# Proposed: New Homework Forum **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 4, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867 "2013-04-04T22:04:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/21 "2013-04-05T05:05:19Z")
> [@splatterpunk](#): > > The OP of that thread was looking for an answer to an essay question, not help with a 5,000 word paper. What you gave him could very well be copied verbatim and considered a passable answer. > > That’s not giving “suggestions and information” to assist in writing his own. Seriously? Here it is complete: > [@](#): > > The President and the Senate both have powers that affect national security issues. The Constitution splits up government powers so the different branches need to reach an agreement in order to do something and so each branch has leverage to influence the actions of the others. For example, the Senate has the power to declare war but the President has the power to give orders to the military. The President has the power to negotiate treaties but he has to get those treaties ratified by the Senate. The Senate has the power to enact laws but the President has the power to enforce those laws. > > As for the balance of power between them, there’s no definitive answer. It depends on who’s in office. A strong President is more powerful than a weak Senate and a strong Senate is more powerful than a weak President. The President has the advantage that he’s a single individual (along with an administration that works for him) while the power of the Senate is split up among its hundred individual members (and the Senate usually has to work with the House of Representatives). But the Senate has the power to impeach the President and remove him from office while the President cannot dismiss the Senate or remove Senators from office. This would qualify as an essay? It’s only two paragraphs long. Two hundred and fifteen words. If I turned this in as a completed assignment, I’d expect an F. This isn’t an essay. It’s an idea for an essay. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/22 "2013-04-05T06:09:28Z")
Plus it contained an inaccuracy. The senate does not have the power to impeach, only the House has that power. However, the Senate votes to convict/remove from office after a successful vote for impeachment in the House has concluded. Two presidents have been impeached (by the House) but none have been removed from office by vote of the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/23 "2013-04-05T06:21:30Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Plus it contained an inaccuracy. The senate does not have the power to impeach, only the House has that power. However, the Senate votes to convict/remove from office after a successful vote for impeachment in the House has concluded. Two presidents have been impeached (by the House) but none have been removed from office by vote of the Senate. Merriam Webster lists both “to charge/bring an accusation against” and “to remove from office” as a valid definition of “impeach”, so the house impeaches the president and then the senate may elect to impeach him, with each use of the word using a different definition. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/24 "2013-04-05T12:33:34Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Plus it contained an inaccuracy. The senate does not have the power to impeach, only the House has that power. However, the Senate votes to convict/remove from office after a successful vote for impeachment in the House has concluded. Two presidents have been impeached (by the House) but none have been removed from office by vote of the Senate. See, this is just the kind of detail that you’d explain in a full-length essay to bring the word count up. However, I will quote the Constitution: _“The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.”_ Of course, it also says the House of Representatives _“shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”_ The interpretation of this has been that the House of Representatives decides if an official will be impeached and the Senate does the actual impeachment. Interesting side-issue: the Constitution explicitly states _“When the President of the United States is tried (for impeachment), the Chief Justice shall preside.”_ Which brings up the question: if the Vice-President was impeached, would he preside over his own impeachment? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/25 "2013-04-05T12:54:11Z")
I need a little help multiplying mixed fractions. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/26 "2013-04-05T13:53:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Seriously? > > Here it is complete:This would qualify as an essay? It’s only two paragraphs long. Two hundred and fifteen words. If I turned this in as a completed assignment, I’d expect an F. > > This isn’t an essay. It’s an idea for an essay. Do you not understand the difference between an essay and an essay question, or did you just miss that part? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/27 "2013-04-05T14:08:03Z")
Y’all realize that when I proposed a Homework Forum to help others, I meant to help them in much the same way as was done in the link I provided in the OP, right? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/28 "2013-04-05T14:23:48Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think that the SDMB should have a Homework Forum after [after seeing how Dopers jumped in to help someone with a homework problem.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=687081) Do you really think there is an overwhelming need for a homework forum? > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Y’all realize that when I proposed a Homework Forum to help others, I meant to help them in much the same way as was done in the link I provided in the OP, right? Do you think putting this extra burden on the mods is necessary or that they’d welcome it? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/29 "2013-04-05T14:26:48Z")
I thought I provided a lot of value in that thread. My take had a certain ‘I don’t know what’, let’s call it ennui. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/30 "2013-04-05T14:34:25Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Do you really think there is an overwhelming need for a homework forum? > > Do you think putting this extra burden on the mods is necessary or that they’d welcome it? Did you read that link and really think I was making a serious proposal? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/31 "2013-04-05T15:02:11Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Do you really think there is an overwhelming need for a homework forum? > > Do you think putting this extra burden on the mods is necessary or that they’d welcome it? I think you’ve been whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/32 "2013-04-05T15:44:37Z")
Drunky’s doing a czarcasm impression, guys. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/33 "2013-04-05T15:53:53Z")
Whoosh upon whoosh – it’s a freaking hurricane around here. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/34 "2013-04-05T16:10:36Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Drunky’s doing a czarcasm impression, guys. Do you really think a drunk Smurf is capable of such a thing? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/35 "2013-04-05T17:12:16Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I can’t tell if a homework forum is the worst suggestion ever, or the worst suggestion ever. I suggest you make Rhythmdvl a mod. There. Does that ease your deliberations? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/36 "2013-04-05T17:58:57Z")
> [@Beastly\_Rotter](#): > > [Like this one, which I dearly hope ended up being cited.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=646020) I loved that thread. Also, I kind of want to read that book. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/37 "2013-04-06T12:53:41Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I kind of like how it is now. If someone asks, “What’s 2+2?” they’re not likely to get a reply of “4”, but either a bunch of joking replies - which teaches them they shouldn’t rely on any one source without verifying the answers elsewhere, and we get to have fun - OR they’re going to get some leading questions, clues and hints for how to solve the problem themselves, which is actual learning. Exactement. And do note that at least the person was honest. If he/she had said something like, “I’m newly arrived in the US and trying to understand the news, and I don’t understand the difference in power between…” they’d probably have got (mostly) straight answers. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/38 "2013-04-06T15:04:38Z")
I could see someone suing the Dope, its owners and the person who incorrectly answered a homework question that led to the questioner failing thereby taking the doper’s ISP to court to discover the doper’s real name, the case ending up in the Supreme Court and the doper losing all assets and so ending up living in a refrigerator box after an expensive and particularly messy divorce that leads to the loss of the children and the Chicago Reader closing, the Straight Dope turned off and ignorance reigning supreme, with nothing left but 4chan. Do you _really_ want to go there? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/39 "2013-04-06T15:50:59Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > I could see someone suing the Dope, its owners and the person who incorrectly answered a homework question that led to the questioner failing thereby taking the doper’s ISP to court to discover the doper’s real name, the case ending up in the Supreme Court and the doper losing all assets and so ending up living in a refrigerator box after an expensive and particularly messy divorce that leads to the loss of the children and the Chicago Reader closing, the Straight Dope turned off and ignorance reigning supreme, with nothing left but 4chan. > > Do you _really_ want to go there? Has anyone _ever_ been sued for this reason since the internet began? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867/40 "2013-04-06T16:25:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Did you read that link and really think I was making a serious proposal? Then you should have posted this in the BBQ or IMHO, no? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-new-homework-forum/654867.md?page=3)