Dr. Ritchie's
GOVERNMENT PAGE
Welcome to the U.S. Government page. This page will take you to National, State, and Local sites that will hopefully help us all understand this thing we call government. You can find everything from your local county council (Aiken) to your State and National elected officials. You can read the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Before we can fuss and complain about our government (things that I do quite frequently), we need to understand what it is we are fussing about. I believe that understanding starts with the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the U.S. Constitution (1787). So here they are. In addition, we also need to know who our elected national officials are. Just click on the site for the House of Representatives or the Senate and away you go.
U.S. Declaration of Independence - 1776 - This is the one and only DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Read this and find out what really made people mad in 1776.
U.S. Constitution - 1787 - In my opinion, this is one of the best written documents of its kind. I really believe that the founders got it right the first time. However, WE haven't always followed the Constitution, but that is our fault.
Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10) - You and I need to know the Bill of Rights by heart, because that begins the dialogue of what government can and can not do. YOU REALLY NEED TO READ THESE!!
Other Amendments (11-27) - The U.S. Constitution is a living document, and as such, needs amending every now and then. The framers knew this and planned for it. It is a testament to their work that the Constitution has only been amended 27 times!!!!!! (and one of those was to fix a mistake made earlier)
National Representatives
You and I need to know who our national representatives are (after all, we supposedly voted for them). Here you go. Just click on the House or Congress site, tell them where you live (zip-code) and you will have names and addresses in seconds. GET INVOLVED - WRITE A LETTER!!!
(click on the above link to visit the U.S. House of Representatives website)
Your South Carolina Representatives
Here are your SC Representatives, all six of them. Click on their names and you can get all the contact information you will need. So you have no excuse now. WRITE THEM A LETTER AND TELL THEM WHAT'S WHAT!
The Honorable Henry E. Brown, Jr - District 1
The Honorable Joe Wilson - District 2
The Honorable Gresham Barrett - District 3
The Honorable Bob Inglis - District 4
The Honorable John M. Spratt, Jr. - District 5
The Honorable James E. Clyburn - District 6
(click on the above link to visit the U.S. Senate website)
Your South Carolina Representatives
Here are your two SC State Senators. Click on their names and away you go. You don't have an excuse any more.
Here are some other sites that you may find useful. Some are free - some have some free stuff, but require a subscription for the entire content. Hope this helps.
Congressional Record - The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. GPO Access contains Congressional Record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present. At the back of each daily issue is the "Daily Digest," which summarizes the day's floor and committee activities.
Congressional Quarterly - Congressional Quarterly Inc. has been the nation's leader in political journalism since 1945. Over that time the company has built a peerless reputation for objective, non-partisan and authoritative reporting on Congress and politics, and today stands on the leading edge of information companies publishing in both print and online platforms. CQ has the largest news team covering Capitol Hill. More than 125 reporters, editors and researchers keep subscribers informed on weekly, daily and real-time news cycles.
Congress.org - Congress.org is a service of Capitol Advantage and Knowlegis, LLC; private, non-partisan companies that specialize in facilitating civic participation. It is powered by the award-winning Capwiz•XC™ system. Congress.org allows users to:
- Identify and contact elected leaders in Congress, the White House, and state legislatures
- Post letters online in Letters to Leaders and read what other Americans are saying to elected officials
- Have letters printed and hand-delivered to Congress (there is a fee for this service)
- Find and contact local and national media by ZIP code or by state with Media Guide
Congressional Committee Materials - GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version and the information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless specifically noted. This free service is funded by the Federal Depository Library Program and has grown out of Public Law 103-40, known as the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Enhancement Act of 1993.
Contacting Your Congressman - Contacting the Congress is a very up-to-date database of congressional contact information for the 109th Congress. As of August 24, 2006 there are 538 email addresses (of which 492 are Web-based email homepages), and 538 WWW homepages known for the 540 members of the 109th Congress. More traditional ground mail addresses are available for all members of Congress.
South Carolina State Government
South Carolina Government - This is the official web site for the South Carolina Government. It has a ton of great information so get busy.
Aiken City and County Government
Aiken County Council - Need to get in touch with your Aiken County Councilman? Just go here and you can let him know if you are glad or mad.
Aiken City Government - Same goes for your Aiken City Government. Not only does this tell you who they are, but also what they are doing.
University of South Carolina Aiken Student Government
USCA Student Government Association - Any questions you have about USCA Student Government can probably be answered here. EVERYONE OF YOU NEEDS TO GET INVOLVED.