too boring to mention. The point is, Johnson drastically expanded government power.

What I think about it...

The governments job is to do everything the people cant. The more independent and altogether decent the American public is, The less it needs the government. For example, During the revolutionary war, our government was very weak. It was so because our country was made up of a bunch of independent farmers. Practically half of our troops during the Revolutionary War were independent from our government. Our government hardly even needed a military because its people were so independent. Johnsons presidency shows that as a whole, our societies independence had slipped. Sure, Civil rights was not going to improve until the government Joined in, but the other issues, such as the environment and povery, showed that our society is becoming reliant on its government. If, as a people, we want independence from our government, give money to poor people, be environmentaly friendly, help secure the border... The list goes on and on. Johnsons policy on Vietnam is altogether unconstitutional. In democracy, there are two ways to test whether or not government war time powers are acceptable:

1: If the people the government serves accept and imbrace it.

2:If the war time powers are gotten rid of after war.

Johnsons policies fail the first test. The people didnt really know what was going on during half the war. The only thing American citizens really noticed was the draft. Then the media caught up to the war, and the American people lost faith in our governments honesty and competence. Thats what lost Vietnam. Thats what makes Iraq as unsuported by the american people as it is now. Thats what makes the Vietnam and, until something is done, Iraq war unconstitutional. I feel that the largest significance of the tenth ammendment of the constitution is the right to know what is going on in our government. If the government does not report what it does, unless it hurts security, it may easily be considered unconstitutional.

P.S. for some reason spellcheck ain't a-workin.