Constitution Cafe Essay Example for Free

Constitution Cafe Essay The Constitution Cafe written by Christopher Phillips is mainly about the viewpoints of students around the country and what could be different about the Constitution. While the majority of the students from the meetings feel like there should be a few things added to the articles of the Constitution, because things are different today than when it was first written in 1787. The book informs the readers on the basics of our rights and understanding more about the Constitution itself. There are many issues discussed such as immigration, justice for all, rights, money matters but I’ll only be going over a few of these issues. One argument Phillips discusses is the number of refugees who immigrate to the United States. There are a few students in the meeting that admit to be refugees, and are trying to support their families who are back in Mexico. They argue how it’s not right for Mexico president and leaders who are able to fly over into other countries in their private jets, but immigrants like Ricardo would end up getting killed for trying to find work in the U.  S. â€Å"We never had rights in Mexico, though our homeland’s constitution says we all have equal rights,† says Oscar (p. 112). Although they don’t have any rights in the U. S. , they still find a way to work harder than most citizens and will do anything to provide the best life for their families. I strongly agree with the Constitution Cafe Article the students wrote in which they want the Constitution to change, because most refugees who come to the U. S. want to have rights and live life without worrying about getting deported back to Mexico. Many Americans say immigrants shouldn’t be allowed if they weren’t born in the U. S. and call them names such as ‘wetbacks’ but some take that as a compliment since their backs are wet, because they work the hardest. Another argument the author addresses is with a few junior high school students who agree that every U. S. citizen when they turn the age eighteen should receive an equal lump sum payment of at least $50,000. 00. The students say you should only be able to keep the money if you’re doing good and spending it on well needed things. Sure, a few people will take advantage of their big payday and do nothing good with their lives if they don’t have to. But I’m betting most will make the most of this opportunity† (p87). We all know once you turn eighteen then you could be on your own and spend the money on unnecessary things. This is why I don’t agree with the students, and some points I can relate to like for instance some parents aren’t able to provide much so the money could help the family. I also see it as the population would sky rocket because everyone would have kids for the money once they turn eighteen. Life isn’t that easy just to have a huge payment waiting for you. It’s not fair to the ones who are over the age of eighteen and had to work hard for all that they have and didn’t just have $50,000 handed to them. A question I have for the students would be, â€Å"where the money would be coming from? † This is a very good argument, because any parent wants a good future for their child and especially if the money goes to college tuitions. Finally, the last argument that caught my attention is scout’s honor that the president should have to live by before becoming president of the U.  S. They argue about how easy it is to be president when all they ask for is you have to be thirty five years old and have resided in the U. S. at least fourteen years. A group of boy scouts say the president didn’t have to be a boy scout when he was younger but should promise to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Our next president could have been in a gang or committed some type of crime and they would still win the president election. The citizens want someone who will be role model to all ages and prove by his/her actions, not just words. â€Å"This article may be about the ideal qualities we want in a president, but most of all, if you read between the lines, it’s really about the ideal qualities we want in ourselves† (p105). Arturo statement is true because we all want to be perfect but we all mistakes and so will the president, but at least there’s one person who will have all the qualities that we need to run the U. S.  This one argument I strongly agree with from the beginning all the way to the end with the written Constitution Cafe Article. A president should give their full duty to our country and of course believe in God. Christopher Phillips message would have to be getting his readers to understand what our Constitution is all about and there could be changes to it every day in life by anyone but it has to get approved of course. Thomas Jefferson believed that Americans should rewrite the Constitution every twenty years to meet our current needs in the generation we live in today. This is why Phillips has traveled the country asking Americans if and how they would rewrite our Constitution if given the chance. His main goal is to make the U. S. a better place and keep us all updated with the Constitution itself and hope from reading the book that we all learned something new about all the different arguments. From reading Constitution Cafe, I’ve learned so much more about the Constitution and the changes that have been made over years. I can definitely say now I know a lot about Thomas Jefferson than I did before, and all that he has done for the U.  S. From the many arguments in the book, I talked about a few and summarized what it was about. We should understand the basics of our rights, and if there’s something we want to make a change to in the Constitution we need to get together and write an article. All of the U. S. citizens will have different opinions on immigrants, rights, president qualities, money matters, and many more topics that relate to the Constitution. I can’t wait to read the part two of Constitution Cafe in the next twenty years, and to see what will change for the future generations.