The Melting Pot Nation: What is It?
When thinking in terms of our nation's history, we are founded on freedom and the goal for basic human rights. For decades, our individual rights have shaped us into the country that we are today, attracting people from every country in the world to come live their "American Dream," too. In the First Amendment of the Constitution, we are given freedoms and rights in which no one, including our own government, can take away from us and are protected by this document. Americans value these rights as they continue to give us our freedoms and allow us to prosper as a nation, allowing us to live our lives by our choices and efforts. Different ways we can view the ways Americans seek rights and freedom is through the Eight Values of Free Expression, which can range from a marketplace of ideas, to participation in self-government, to individual fulfillment, and more. These concepts remain prevalent in the U.S. Government today, as each holds their own, individual power. Because of America's need for freedom, independence is what sets America apart from the world today— it gives us an identity.
While all eight of these theories of free expression are valuable and relevant, I believe there is one that remains of extreme importance: the Watchdog Rule. This rule, also known as "checks on governmental power," gives individuals the right to challenge the U.S. Government or press with what we believe in and to continue to protect our rights. As an American, this is more than important to me. There are countless times (in some cases, everyday, too) where I may not always agree with the government or their choices for the American people. Learning from this, I am beyond thankful to live in a country where checks and balances take place and each branch of government is limited to such powers. Without the Watchdog Rule, an individual would struggle to find their voice, power, and choices. As citizens, we would have no ability to tell the government how we feel or if we are discontent with their choices. We would have no rights to protest or speak against the governments' actions. We would simply have nothing. Where would we go? What would we do? How would we handle these governmental actions? Though times can be scary, and the government is never perfect, I am thankful for freedom of expression and its relevance in the United States constitution. We are a nation founded on the ideas of freedom as "we the people" fight for our rights and to let our voices be heard. No government should disregard its people, and that is exactly why I am forever grateful to call myself an American.
So, what does the Watchdog Rule look like in modern day times? Well, it's everywhere, especially within the last two years. With recent President elect, Joe Biden, and Vice President elect, Kamala Harris, the 2020 Presidential Election, much controversy was promoted to the public. With the concepts of the Watchdog Rule, citizens of either the right or left sides were able to express their feelings and emotions to the United States, whether good or bad. Though this is not new to our government, Americans thrive off of freedom of speech and the ability to express themselves. To me, this is exactly why it is the most important of the eight values of free expression, simply because we, the people, cannot stay quiet. We want change. We want rights. We want voices heard. Americans want to ensure that the Government cannot, and will not, overthrow or overuse their powers and allow them to be unconstitutional. The Watchdog Rule and the checks on governmental power are vital to our society and to our people.
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