Thursday, April 18, 2013

4-18-2013

1) Would you say your satisfaction with the way things are going in the U.S fell after the Boston Marathon bombing? My article states that a survey taken by Gallup's Economy and Personal Finance reported 30% of Americans were happy with the way things were going in the U.S directly before the Boston Marathon incident.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/161912/boston-bombings-satisfaction.aspx

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

H6

a) Judicial Review gives the judiciary the power to review actions of the legislative and executive branches.

b) The power of judicial review allows the supreme court to declare actions of congress or the president unconstitutional. This contributes to the idea of checks and balances because it gives the supreme court the power to monitor the two other branches and make sure they are working within their powers and rights.

c) The losing party in a court case files a "Cert Petition" asking the Supreme Court to review the decision made by the lower court, the Supreme Court then decides whether to hear an appeal from the lower court or not, called a Writ of Certiorari.

d) A stare decisis can have an influence on justices because it basically asks them to leave previous decisions in cases alone. If a case from a lower court is granted a Writ of Certiorari, and the Supreme Court decides to look at the case, then the stare decisis can influence justices to keep the result of the case the same, changing nothing and allowing the case to move on swiftly.
Judicial Activism affects justices because it is suggesting a bias within the courts. If a justice believes something is wrong even though it is not against the law and makes a case decision based on this, then that is an example of judicial activism. Justices are expected to interpret the law, not their opinions, and so judicial activism should be left out of the Supreme Court.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

H3

1. a) Three characteristics of Supreme Court nominees are they are usually old aged, well educated and in most cases graduated from an ivy league, and have experience in law.

b) With age comes experience, and experience in law and legal matters is important for a justice to have in his decision making process within the courts. A full education is also important for a justice because it helps qualify the justice for his position and his ability to make decisions on important legal matters, which in some cases may be life or death decisions.

c) Eleanor Kagan was confirmed as a justice partly for her age. At 50 years old, she has plenty of experience and has worked in legal matters for a long enough time to give her the proper qualifications of a justice, however still has many years ahead of her to spend as a justice.

2. a) Two methods used by interest groups to influence the appointment process are they can donate money and endorse certain candidates and rallying support for their views and spreading their opinions through the media.

b) Donations help candidates' campaigns and can give them better chances and opportunities to win the position. Working the media helps gain support for the candidate being publicized the most widely.

c) Interest groups have endorsed Kagan through both donations, such as the ones given by pro choice groups, and coverage through the media.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Antonin Scalia

1) Scalia is one of the most talkative and flamboyant justices, being of italian heritage. He is very traditional and believes in keeping his religious views and intellectual views together as one in his thought process. He is against abortion and gun control and in favor of the death penalty.

2) Scalia believes in the theory of originalism, which most courts don't agree with. Scalia believes that Judges should only interpret the constitution in the meaning that the original framers assigned, giving no room for allowing judges' own interpretations of the constitution.

3) Scalia's "slash and burn" style lost him his opportunities to write for the majority and his shot at chief justice. However, he is still seen as one of the most influential justices, having killed the handgun ban in D.C and resurrecting the second amendment.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

G15

a) A Balanced Budget is a budget with revenues equal to expenditures, where neither a budget deficit or budget surplus exist.

b) Federal payments to groups or individuals under government programs that disperse money to people who meet certain criteria.

c) One example of a federal entitlement is Medicare. Federal entitlement programs act as barriers to a balanced budget because they are not limited, and every person who meets the criteria for the programs will be eligible to the entitlements of that program. The only way to decrease the amount of expenditures payed for these programs is to lower the number of people eligible, which is not popular among the public, making it unpopular amongst politicians. Therefore entitlement programs force the government to fund certain projects and pay certain amounts of money, while making no money under the program.

d) A consequence of a large budget deficit is that they can put the country in risk by putting themselves in too much debt.

e) For 2012, our projected revenue was $2.47 trillion, our expenditures were $3.79 trillion our budget deficit was $1.1 Trillion.
http://useconomy.about.com/od/usfederalbudget/p/US-Government-Federal-Budget-FY2012-Summary.htm

f) The total national debt is 16.533 Trillion, and pending.
http://www.usdebtclock.org

Thursday, February 14, 2013

G12

Substance- Obama proposed to raise the minimum wage to $9.00, cut spending and raise taxes on the upperclass, and a shift to cleaner energy.

Style- Obama spoke very confidently and made it clear what his goals for the nation were. He used hand gestures and other body notions to further express his emotions. Obama mentioned numerous people, including the families from New Town Connecticut.

Response- The camera zoomed in on Joe Biden a lot, who was standing behind the president. The media also showed John Boehner and Paul Ryan, both of whom seemed uninterested and in bad moods. Obama received the biggest reaction when he talked about the end of the Afghanistan War and the troops coming home.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

G7

1) a. Congress gives agencies policy making discretion because these agencies can have more expertise on certain policies, where as Congress can not be an expert on every policy it makes. Congress covers a broad range of policies while agencies usually cover one specific policy. Another reason Congress does this is to take the blame for any policies gone wrong off of them. If they assign an agency to take control of creating the policies, than they can put all the blame onto these agencies if something goes wrong and the policy isn't taken well by the public.

1) b.

2) a. EPA- Exercises policy making discretion over the Environment and climate.
FCC- Deals with interstate and international communications through forms of media.
Federal Reserve Board- Deals with monetary policies of the United States

2) b. EPA- The EPA announces data through media depicting the differences between healthy water and polluted water in certain areas of the U.S
FCC- This agency can fine television or radio broadcasters for inappropriate remarks, actions or gestures.
Federal Reserve Board- The FRB can change interest rates in banks to help either encourage or discourage investing.

3) Congress decides the bureaucracies budget, so they can make sure the agencies are following their legislative intent and punish them by decreasing their budget if they are not. Congress can also choose to create pieces of legislation so that they are more specific and leave less room for bureaucratic discrepancy.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

G2

a) One formal power of the President is the power to conduct diplomatic missions and make foreign policies for the U.S. Another constitutional power the President has is the power to deploy troops in foreign countries as Commander in Chief.

b) One formal constitutional power of Congress is the power to declare war. Another constitutional power is their power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and the states.

c) One informal power that the president has which gives him advantage over congress in foreign policy making is the power to use the media to publicize events. Another informal power he has is the power to attend meetings with leaders of foreign countries, giving him the advantage to make agreements and informal treaties of his own with these nations.

d) The power to use the media to his advantage helps the president because he can influence the public to take certain stances on foreign issues by expressing bias and persuading the viewers. The power to attend meetings with foreign leaders gives him the advantage to make personal agreements and informal treaties of his own with these leaders, deciding issues of trade and compromising regulations on trade, along with how closely or harshly these trade laws are enforced.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/us/politics/obamas-foreign-policy-goals-appear-more-modest.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

2. President Obama has not achieved all that he promised to the people of America in his first term of his presidency, however he hopes to once again turn his focus towards these original goals that won him the nobel peace prize, only in a less ambitious and more realistic way. President Obama wishes to secure a strong American influence in Asia, and break from the U.S's dependence on the middle east for gas and oil, along with to reduce the amount of deployed nuclear weapons in the hands of countries worldwide. Most of all, Obama wants to reestablish America's role as the leading power in the world.

3. The president has the power to deploy troops, he could use this power to force other nations to give up their nuclear weapons if they refuse to agree on a compromise having to do with the amount of deployed nuclear weapons a country is allowed to have.

4. The president can influence the public through the media, and help reach a unified country that restrains from participating in international trading with countries that refuse to get rid of their deployed nuclear weapons.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Questions and Amendments

Rep. Hibbard- Question: In section 4(c), will this bill establish the “newly established committee,” or will another bill do that?


Amendment: In section 5(a), change “depending on the amount of money” to “any sum of money exceeding $1,000”

Rep. Hibbard- Question: In section 2(b), what does meaningful and substantial way mean?

Rep. Hibbard- Amendment: In section 3, define Green Tobacco Sickness as a type of nicotine poisoning caused by the dermal absorption of nicotine from the surface of wet tobacco plants, and Byssinosis as a lung disease caused by exposure to dusts from cotton processing, hemp and flax.

Representative Hibbard- Question: Are you going to make the process of obtaining a gun license more difficult?


Amendment: In section 4(b), change “have not been part of organizations such as the National Rifle Association,” to “are not part of organizations such as the National Rifle Association” to allow room for individuals who have experienced a change of heart on the issue of gun ownership.

Rep. Hibbard- Question: Specify how many shootings in the U.S involved automatic weapons
Amendment: In section 2 number 4, change “basic handguns” to “semi-automatic weapons”


Rep. Hibbard- Question: In section 2(b), why do you feel English and Mathematics need to be stressed more?

Rep. Hibabrd- Question/suggestion: Section 2 is a little repetitive, for example you state “To ensure no person is sentenced to death by execution by the federal courts” and “To enforce rules upon the federal court that prevents them from convicting an individual to execution.”

Representative Hibbard- Question- How will you make up for all the money lost from cutting pill prices by 50%?

Amendment: In section 2(b), under purposes, change “increase sexual education for young women” to “change sexual education for young women and men.”

Rep. Hibbard- Amendment: In section 6 number 3, add “such as obtaining a DUI” to give an example of an action that could result in the removal of financial aid.

Rep. Hibbard- Question: In section 2 after the quote, specifically state what the quote has to do with your bill and how you will make the court process different.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

113th Congress

1st session

H.R. 89

To define marriage nationally as a union between two people of the appropriate age, regardless of sex and sexual orientation.

In The Senate Of The United States

January 10, 2013

Ari Hibbard introduced the following bill; Which was referred to the Ethics Committee.

A Bill

To define marriage nationally as a union between two people of the appropriate age, regardless of sex and sexual orientation.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled

Section 1: Short Title.

This Act may be cited as the Gay Marriage Act.

Section 2: Findings and Purpose.

Findings: Congress finds that-

Marriage should be defined as a civil union. Sex is not an involved aspect of the marriage process. Marriage depends on preferences, and since people have different preferences, and attractions to certain sexes is a preference, the criteria for marriage can not ban same sex unions.

The Declaration of Independence declares all men to be created equal in the United States of America.

The separation of church and state is practiced in the United States government.

Purpose: The purposes of this act are to-

Establish marriage as a union between two people regardless of sex or sexual orientation.

Protect equal rights and uphold the nations status as treating all men as equals.

Fully establish a separation between church and state.

Treat marriage as a national concern for the federal government to deal with.

Section 3: Definitions.

In this act-

Union- The term union means the action of joining together or being joined together, especially in a political context.

Full Faith and Credit Clause- This clause declares that states within the United States have to respect the public acts records and judicial proceedings of every other state.

Legitimize- This term means to make official

Sexual Orientation- This is defined as the pattern of attraction to persons of the opposite sex, same sex or both sexes.

Comply- This term means to meet specified standards.

Section 4: Provisions

The Gay Marriage Act will establish marriage as a concern of the federal government, and furthermore relieve state governments of all duties pertaining to marriage.

The Gay Marriage Act will add to the Full Faith and Credit Clause by making gay marriage legitimized in each state, forcing each individual state to recognize and respect a couple's status as "married," regardless of sex or sexual orientation.

The Gay Marriage Act will specifically refer to gay marriage in the constitution as a legal union between two people.

The Gay Marriage Act will protect same sex couples from any discrimination within public institutions refusing to participate in the union of the couple.

The Gay Marriage Act prohibits discrimination in public facilities of any sort against gay couples, and any who refuse to comply will be charged with a misdemeanor.

Enactment Clause: 

This bill will become effective upon the signature of the President.




Tuesday, January 8, 2013

1. The problem i want to solve is discrimination against homosexuals. I believe homosexual people should be allowed the same chance at happiness as anyone else. They should be allowed to marry whomever they please, and it should not be left up to the states . The states can't decide which individuals earn the right to participate in marriage and which don't, and the federal government can't either for that matter. Gay marriage needs to be legalized nationally so that the country can more fully live up to the words written in the constitution that state all men are created equal. It is not a state matter, it is an individual matter, and the choice of one individual to marry another has no effect on other people, so the qualifications of marriage should not be decided by anyone besides the people involved.

2. An existing law that relates to the legalization of gay marriage is that if a gay couple gets married in a state where gay marriage is legal and then travel to a state where gay marriage is not legal, that state does  not have to recognize their marriage. This is called the Full Faith and Credit Clause.

3. My law will fully recognize gay marriages nationally. This means that states will not have the choice whether gay marriage will be legal within their boundaries or not, as well as states will have to fully recognize the validity of gay marriages. They will be treated just like any other marriage, and no public institutions will have the ability to deny the official union of a couple.

4. I would propose my bill in the ethics committee.

5. http://www.house.gov/committees/
http://www.shmoop.com/equal-protection/gay-marriage-debate-due-process-clause.html

Monday, December 10, 2012

a) An advantage that the majority party in the House of Representatives has is that they decide which bills will get voted on and when they will get voted on.

b) A difference between the House and Senate is the filibuster. In the House a majority vote passes legislation, but in the Senate, a filibuster can block a vote, which is when an individual extends a debate in order to delay or prevent a vote on a proposal.

c) If a bill gets passed in the House, then it could go to the Senate and be blocked by a filibuster. The House could pass the bill, moving it to the Senate to get voted on, where it is then not completely agreed upon and prevented from possibly ever being voted on by one person who extends the debate for a period of time.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

1) The ADA increased the power of federal government because it allows the federal gov. to practice its power nationally on an issue that can intersect with state laws. For example, it protects people with disabilities from discrimination, meaning that marriage can not be prevented from handicapped people, something that is classified as a state law.

Preemption gives the federal government authority over the states by invalidating state laws when they conflict with federal laws.

2) The U.S vs Lopez case decreased federal power by ruling against the federal government, and further limiting certain powers of theirs.

Devolution takes power from the federal government, and gives it to the local governments, therefore narrowing the powers of the national government and increasing those of the state governments.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Interest group classwork

a) The main goal of interest groups is to see their interests adopted and protected by the federal government.

b) The major goal of political parties is to get their candidate nominated and elected to office.

c) Interest groups help political parties by stressing issues that are important to the public so that officials can know what topics to focus on, and raising awareness in the public.

d) By raising awareness in the public, interest groups can gain more support for their goal, as well as more widely publicize their goal so that it becomes a larger issue in politics than it might have been before.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

1) Collective Good- Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member

Free-Rider Problem- When individuals do not participate in helping reach the goal of the interest group, and just sit back and enjoy the benefits that the members of the interest group work hard to receive.

Selective Benefits- Benefits only provided to people whose resources and incomes fall below a prescribed level.

2) a.  American Marijuana Association (AMA)
b. Fully legalizing marijuana in Virginia
c. The country with the money it can gain from taxing marijuana, people with health issues, potheads
d. Legal marijuana for anyone over 21
e.
f. My group will send petitions around the state advocating the legalization of marijuana, and will then present this to the state legislature. My group will also send a polling survey around the state to see what percentage of the state is in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

E4

  • Maine, Senate
  • Angus King-Independent; Charlie Summers-Republican
  • Angus King    angus-king-bowdoin.jpg
  • Charlie Summersportland-press-herald_3638717.jpg
  • poll results: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/me/maine_senate_summers_vs_dill_vs_king-3242.html
  • Issues- Taxes- King wants to raise some; Gov spending- Summers wants to cut it
  • Strategies- Summers making King look bad by pointing out that King went against his word by creating a negative ad toward his opponent when he pledged not to make negative ads.
  • "I think people are tired of politicians who’ll say one thing and do another,”-Summers. Makes Summers look like a unique politician, one who can be trusted by the people.
  • Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4a3blFhcDo -Negative ad by Summers who claimed King was the only one to make a negative ad out of the 3 candidates.
E2
1. huffingtonpost.com
2. I'd say that this site is mostly opinion. ex.) "Which is why it's important to discuss with kids, even those too young to yet understand all the specific policy points or platforms, why politics matters." (Drexler) While this statement is most likely true, i would not call it a fact, it is more of her personal belief. 
3. A good amount of this site is fact as well because it talks about political stories. ex.) "Three legalization initiatives on state ballots are drawing support from voters, newspapers, civic groups, celebrities and even some members of law enforcement." (Angell)
4. This site is mostly built off of other peoples blogs.
5. The majority of the bloggers on this site seem to be Democratic, usually talking against Romney and in support of Obama.
6. This site could influence the American public by enlightening them on current political issues and more specifically the effect these issues have on individuals. Many individuals who are well informed on politics provide their opinion on what's going on in the presidential race, and viewers can gain information on how other people are responding to the candidates' platforms to give them something to reflect on.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

1) I learned that Tim Kaine had the most amount of money raised for him in Virginia, along with the fact that the National Beer Wholesalers Assn was the top contributor in Virginia, donating $2,884,750.

2) I learned that local candidates such as senators receive more money from fundraisers from their states than presidents do from that state.
A.  1) The subject of the survey More Say There Is Solid Evidence of Global Warming is global warming

2) From this article, candidates can learn that there is an increasing approval of the idea of global warming, and so can make an effort to stress the importance of helping the environment. The candidate can make it obvious that he wants to help the environment and reduce global warming and appeal to the majority of the public.

3) Since more Democrats confirm evidence of global warming, a candidate can appeal to this group by stating how he will help the environment and prevent global warming, whether he is a republican or democrat.

B. 1) Ask all: Q.62 In your view, is global warming a very serious problem, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not a problem?

2) In this question, more people answered "very serious" earlier in the decade, highest in May of 2009. In 2010, the lowest amount of people answered very serious, however in each time period, "very serious" received the most answers.

3) I do not believe my question has bias. "In your view, is killing the environment a very serious problem, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not a problem?"

C. 1) October 4-7, 2012

2) 1,511 adults

3) 2.9%

4) 95%