Spoils v. Merit

There are many examples of the spoils system throughout the United States' history. One of them being Jackson's spoils. This is when Andrew Jackson won the election of 1828 and he gave government jobs to his supporters. The merit system was instituted to try to prevent this from happening again. Although it is not 100% effective. The merit system requires good credentials in order to receive the position you are applying for. This means that the person who is better fit for the job will be hired over someone who knows somebody else. This may sound strange because we all know so many people who get jobs today because they know somebody in the industry. We also hear of people getting away with certain crimes because they know certain people or hold certain positions. This is why the merit system is not 100% effective. Just a few years ago, our President, Barack Obama, pardoned his uncle who was drunk driving and had been in this country illegally. This is another demonstration of the spoils system at work. I believe in the merit system. One should have to work for the things that they want or have. People should not be receiving jobs or getting away with felonies just because of their name or status. When people work for what they have they are more likely to be a contributing member of society. If someone is just given a job they are more likely to take it for granted because they will "always be able to get another". Who you know and who you are should not make a difference. I would rather work for everything I have than be given the world.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/29/obamas-uncle-charged-with-drunken-driving/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system

Cell Phones and The Constitution

I feel that it is necessary to obtain a warrant in order to be able to search someones phone, tablet, laptop, or any other electronic device. Just because it has access to the whole world does not mean the whole world should have access to it, just the owner. I feel it is a serious infringement upon the 4th Amendment right if any electronic is searched without a warrant. In the article, it is stated that this was ruled upon with a 9-0 decision (17). This means that every Supreme Court Justice agrees. This is very rare too because in this day and age "5-4 rulings... have become almost standard" (16). The 5-4 separation comes from the conservative liberal split (16). So for this case to be a unanimous decision is a very big deal. This has a big impact on future cases going forward as well. In many cases around the country electronics are used as evidence against the accused, but now law enforcement will be required to obtain a search warrant before they can search the device. 98% of Americans aged 18-29 have cellphones and of those, 83% have smartphones (16). This just shows how big electronics can be in any case in the country. If that many people have them at that age it is safe to assume that more than 75% of the population of the United States owns an electronic device that is connected to the outside world. This case has a big impact on future cases going forward and i completely agree with the ruling.