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.