Terry Gross Interview - Interpreting The Constitution In The Digital Era

Facts:
1. Jeffery Rosen is the co-editor of the new book Constitution 3.0: Freedom and Technological Change.
2. The Constitution cannot regulate social media.
3. None of the existing amendments give clear answers to the most basic questions were having today.
4. Rosen is a law professor at George Washington University.
5. We have to assume that we are being monitored 24/7.
6. There is no expectation of privacy on the street in the U.S.
7. The GPS case has the potential to be the most important case of the decade.
8. We can be permanently tarred for one mistake we made on the internet.
9. Google was blocked in Turkey for a long period of time.
10. The Patriot Act expands the amount of surveillance it can do without a warrant.

Questions:
1. Can the Patriot Act be a good or bad thing?
2. Should it be a violation to monitor people in public?
3. Is anything protected when you put it on the internet?
4. Who watches the public monitors?
5. How is Americans view on privacy different from Europeans view?

Political Cartoon Dec. 16th

Questions:
1. How did abortion come to be such a controversial topic?
2. Will there ever be an end to the constant debate over pro-life or pro-choice?
3. Is the punishment not tough enough for illegal abortion doctors?

National Debt Questions

1. How does our debt compare with other countries debt?
----Out of all other countries in the whole world, the United States has the most National debt at upwards of $15 trillion dollars. Below  us with around $9 trillion dollars in National debt is the United Kingdom, followed by Germany with $5 trillion dollars in debt. Overall, we have a much larger amount of debt then most other countries.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2079.html

2. How does the National debt affect everyday citizens?
----There are many different ways that the national debt can affect everyday citizens. To begin with, the value of the dollar will drop, making it more expensive to purchase imported goods. This includes gas and various household items that we take for granted. Overall borrowing costs will go up, making it harder to buy a home and a car. Interest rates will rise and mortgage rates will increase as well.
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/money/career_money/30389/2

3. Who do we owe this debt to?
----We owe this debt to many different corporations and people. The list includes: banks, pension funds, insurance companies, large corporations, foreign corporations, foreign governments, and various investors.
http://www.greatreality.com/DebtFAQ.htm#WhoOwe

Electoral College Reform

Facts:
1. The smallest number of electoral votes in a state is three.
2. The electoral college is not a college and never meets as a single entity.
3. The electoral college meets every four years.
4. Ten states as of the year 2000 account for 54% of the U.S. population.
5. The electoral college usually undermines third parties, which are unlikely to win electoral votes.
6. A straight popular election would encourage minor party candidates.
7. Gore believed that the electoral college favored small over large states, whites over blacks and Hispanics, and farmers and ranchers over subway riders and commuters in crowded urban and suburban districts.
8. Voting begins the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
9. The president is not directly elected by the people, but by the electors.
10. George W. Bush was the first southern conservative since before the Civil War.

Questions:
1. How are the electors chosen?
2. Does it seem that electors are actually necessary?
3. When was the electoral college established?
4. Why can't we just vote for the president directly? Is there not enough trust in the people?
5. How many people are in the electoral college?

H.R. 2457: Palestinian Accountability Act

Facts about the Palestinian Accountability Act:

1. Status: This bill is now in the second stage. It has been introduced, and has now been reported to committee. The committees it has been assigned to are the House Foreign Affairs, and the House Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia. 

2. In General- No United States Government document may refer to the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority as ‘Palestine’ until the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that the Palestinian Authority condemns terrorism, excludes Hamas, and recognizes Israels right to exist as a Jewish State.

3. This Act limits the amount of money that the United States gives to the Palestinian Authority, based on if they meet the requirements stated above.

4. This Act limits the amount of money that the United States gives to the United Nations if they say they recognize Palestine as a state.

5. This Act limits the amount of money that the United States gives to UNRWA for Palestinian Refugees. 

Questions:

1. How will this bill change the way other countries view our presence in the Middle East?

2. Should the United States just cut off all ties with the Palestinian Authority?

3. Could this bill cause other countries to enact something similar?

New York Times Budget Puzzle

• By the year 2015, I would have saved $414 billion dollars.
• By the year 2030, I would have saved $938 billion dollars.
• 48% came from savings from tax increases.
• 52% came from savings from spending cuts.

-----Reflection: Some of the easy choices to cut included cutting weapons programs, reducing our troops in Iraq, and cutting foreign aid. The U.S. has not had a major threat since 2001, and there is just too much money being thrown away for defense and military. Also, with our economy being as bad as it is, we need to reduce how much we give to other nations, because there are some that really need it but others don't need it as much as we do. This would certainly be much harder to get things done with Congress, because with there being two parties and two different ideologies, it is hard to get people to agree on the same things.

Political Cartoon Dec. 8th

Questions:
1. Is Iran actually that much of a threat to us?
2. Is Iran in any other conflict with other countries besides the U.S.?
3. Do you think any nukes or powerful bombs could be used any time soon?

Campaign Ad Techniques

1. Scare Tactics http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1980/
--- This ad uses dangerous facts and scary numbers about the nations economy and housing in order to scare people away from voting for Carter. This ad gets people afraid to vote for Carter, saying that this is what happen if hes in office.
--- This ad was definitely effective because it drove fear into the people and make them not want to vote for Carter.

2. Put downs  http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2008
---This ad insults the candidates opponent.
---This ad is not effective because it doesn't tell what the candidate will do, but mainly what the opponent is doing wrong. Makes the candidate look weak.

3. Cartoons / Humor http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952
---This ad uses cartoons and childish humor to make its point.
---This ad could be effective because if children like it, then it can be a household topic with parents.

4. Relating to average Americans http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1992
---This ad shows Clinton relating to average Americans and saying how he can help them.
---This ad can be effective because average Americans are what runs the country and a President relating to them is a very good thing.

5. Celebrities / Guests http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1980
---This ad has Ford speaking to Americans on behalf of Ronald Reagan.
---I dont believe this ad was effective because Ford lost the previous election, so him campaigning for Reagan probably wouldnt have done much good.

6. Family  http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2008
---This ad is all about Barack Obama's family and how he was brought up just like a normal American and how family values are always important.
---This ad can be very effective because it shows that he was brought up just like anyone else and was set with the same values as everyone else.

Assertions:
1. Ads can be very persuasive.
2. Ads do not do much to inform the voters.
3. More advertising does not produce a better democratic result.

Electoral College

Facts:
1. The Electoral College is Undemocratic.
2. States select their own electors by popular vote.
3. Gore received 51 million votes and Bush received 50.5 million votes in the 2000 election.
4. Electors can vote for a candidate who is not in their same political party.
5. Each state gets 2 electoral votes, regardless of the population.
6. Republicans often win more states overall, but Democrats win the larger states.
7. Richard Nixon would have defeated John F. Kennedy in 1960 if it were a direct election not a run-off.
8. The Electoral College questions the validity of a nationwide popular election.
9. If the Electoral College were replaced by direct elections, minority candidacies would be encouraged.
10. Federal judges are not elected at all, they're appointed.

Questions:
1. Do you feel the electoral college is a fair system?
2. Is it fair that a president can lose an election, even if he received more votes?
3. How are electors selected?
4. How long are electors in their position?
5. How can the electoral college be improved or changed?

Taxpayer Articles

Facts Article 1:
1. Our tax dollars helped pay for the show "Diary of a Single Mom."
2. Other production costs on the show paid to different vendors total more than $700,000.
3. The money came through an award by the Department of Commerce to One Economy Corp. for more than $28 million last year to help boost broadband internet service in underserved areas across the country.
4. One Economy is using more than $1.5 million of that money to create programming such as "Diary of a Single Mom" which the group says will help provide an incentive for people to connect to the internet.
5. According to grant reports, One Economy so far has invoiced the government $18.9 million of the $28.5 million awarded under the grant, with 142.47 jobs created.

http://taxpayer.net/resources.php?action=issues&proj_id=5006&category=&type=Project

Facts Article 2:
1. Defense Secretary Leon Pannetta's weekend trips to his California home on government planes are not a major concern to many lawmakers.
2. The cross-country trips raised some eyebrows in Washington after several media reports put the price of each trip at up to $30,000.
3. Pannetta is required to reimburse the government for the price of an equivalent coach airline ticket, but the costs of the flights on sophisticated military jets far exceed those prices.
4. In a series of interviews, lawmakers expressed few concerns when asked by The Hill about the potential of spending $100,000 a month on Pennettas personal weekend trips.
5. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said he "would be reluctant to critique someone who is merely trying to maintain a family, a marriage."
http://taxpayer.net/resources.php?action=issues&proj_id=5013&category=&type=Project

Death Penalty Questions: Answers

1. How many states have banned the death penalty and how many still have it today?

----Today there are currently 34 states that still have the death penalty, including Pennsylvania. There are 16 states that do not have the death penalty, the most recent being Illinois which just got rid of it in 2011.

2. Why does the process of execution take so long?

----As a matter of fact, if an inmate is put to death by lethal injection, the process could take as short as 1 minute and 30 seconds. The preparation part is what takes the longest.

3. How many people per year receive the death penalty?

----In the past year of 2011, there were 43 people who were executed by lethal injection of the death penalty.

Pending Bills

1. Palestinian Accountability Act
To restrict funds for the Palestinian Authority, and for other purposes.
Status: This bill is in the first step in the legislative process.


2. Care Act
A bill to ensure that States have enacted criminal statutes that require individuals to report child abuse to law enforcement or child protective agencies.
Status: This bill is in the first step in the legislative process.


3. Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2011
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally.
Status: This bill is in the first step in the legislative process.

Unemployment Political Cartoon

Questions:
1. Does the President have a plan to reduce unemployment or does he think it will just fix itself overtime?
2. How high do you feel the number of unemployed will get to before it begins to come back down?
3. How many people are currently unemployed?

Pennsylvania's 2008 Presidential Election Returns

Facts:

1. Barack Obama received 54.7%  of all of Pennsylvania's votes, as opposed to John McCain who received 44.3% of the votes.

2. The third and fourth place candidates in the 2008 Presidential Election were Ralph Nader, who received 0.7% of votes, and Bob Barr who received 0.3% of votes.

3. Some voters said that they voted for Obama because they "wanted to be part of history."

4. Pennsylvania last chose a Republican for President when it supported George H. Bush in the 1998 election.

5. 85.6% of voters in the state of Pennsylvania were White.

PA's Congressional Districts

Facts:
1. The Representative for the Fourth Congressional District is Democrat Jason Altmire.
2. The district with the most counties is the Fifth Congressional District with 17 counties.
3. We live in Delaware county, which is in the Seventh Congressional District.
4. Philadelphia County spreads through 5 different Congressional Districts.
5. The Fourteenth Congressional District only has one county in it, Allegheny County.
6. There are only 7 Democratic Representatives in all of the 19 Congressional Districts.
7. The 2010 census showed that Philadelphia county is now the most populous county in the state.
8. Philadelphia county is also part of the Delaware Valley area.
9. Delaware County was created on September 26, 1789, and named for the Delaware River.
10. Montgomery County is a suburban county northwest of Philadelphia, and is also part of the Delaware Valley. 

How Washington Works

Facts:
1. Around 3.5 million people live in the Washington metropolitan area.
2. Washington is certainly not isolated.
3. Almost everyone in Washington has come from somewhere else.
4. Many of the politicians in Washington have a strong hunger for public recognition.
5. "Potomac Fever" is the incurable addiction of wielding political power or feeling at the political center.
6. The city and suburbs of Washington are encircled by a 64-mile freeway loop known as the beltway.
7. The nickname for the department of transportation is pronounced "D-O-T" never "dot."
8. Washington is very open to newcomers.
9. The shorthand for the Department of Housing and Urban Development is pronounced "HUD."
10. Each city has variety, however, Washington only has one priority: politics.

Questions:
1. How many people currently work in the capitol?
2. How much power does Washington actually have over the country?
3. Who came up with the term "Potomac Fever?"
4. Do citizens of Washington feel excluded from the country, considering Washington is not a state?
5. How much of a social impact do political parties have?

Death Penalty Questions

3 Questions that I chose to learn about :

1. How many states have banned the death penalty, and how many states still have it?
2. Why does the process of execution take so long?
3. How many people per year receive the death penalty?

How Birth Control And Abortion Became Politicized

Facts:
1. The first birth control clinic was opened by Margaret Sanger in 1916.
2. In the early 1900's, a study found that 41% of women who had received medical care through clinics operated by New York City's Health Department had never used contraception.
3. Of those 41%, at least half had at least one abortion.
4. At this time, it was illegal for Sanger to give out information on contraceptive options, which angered poor, young women.
5. Passing out such information was illegal under the 1873 Comstock Law.
6. Margaret Sanger was one of eleven kids.
7. Condoms were created in the 1850's due to the start of vulcanization of rubber.
8. By the 1930's, a Gallop poll showed that 75 percent of Americans favored contraception.
9. By the late 1960's, Richard Nixon was pushing congress to increase federal funding for family planning.
10. Nixon was re-elected in 1972; a year later, the Supreme Court issued its key ruling on abortion in Roe vs. Wade.

Questions:
1. Do you feel that abortion should be legal or illegal?
2. Which is a better option, abortion or adoption?
3. Are enough women educated on abortion?
4. Are abortions still considered dangerous or unsafe?
5. How many women go through abortions per year?
6. How many doctors were arrested for releasing illegal information?

Frontline: "Lost In Detention"

Facts:
1. Illegal Immigrants are detained prior to being deported.
2. This year, about 400,000 illegal immigrants will be detained and deported.
3. Under Obama, border security has been strengthened.
4. ICE is the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.
5. Last year, 195,000 Immigrants were deported.
6. Of the 195,000 immigrants deported, there were 1000 murderers.
7. With Obama's administration, the number of immigrants caught and deported has gone up.
8. A State bill known as "Susana's Law" was introduced to deny funding for secure communities.
9. Secure communities was set up to reduce racial profiling.
10. The Obama administration has made secure communities mandatory.

Questions:
1. Are there any instances where immigrants who are caught are allowed to stay?
2. If someones visa has expired, can they return to their country and receive a new visa?
3. Are there any incentives to reach the target number of deports?
4. What happens if that number is not reached?
5. If people try to help illegal immigrants, can they be arrested as well?

Representatives Committees

Mike Lee's committees:
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on the Judiciary

Facts:
1. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee operates with 4 subcommittees.
2. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and nuclear waste policy, territorial policy, native Hawaiian matters, and public lands.
3. In 1977, The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs became the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
4. The United States Committee on Foreign Relations is charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate.
5. There are 7 subcommittees of the Committee on Foreign Relations.
6. The committee has considered, debated, and reported important treaties and legislation, ranging from the purchase of Alaska in 1867 to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945.
7. The Committee of the Judiciary has only 18 members.
8. This Committee is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of Federal Judges nominated by the President.
9. The Committee of the Judiciary is one of the oldest in the Senate, being created in 1816.

West Wing: Stackhouse Fillibuster

Facts/Connections:
1. 60 votes are needed to end the debate over a bill.
2. The person who is running the fillibuster can speak about whatever he wants.
3. Drinking, sitting down, or taking a break from talking will all end the fillibuster.
4. The only time the person can take a break from talking is if there is a question that is asked.
5. A little over 24 hours is the record for longest fillibuster.
6. Stackhouse started the fillibuster because a relative had autism.
7. The word fillibuster comes from the Dutch.
8. Once the fillibuster is over, the cloture vote occurs.

Questions:
1. Are there any other stalling methods besides a fillibuster?
2. Can asking a question be considered a fillibuster as well, since it is giving the senator a prolonged break?
3. Do Senators have to sit around while the fillibuster is going on?
4. Are there any rules that the other senators must follow while waiting for a fillibuster to end?
5. Is there any way to stall voting in the House, or only the Senate?

Electoral College

Facts:
1. Nebraska and Maine have already abandoned the winner-take-all system.
2. Mr. Pillegi wants PA to join in abandoning the winner-take-all system.
3. PA is being changed to winner-take-all by congressional district.
4. Whoever wins a certain congressional district, the candidate would receive one electoral college vote.
5. Whoever does better in the statewide race would receive two electoral college votes.
6. If this system had been in place in 2008, Obama would have beaten McCain 11-10 rather than receiving all 21 electoral college votes.
7. PA senator Chuck McIhinney dislikes the plan.
8. Bob Mensch is one of the co-sponsors, and is not on the 2012 ballot.
9. It only takes 6 defections in the Senate, or 11 in the house to stop the bill.
10. California has the most electoral college votes in the country.

Questions:
1. Would this make counting votes harder or easier?
2. What made Pennsylvania decide to propose this plan now?
3. Which party would benefit the most from this?
4. How could this negatively or positively affect voter turnout?
5. Would this lead to more or less campaigning?

John Boehner

Facts:

1. Boehner was forced back to the drawing board on his first package of spending cuts.
2. His "biggest regret" of his speakership was failing to cut a multitrillion-dollar deficit-reduction deal with President Barack Obama after the mere perception that he might give ground on taxes filtered back to his troops.
3. He threatened to punish recalcitrant Republicans by taking away committee assignments.
4. Boehner says it is important to spend less money.
5. Instead of just talking about the importance of trade, we've actually passed free trade agreements.
6. Boehners Republicans have used the leverage of controlling a single chamber of Congress to slash $1 trillion or so from the budget over the next decade.
7. His leadership frequently blows up in his face.
8. "John kind of watches and sees where it goes and kind of herds the flock that way."

Questions:

1. How come Boehner just sits back and waits for things to happen?
2. Are the things that Boehner has done in his career generally positive?
3. Does he get a good amount of support from his party / do they back what he does?
4. Does Boehner make too many compromises? Should he be more assertive?
5. Why does it seem that most opinions about Boehner are negative?

3 Illegal Immigrant Questions

1. What happens if illegal immigrants have children that were born in the U.S.? Are they also considered illegal immigrants?
2. How many total illegal immigrants are there in the United States? How can the illegal immigrants be stopped without profiling?
3. Are there any advantages to the economy when hiring illegal immigrants? Or is it all disadvantages?

Is the House too small?

Facts:
1. In 1911, Congress arbitrarily decided that 435 was enough and set the number down in a statute.
2. The average U.S. congressional district now contains roughly 640,000 citizens, as opposed to about 200,000 in 1911.
3. From 65 members in its vintage 1789 configuration, the lower chamber grew steadily with each new census count, accommodating the growing population of the country.
4. The representation of minorities lags behind their percentage of the general population.
5. The U.S. population is 12.8 percent black and 14.4 percent Latino, but 9.4 percent and 5.1 percent in the U.S. house, respectively.

Questions:
1. How would the House's operation differ if it were smaller or larger?
2. Are there more advantages or disadvantages to a smaller House?
3. Where did the number 435 come from?
4. Were there issues with the 65 man House that made them decide to add more people?
5. Does the majority party have any advantages in the House?

Opinion:
In my opinion, I believe the House of Representatives should be even larger than 435. A country that prides itself in being a democracy should want as many people to have a say as possible. It is very important that big countries who have big populations should have big legislatures are well. With as many people as our country has, 435 people in the House is certainly not enough.

Representatives Personal Finances

Mike Lee
Lee has a net worth from $32,995 to $193,998 , ranking him 92nd in the Senate. He has 7 assets totaling $82,005 to $234,000. Lee also has 3 liabilities totaling $40,002 to $115,000. He has no transactions, no compensations, and 3 incomes totaling at $822,837.

Bob Casey
Casey's net worth is from $160,020 to $578,000, ranking him 84th in the Senate. He has a total of 14 assets totaling $160,020 to $578,000. He has had three transactions totaling $45,003 to $150,000.

With 50% of our congress being millionairess, we may find it hard to relate to them, or vice versa. Since most congressman are very wealthy, it might be hard for them to relate to the common man, or our middle class. If this be the case, then we can get a better judgment on how much Congressman really do care and try to relate to the common Americans, and we can base our election judgment from what we see.

Due Process "Last Resort"

Facts:
1. Kevin Rojas was sentenced to 15-life in 1992 for a crime he did not commit.
2. He was charged with murder in 1991 because he was wearing an orange jacket similar to the killers.
3. Most of the evidence from the case was never presented in court or even investigated.
4. Spent 4 and a half years behind bars before he was found innocent and released.
5. Only 5% of criminal cases actually have DNA.
6. DNA can help make all the difference in a case whether someone did the crime or not.
7. Lawyers had to grind through the details of the case because there was no DNA to go by.
8. Eye witness identification is a very big issue, something the Supreme Court will hear about soon.
9. Cases are often worked on for 10-15 years.
10. It takes 25 years from the time a death sentence is given , to the actual execution.

Questions:
1. In what ways could our system be changed to make sure that innocent people are not convicted?
2. Has anything changed since this case to make sure nothing happens like this?
3. Should eye witnesses be enough to go on to put someone in jail?
4. If someone is actually guilty and the lawyers prove them innocent, does anything happen or are they just free to go?
5. How many innocent people are behind bars today?

Justice Stevens Most Important Cases

Rasul vs. Bush

Facts:
1. The ruling was 6-3 in favor of Rasul
2. The ruling was set down on June 28, 2004.
3. Was a landmark decision establishing that the U.S. court system has the authority to decide whether foreign nationals held in Guantanamo Bay were wrongfully imprisoned.
4. Guantanamo Bay is a U.S. prison system in Cuba.
5. Shafiq Rasul was released before the decision was handed down.
6. Four British and Australian men were captured in Afghanistan or Pakistan by the American military and transported to Guantanamo Bay.

Questions:
1. How do other countries deal with POW's that they capture?
2. How long were the men imprisoned for before the trial and ruling happened?
3. What could have been done to make sure this didn't happen, or doesn't happen in the future?
4. Does this still happen today?

Supreme Court Justices

Facts:

1. President Bush nominated John G. Roberts, Jr., as Chief Justice, and took his seat on September 29, 2005.
2. Antonin Scalia was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit in 1982.
3. From 1965 to 1988, Anthony Kennedy was a Professor of Constitutional Law at the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific.
4. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was instrumental in launching the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union.
5. From 1980-1990, Stephen Breyer served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as its Chief Judge, 1990-1994.
6. President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and she took assumed this role August 8, 2009.
7. From 1995-1999, Elena Kagan was associate counsel to President Clinton and then served as deputy assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Counsel.
8. How long does it usually take from the time a Justice is nominated until they actually assume their role?
9. What credentials do these people need to be appointed Justices?
10. Kagan Served as a law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall during the 1987 term.

Court Cases

1. FAA v. Cooper - In 2006, pilot Stanmore Cooper gave information to Social Security, telling them that he was HIV positive in order to receive medical benefits. However, Cooper did not give this information to the FAA. Social Security wrongly released his information to the FAA, leading to Coopers license being suspended. The U.S. court of appeals ruled that Cooper had the right to sue because the exchange of records was improper. This case stood out to me because I really felt that Social Security was so wrong in this situation. Medical records are supposed to be confidential.

2. Kawashima v. Holder - In 1984, Akio Kawashima and Fusako Kawashima, natives and citizens of Japan, were admitted to the United States as lawful permanent residents. Ten years later, in 1994, Akio pleaded guilty to filing a false statement on a federal tax return, and Fusako pleaded guilty to aiding in the false tax return. The couple failed to report $ 245,126 of taxable income from two restaurants they owned. This was considered an aggravated felony, and the courts upheld immigration's process of deporting them. This stood out to me because I totally agree with the ruling. I feel that they should have no chance of ever returning to the U.S. If they did such a bad crime, they should never return.

3. Minneci v. Pollard - 2011 - Richard Lee Pollard, an inmate at a federal prison run by a private company GEO, slipped on a cart and hurt both of his elbows. As GEO employees were transferring him to an outside doctor, he claims he was made to wear a jumpsuit with wrist restraints, despite the fact that he told them it put him in pain. Pollard sued GEO for violating his eighth amendment protection from cruel and unusual punishment. Californias U.S district court dismissed the case. But the U.S. court of appeals reversed, concluding that a federal agent put him Pollard in harm. This case stood out to me because I would have assumed the case would have been thrown out by the appeals court as well. I didn't think they would even listen to this case because it is an inmate vs a federal agent, however, his suit worked. 

Roe vs. Wade Handouts

Facts:

1. Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks.
2. With respect to the State's important and legitimate interest in the health of the mother, the "compelling" point, in the light of present medical knowledge, is at approximately the end of the first trimester.
3. If the State is interested in protecting fetal life after viability, it may go so far as to proscribe abortion during that period, except when it is necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.
4. The right to privacy is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.
5. Although the results are divided, most of these courts have agreed that the right of privacy, however based, is broad enough to cover the abortion decision.
6. It has been argued occasionally that these laws were the product of a Victorian social concern to discourage illicit sexual conduct.
7. When most criminal abortion laws were first enacted, the procedure was a hazardous one for the woman.
8. Even after 1900, and perhaps until as late as the development of antibiotics in the 1940's , standard modern techniques such as dilation and curettage were not nearly so safe as they are today.
9. Mortality rates for women undergoing early abortions, where the procedure is legal, appear to be as low as or lower than the rates for normal childbirth.
10. The State's interest and general obligation to protect life then extends, it is argues to prenatal life.

Questions:
1. Should women have the right to choose if they want an abortion?
2. How would the founding fathers feel about abortion, taking into account the right to life?
3. Can abortions put the mothers at risk?
4. If states such as Texas don't agree with abortion, how come they still allow it?
5. Can the right to an abortion be taken away? How would the mothers feel?

West Wing

Connections:
1. The episode brings up the major court case of Roe vs. Wade.
2. Marriage is an example of an enumerated power.
3. The episode also mentions the right to privacy.
4. The President selects judges that have the same party affiliation or view points as him.
5. The candidates for judge positions were interviewed before they were appointed.
6. A candidate must be approved by the Senate.
7. Justices are usually replaced by the same gender.
8. Brown vs. Board of education ended with the result that schools should not be segregated.

Questions:
1. At what age are judges often asked to retire?
2. Are all candidates interviewed or just the best?
3. What types of questions are judges asked while being interviewed?
4. What pros and cons could there be for judges to have a life term?
5. On average, how long does the process of replacing a judge take?

Federalist No. 78

Quotes

1. "...in a government in which they are separated from eachother, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution." - I chose this quote because it shows how the Judicial branch cannot be intruded by political parties and must do everything constitutionally.

2. "it may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgement; and must ultimately depend upon the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments." - This quote shows how the judicial branch cannot enforce any laws, they simply judge based on them.

3. "They ought to regulate their decisions by the fundamental laws, rather than by those which are not fundamental." - This quote tells that  the Judicial branch must make their rulings based on constitutional laws rather than personal beliefs.

4. "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body." - This quote is telling how the judges must use the constitution as a basis for all rulings which they make, and for any laws regarding the legislative branch.

5. "...all judges who may be appointed by the United States are to hold their offices DURING GOOD BEHAVIOR; which is conformable to the most approved of the state constitutions and among the rest, to that of the state." - This quote is describing how all judges that are appointed by the United States will serve life-terms in their position.

Questions.

1. How do the three branches differ, considering the fact that judges serve life terms?
2. Is it clearly evident that the Judicial branch is the least powerful of the three branches?
3. If Hamilton were alive today, would he be pleased with the way we follow the Constitution?
4. Are judges believed to have the most responsibility for protecting the rights of citizens?
5. How would Hamilton respond to some of our key court cases if he were here today? Would he agree or disagree with some of the decisions that have been made?

4.

Federalist No. 78

Quotes

1. "...in a government in which they are separated from eachother, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution." - I chose this quote because it shows how the Judicial branch cannot be intruded by political parties and must do everything constitutionally.

2. "it may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgement; and must ultimately depend upon the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments." - This quote shows how the judicial branch cannot enforce any laws, they simply judge based on them.

3. "They ought to regulate their decisions by the fundamental laws, rather than by those which are not fundamental." - This quote tells that  the Judicial branch must make their rulings based on constitutional laws rather than personal beliefs.

4. "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body." - This quote is telling how the judges must use the constitution as a basis for all rulings which they make, and for any laws regarding the legislative branch.

5. "...all judges who may be appointed by the United States are to hold their offices DURING GOOD BEHAVIOR; which is conformable to the most approved of the state constitutions and among the rest, to that of the state." - This quote is describing how all judges that are appointed by the United States will serve life-terms in their position.

Questions.

1. How do the three branches differ, considering the fact that judges serve life terms?
2. Is it clearly evident that the Judicial branch is the least powerful of the three branches?
3. If Hamilton were alive today, would he be pleased with the way we follow the Constitution?
4. Are judges believed to have the most responsibility for protecting the rights of citizens?
5. How would Hamilton respond to some of our key court cases if he were here today? Would he agree or disagree with some of the decisions that have been made?

4.

2000 Election and the Supreme Court

Facts

1. The court ruled 5-4 in favor of Bush.

2. The election was decided under the Rhenquist Court.

3. On December 8th, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that a manual recount was required by law.

4. The courts decision in Bush vs. Gore did have two fundamental virtues.

5. Minimalism was on full display in the courts two rulings during the election.

6. On December 9th, the Supreme Court issued a stay of the decision of the Florida Supreme Court.

7. Bush vs. Gore was actually the fourth intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court.

8. The courts decision lacked any basis in precedent. 

Questions:

1. What are the effects/risks that come from minimalism?

2. What other three cases did the Supreme Court intervene in?

3. How will the government handle a case like this in the future?

4. Were there illegal occurrences during this whole election/court case?

5. How did the court make a decision with no precedent? 

"The Common Good"

The "Common good" is a term that originated over 2000 years ago in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero.  It was defined more recently by contemporary ethicist John Rawls as "certain general conditions...that are equally to everyone's advantage." Many believe that we do not currently have the common good. I agree, however, I believe that in our society we need to work towards reaching the common good. If we can reach this common good, we will all become happier and become a better nation. Unfortunately, it is our human nature that compels us to be quite selfish and look out for only our individual gain. 

This article lists many different examples of common goods, including accessible and affordable public health care system, an effective system of public safety and security, peace among the nations of the world, a just legal and political system, an unpolluted natural environment, and a flourishing economic system. All of these common goods that are listed are surely not impossible to reach, but in our nations current state, seem quite unreasonable. I believe that if we actually tried to reach the common good, we could potentially fix our health care system, work towards becoming a safer nation, and use less gas and produce less pollution for the environment. The only issues that I see are with the nations having peace and the economy. Our economy is in such a bad place that we don't even know how to get out of it. The economy will be in a recession for quite a while, and will take time to get back to being flourished. As far as the nations having peace, I never believe every nation will have peace. There will forever be wars fought around the world, and there will always be threats from country to country. 

I believe that our nation is could definitely benefit from having the common good, but I think we are too far away from ever reaching it. 

Politician Check-up #2

BOB CASEY

For my second politician, I chose to follow senator Bob Casey. Since January 8th, 2007, Casey has only missed 4 of 1,540 roll call votes.

- Bob Casey has sponsored 174 bills since January 4th, 2007, of which 170 haven't made it out of committee and none were successfully enacted. Casey has also co-sponsored 736 bills during the same time period.
--Some of Casey's sponsored bills include:
             -Fallen Heroes act of 9/11
             - Computer science education act of 2011

2000 Election Film

Facts:
1. The way that Floridians voted in 2000 was by punching out chads.
2. Katherine Harris was the Secretary of State during the election.
3. The deadline for the recount to end was December 12th.
4. The supreme court ruled 5-4 in favor of ending the recount, giving Bush the presidency.
5. Gore had verbally stated that he had lost to Bush, but took back his statement in order to fight for a recount.
6. Gore advisers wanted dimple chads to be counted in the recount.
7. Only counties which the candidates asked to be recounted were recounted.
8. Florida's 25 electoral votes would have given either candidate the presidency.

Questions:
1. Would a re-vote in the state of Florida been more efficient than a recount?
2. Were Americans treated fairly, not knowing who their president was for over a month?
3. How long would an all out manual recount have taken?
4. How is the presidency decided if there is a tie?
5. Who was put in charge of the country during the recount?
6. Did the police let the protesters in the building, knowing that it would slow the recount?
7. Could a county have denied to recount the votes in the first place?
8. Is it possible that an incident like this could occur in our future? Or have we cleared up any issues that could reoccur?

Health Care Post 2

I know that there are many issues in the government, many of which cannot be resolved. One issue that I am really interested is the dislike between the Democratic and Republican parties. Not only do these two parties dislike one another, I feel that the government and certain bills are very divided because of affiliation. On the topic of healthcare, although Obamacare would do positive things to our economy, it is being shot down immediately by Republicans. They don't want to try and see the good that it could do, they are just blinded by party affiliation that it is immediately blocked out.

One major thing that Obamacare is said to do is to reduce the number of uninsured residents by 32 million. This is taking a major step in the right direction, working to help everyone achieve the goal of having healthcare. However, if Republicans cant see the good that this bill is doing just because the person who proposed it is a Democrat, then surely the government is flawed. This is how I view the topic of party affiliation with regards to the healthcare reform. Now maybe I am wrong, and the Republicans do actually see flaws in this bill, but it is shown throughout history that legislature doesn't get passed if an opposing party passes it.

2000 Election Reading

Pre-Reading Questions:
1. How long would an official recount actually take?
2. Would keeping the citizens in suspense after an election cause riots or violence?
3. How long could an election stay undecided?
4. How close does an election need to be for a recount to occur?
5. Did the candidates partake in the court preceding's?

Facts/Details:
1. The butterfly ballot was used in Palm Beach, where candidates names are in two columns and punch holes are in the middle.
2. Gore sought out a manual recount of all "undervotes" in four heavily democratic counties.
3. Katherine Harris was Secretary of the State at the time of the election.
4. The election was decided by a 5-4 vote in  the Supreme Court.
5. Florida's self imposed deadline was December 12th.

Post-Reading Questions:
1. How can the government change the system so this doesn't happen in the future?
2. Which are more accurate, machine or manual recounts?
3. Who was expected to win the state of Florida?
4. Did anyone expect that the election would be this close?
5. How would the recount have differed if Florida was given more time?

Health care post 1

     Everyone knows that our economy is in a really bad place at the moment. Unemployment rates are high, people are losing there homes, but what is really important is health care. Something that is taken for granted in our life. If you get sick, you go to the doctor, you get hurt badly, you go to the hospital. Most people just take those things for granted and don't really see how much it is affecting people around us. However, health care is a much bigger problem then we really see.

      

     In my opinion, I feel as if  there should be a universal health care system. It is our governments duty to protect its citizens, and this includes keeping them healthy. Even though there are poor people out there, its not like they are going to take advantage of the health care system. If people are in need of a doctor they should be able to go to the doctor for free and not worry about if they are insured and how much it is going to cost if they are not insured. In 2005, the number of uninsured Americans was at an all time high of 46.6 million. This means that every time those 46 million people get sick or have to go to the doctor they have to worry about how much it will cost them and if they will be able to afford it. I feel that if we had a health care system that was paid for and run by the government, there would be not as many issues and worries about our health and being insured.

Politician Check-up

I chose to check up on Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah. Since January 25, 2011, Lee has sponsored 5 bills, 2 of which haven't made it out of committee, and none were successfully enacted. During the same time period, he was also co-sponsored 83 bills.
Mike Lee has only missed 2 out of 166 roll call votes since January 26, 2011. (only 1%)

Faction

When Madison defines faction he calls it "a group of citizens, with interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community." I feel that this is a good representation of what a faction is. Madison seems to have a negative view of factions and looks down upon them, recognizing that they might cause problems to the U.S. It is evident that majority factions could cause major problems, if they get too many people or too much power than minority factions would be oppressed.

1. Would the political parties of today be considered factions?
2. Are factions OK if they are kept under control?
3. How could you get rid of factions in today's government?
4. Is the government in control today? Or is the two party system too powerful?

In today's government, I believe that factions are our political parties. The two political parties that we have in our government have their own interests and are looking out for their own party, whether its in elections, or even voting on things. And I do feel as if today's political parties have gotten too powerful.

2 Congress members I follow

Bob Casey - Democratic Party                                                          
Senator - Pennsylvania                                                                        

Mike Lee - Republican Party
Senator - Utah

Political Ideology Survery

After taking the political ideology survey, I got the result of a moderate. As a moderate, you agree with some ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties. I feel that this is representative of myself because at times there are policies from one party that I agree with, but then others from another party that I agree with.

Democracy in America video

Facts:
1. If states didn't accept the .08 drunk driving standard, they would receive less money.
2. States can have their own limits on drunk driving standards.
3. The care for people in poverty during the great depression became a federal issue.
4. In 1996, Bill Clinton passed a bill that made welfare more of a state issue than a federal issue.
5. Welfare standards differ from state to state.
6. The U.S. was in a great depression during the 1930's.
7. Single parent homes were on the rise in the 1990's.
8. Poorer states, such as Mississippi, provide only minimal care for impoverished people.
9. South Carolina refused to have the drunk driving standard be .08.
10. Drunk drivers are the cause of about 40% of car accidents.

Questions:
1. What are some conflicts between state and federal governments?
2. Who should decide what animals stay in their state?
3. In what way does Idahos wolf problem connect to state vs federal issues?
4. If the wolves are endangered, why would they kill them just to remove them?
5. Should drunk driving standards vary from state to state?
6. Should there be a unified drunk driving standard?
7. Is the government abusing their power in Idaho?
8. Should welfare be a state or federal issue?
9. If people continue to abuse the welfare system, should less funding go into it?
10. Should people be forced off of welfare if they are abusing the system?

Constitution Responses

1. As the Constitution states, the president must be a natural born citizen. How do you feel about this?

In my opinion, I agree with this statement. I believe that if someone is going to have the immense responsibility of running a country, they must be born in the country which they are running. I'm not saying that I have anything against foreigners in politics, but I feel that the person in charge should be natural born. This policy helps us to stay away from favoritism in foreign policy. For example, if the president were foreign, he would feel an obligation to aid his home country. Therefore, the president should be natural born.

2. Is it possible the founding fathers included nothing about gay marriage in the Constitution because they would've never guessed that people would even try to do that?

Back when the Constitution was being written, things were more uniform and not as diverse. The nation was run by white protestant men, and marriage was defined as man and woman. I do not believe that the founding fathers ever would have thought that people would even consider homosexuality. People were very religious in the time period that this was being written, so I don't think that their religion would even allow gay marriage to occur, nor would people go against the church to attempt it.

Federalist No. 10

Questions for Madison:

1. How would you go about controlling the effects of factions?

2. How do you know that the two methods stated will truly cure the "mischief's of faction?"

3. If every citizen had the same opinions, passions, and interests, wouldn't it take away our individuality?

4. Are many different opinions bad, or does it help us in the long run?

5. How would government differ if there were no minority or majority? If there was an equal amount of each party?

"There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests." - I felt that if every citizen has the same opinions, passions, and interests than it would take away our individuality or our own beliefs towards this. 

"The public good is disregarded in the conflicts of the rival parties." - It seems that parties only care to fight with one another, rather than take the public's good into mind. 

"There are two methods of curing the mischief's of faction: the one by removing its causes, the other, by controlling its effects." - Although Madison says there are only two ways to remove factions, I wonder if  there are other ways that we just cant think of?

"It is in vain to say that enlightened statesmen will be able to adjust these clashing interests, and render them all subservient to the public good." - This quote is saying that if one is elected to a state position, he has the ability to make changes but only for the public good. 

"The inference to which we are brought is, that the causes of faction cannot be removed, and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects." - I was just curious as to if we control the effects of factions properly, can it in turn lead to the removal of the causes?

Federalist No. 51

Questions for Madison:

1. Why is independence amount different branch members so important in government?
2. Is society and government designed for the rich and powerful to dominate?
3. What did you want to accomplish by writing this paper?
4. How will each branch protect themselves from future encroachments?
5. How does the government reflect human nature?

"It is equally evident, that the members of each department should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others..." - I chose this quote because it talks about how each branch of government must be separate and worry about its own duties, not others.

"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this : you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." - I felt this was important because not only is the government needed to control everyone in it, but it also must control itself so everything runs smoothly.

"But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self defense." - This quote proves how each branch cannot be equal and will never be equal, there is obviously some above others.

"...it is evident that each department should have a will of its own..." - I chose this excerpt from the passage because it shows how separate powers are needed in order to make the government as fair as possible.

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." - Madison just comes right out and says that mankind is not perfect, therefore we need a government to lay down the laws by which we live by.

Similie

The check and balance system and separation of powers are like the organ systems of the body. They all have separate jobs, but are intertwined to help each other and make sure each system is doing the right thing. They connect  to separation of powers because they all have different functions and responsibilities they must carry out in order for the body (government) to run smoothly. Each system could not survive without the others. They all come together to make sure each is and every system is running smoothly.

Political Cartoon #2

Questions: 
1. Should Congress pass Obama's jobs bill?
2. If passed, do you think the bill will help or will it make no difference?
3. Is it possible for this bill to do more harm then good?

9/11 Video Clip Response

Questions:
1. Why wouldn't the government tell the citizens what they were doing?
2. If the terrorist attack had never happened, would we still have started a war against Al-Queda eventually?
3. When Bush issued the CIA to start the war, did he have any idea we would still be involved 10 years later?
4. Why didn't we pull out when we won the quick war in Afghanistan? Why continue?
5. By doing everything in secret, did it cause citizens to not trust the government?
6. Should the CIA and military have been on the same page during the attacks?
7. Were CIA techniques too harsh, or not harsh enough?
8. Should the US have finished their war in Afghanistan before moving to Iraq?
9. Should the National Security Agency have been able to intercept phone calls, or was that taking away privacy?
10. Was it a smart move to hide agencies in big business buildings?

Facts
1. Greystone was the name of the plan of attack.
2. George Bush launched a CIA attack to find out any information in Afghanistan.
3. All of top secret America was at Obama's inauguration to protect him from any possible attacks.
4. Obama had a 3.4 billion dollar building built for military forces.
5. 3 billion dollars was used for private contractors to collect cyber data.
6. John Rizzo established a prison system run by the CIA in alliance with other countries to isolate the enemies.
7. The terrorist surveillance program allowed the CIA to tap phones of citizens without authority.
8. After Obama's operation, U.S. soldiers killed Osama Bin Laden.
9. There are 17,000 secret intelligence locations in the U.S.
10. In spring of 2003, the U.S. attacked Iran.  

Unit 1 Interview

When I was first assigned this interview project, I thought I would interview my friend Dan Fuiman. I thought it was important to interview one of my peers because at the age of 18, we become able to vote in elections, and with a presidential election coming up, I felt it was important to see a teens view on government and politics. I found it quite interesting that unless we are taking a course on government or are very involved, most people just dont know too much about it.

The first question that I asked Dan was what he felt "government" really was. His reply was quite shocking. He said that he felt government was "a bunch of people who only care about themselves and their own benefits and lie about trying to help others." I found this response to be very unordinary, but quite realistic. Dan has a very negative view on politics and government and doesnt like the direction our country is headed. The next major topic I asked him about was what political topic do you care most about and why? He responded by saying that he cares most about the national debt, as do most americans. He said as teenagers we havent expirienced it in full effect yet, but when we are older and are in the workforce it will be hard to deal with. He said he believes the debt is getting too high, and will continue to rise, resulting in higher taxes which we will be left to pay off. Especially with us going off to college in a year, he doesnt know how any of us will be able to afford it and eventually pay off all of our debts.
Overall, I believe my interview went very well and it certainly helped me see how other teenagers view politics and the growing struggles in America.

A Peoples History Of The United States

What I liked most about this packet was when Beard stated his belief that the Founding Fathers were only looking out for their own selfish, economic intersts. The men who wrote this Constitution were wealthy white men, so they saw that they could benefit from this. They knew that tarriffs, taxes, and other economic issues could turn in their favor in the end. Clearly this corrupt side caused issues for the small farmers, leading to Shay's rebellion. The rich, powerful men immediatly shot down this rebellion, fearing that it would spread and others would begin to adopt these ideas. I loved the fact that Jefferson said rebellions are "healthy for society" because he was completely correct. The only way for change to occur and for voices to be heard is through radical actions.

Questions:

1. Do you think that the idea of looking out for ones own economic interests still exists in politics today?

2. Do you agree with Jefferson when he stated that rebellion is healthy for society? Why?

3. How would our government be different if the Founding Fathers were not significantly wealthy? If they were poor, do you feel that our economy would be worse than it is today?

Political Cartoon

 

1. Do you think it is fair that the rich continue to get richer, but the poor will remain poor?

2. If the rich continue to get special treatment in the government, how will the poverty rate ever decrease? How can we build out of this financial hole?

20 Questions related to our reading.

1. Why is it so important for you to express your personal views and interests to shape government policy?
2. It has been ten  years since the tragic incident of 9/11. Is it evident now that our government has improved dramatically since the event occured?
3. If we continue to leave the "golden door" open to immigrants from all over the world, how will the U.S economy be affected?
4. How far should the government go in attempting to satisfy the tasks set forth by the Constitution?
5. If Americans are so worried about immigrants since the events of 9/11, why has there been no anti-immigration laws passed? It seems as if more and more continue to come with no limits.
6. Do you think Americans care more about their self-intrest or the good of their community?
7. Is ethnic, religious, and economic diversity good for a democracy?
8. Why is it that in America those who are born poor, remain poor?
9. How does the religion where you live affect your political interests?
10. How does a persons age affect their political orientation?
11. If race is not an issue in America anymore, why does our government feel it is neccessary to collect information about ones race?
12. How did history play a role in the establishment of identity politics?
13. How does political culture influence political behavior?
14. Should race, gender, or sexual orientation matter in politics today?
15. What event in history made citizens have more pride in their country rather than their state?
16. Do you think schools should preach patriotism?
17. Is it right to have states establish English as the official language?
18. Why is it that high school students have the right whether to say the Pledge of Allegiance but elementary and middle school students must say it?
19. In what ways could the Census be changed in order to be more accurate?
20. With the diversity in our country, do you think its possible to ever achieve political unity?

Political Issues I Care About

The American governemt may be very powerful in controlling our everday lives, but it still has many flaws to deal with. There are many issues including healthcare, unemployment, national debt, ect. To be honest, I have not kept up with politics very much at all, nor do i care much for them. The main issues that I care about would be national debt and unemployment.

I will be leaving for college in just one year and with the national debt at an all time high, im getting nervous about how i will be able to get loans for college, and how i will be able to pay these loans back when i am done. Unemployment relates to the national debt because with so many people being laid off and looking for jobs, it will be harder to get a job right out of collge. If i am unable to find a job out of college, that will make it even harder for me to afford my loans and be able to pay it all back.

I never really took a look at how much politics can really affect my own life, but now that I am more aware, I will be sure to keep up with whats happening in the government and how it affects me and the people that surround me.