Chapter 14

1.    1.   Is Judicial Review a power that should be exercised regularly or sparingly?  Why?

I believe that judicial review is perfectly alright to be exercised regularly like with Separation of Powers.

2.       2.  Is it the job of the High Court to apply the Constitution in light of the intent of the framers of the Constitution (strict construction) or should they interpret the Constitution in light of changes in society/technology (living Constitution)?  Why?

They should probably interpret the Constitution in light of changes in society. Many many things have changed over time, and it would be silly and unreasonable the go by the past.

Chapter 13

1. Research federal agencies and explain which one you feel is the most important one and why?

I feel that that all the agencies have a very important role in our country.  There are literally hundreds of different federal agencies that are each very important in their own way.

2. Which federal agency could be terminated with the least impact (if any) any why?

I can’t really think of an agency that should be terminated; many need to cut back on their costs though.

3.  Are there any new agencies needed?  In other words, if you were the president would you create new agencies?  If so, in what area(s)?

I would create an agency whose job was specifically to arrest drug dealers and other people who abuse their government benefits.  I see so many people who are perfectly healthy getting all the help in the world from the government, free medication, food, and living.  In turn many of these trashy people are selling their prescription drugs and food stamps that they didn’t need in the first place!  I see this happening so much and there is nothing being done about it.  

Chapter 12

1. What makes a great President (not which Presidents have been great)...what qualities are essential to greatness? Why?

I think what mainly makes a great president is their being able to relate to the common person.  Presidents who act better than their country never do any good.

2. Other than Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, which two Presidents have been the greatest and why? 

My favorite Presidents were John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.  Kennedy because he was a handsome devil and Clinton because he actually got us out of debt.

3. Research a President that you're previously unfamiliar with - list at least three things you learned.  Was this President effective?  Why or why not?

I did a random google search and came up with Franklin Pierce who was nominated as the candidate for the Democratic Party in 1852, Winfield Scott, and won with 254 out of 296 electoral votes.  

Chapter 11

1. Who are your Senators and your Congressman?

We have two Senators:

Bob Corker Class I (R)

Lamar Alexander Class II (R). 

We have 9 Congressman:

Phil Roe (R) Dist. 1

John Duncan (R) Dist. 2

Chuck Fleschmann (R) Dist3

Scott DesJarlais (R) Dist. 4

Jim Cooper (D) Dist. 5

Diane Black (R) Dist. 6

Marsha Blackburn (R) Dist. 7

Stephen Fincher (R) Dist. 8

Steve Cohen (D) Dist. 9

2. Research the areas they champion and find one you support.  What is it and why do you support it?

 I researched Lamar Alexander and his attempt to get a bill on the Presidents that would fix the No Child Left Behind Act. Alexander offered an amendment allowing states to establish an alternative, state-determined strategy to improve the bottom 5 percent of their schools, with approval by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The amendment was accepted by a vote of 15-7. This is great because education is key for our country’s success.

3. Find an issue that one of your Senators or Congressman Champions that you disagree with.  Why do you disagree? 

I had trouble finding anything that I disagreed with.  All of their ideas, like Lamar Alexander’s with NCLB, look to better our country.

Chapter 10

1. Read Bush v. Gore in the text.  Do you agree with the majority or the dissenting opinion? 

I agree with the majority that Florida's method for recounting violated equal protection of the law.

2. Is the ability to fundraise too important in elections?  In other words, are good candidates prevented from running because they cannot raise the needed funds?  Can/should something be done to correct this if it is a problem?

Yes I do believe that fundraising is too important in elections.  I’m sure there are many great politicians out there that can’t run because they do not have the funds to do so.

3. Why is there such voter apathy - in other words, why is there often such low voter turnout for elections?  Is there a way to rectify this problem?

A lot of people don’t vote because either they don’t have the time or they hate politics in general.  I know I myself don’t vote just because politics make me sick.  Most of the time all politics is is a popularity contest with the snake always being the winner.

Chapter 9

1.       1.   Which political party do you most identify with?  Why?  Are there things in the party platform with which you disagree?

I really am stuck in the middle with this one, probably because I don’t have much of an opinion about politics anyway.

2.   Does America need political parties?  The founders originally hoped that American politics would operate without need of parties?  Would that work today?  Why?

Without political parties America would be in an even worse shape than we are today.  At least our government has some sort of organization at present.

3.       3.   Please research lesser known political parties - which one do you most identify with?  Why?

I like the Whig Party because they seemed defiant which is cool.

Chapter 8

1.      From figure 8.1 in the text, select one of the interest groups and do some research on their issues and beliefs.  What did you learn?  What did you find interesting?  Do you agree/disagree with their positions on issues? Why?

I researched The American Federation of teachers (AFT). AFT was founded in 1926 and represents teachers and school related personnel. This is the second largest education labor union in the United States.

 2.      Find an interest group with which you associate (positively).  What is the name of the group and what do you find persuasive about their position on issues?

I like the AFT in that they are really focusing on bullying right now which is becoming a big epidemic in our country for thousands of children.

3.      Do interest groups have enough/too much/the right amount of power in the political system?  Most believe it's a fine-line balance between freedom of speech for the groups and keeping unfair persuasion out of government.  Where is that line and when is it crossed?

I don’t know enough about interest groups to really say; seems like they have worked out for us so far.

Chapter 7

1.      Does objectivity still exist in the media's coverage of politics?  Of the major news outlets (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, NBC, etc.), which are the most objective and which seem to have the most bias?

Out of all the major media outlets, Fox News is definitely the most biased.  They are definitely in support of the Republican Party which is wrong for a news station.  A news station shouldn’t have any opinion on politics; they should just report the news.

2.      How does talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Air America, etc.) affect your view of politics?  Why?

I have no opinion on this matter being that I do not listen to any talk radios besides Clark Howard once in a blue moon.

3.      Is media objectivity important?  Why or why not?

The news should just be to inform the public about what is happening in the world, not to speak their opinions about a subject. 

Chapter 6

1.       Is American news media too dependent upon polls?  Is it appropriate for news agencies to create polls and then report on them?  Why or why not?

I do think the media is too dependent upon polls. The media often twists their words to make something sound different than what is true which causes unneeded chaos in American’s lives.

2.       How important is political party identification to you (e.g. as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc.)?  Was it more or less important to your parents & grandparents?  Why or why not?

 For me, I could care less about political party identification and for the most part my family is the same way.  It bothers me how some people will judge you on whether you are a democrat or a republican.  I don’t think you should be based on what your political beliefs are.

3.       Do you feel that your opinion of politics is more influenced by economic issues or by social issues?  Why?

 I don’t really have an opinion when it comes to politics, but I think the country as a whole are mostly influenced for economic issues right now with the economy in shambles and all.  I think people consider social issues very important, but they are on the backburner right now.

Chapter 5

1.      The issue of race:  does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of racial discrimination?  Why or how so?

I believe overall that the government does the best job it can of racial discrimination.  The government is really in a pickle when it comes to race because some people take things out of proportion when race is involved.  Just like with anything, the government can’t make everyone happy.

2.      The issue of gender:  does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of racial discrimination?  Why or how so?

I believe the government has the right idea when it comes to gender but the workplace has it all wrong.  Women to this day are still being treated unfairly and underpaid compared to males because of their gender, which is wrong.  One should get paid the same whether male or female.

3.      The issue of sexual orientation:  does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of racial discrimination?  Why or how so?

I don’t really think the government has any say in this matter.  When it comes to sexual orientation I think you should let people do what they want.  If the government starts telling people they can’t be themselves, then that is going to cause chaos that America doesn’t need, especially right now.  Who cares if not everybody agrees with the LGBT community, let them do their thing and they won’t bother you.

Chapter 4

1. Freedom of Speech:  How important is it?  Does the freedom "go too far"? What areas of speech should be protected?

Freedom of speech is a wonderful concept but can be taken advantage of if not careful.  People often use the excuse of freedom of speech to just say anything they want in public settings which is not good.  People need to have restrictions when it comes to their freedom of speech.

2. Freedom of Religion:  Is separation of church and state necessary?  Why or why not? 

It is very important to have freedom of religion.  If we did not have separation of church and state, it would be virtually impossible to teach all the religions of the world which would only be the fair way to go about it.  There are hundreds of different religions and a school could not choose just Christianity to be taught in school.  Separation of church and state is very necessary for our country to thrive.

3. Criminal Procedure: Are defendant's rights crucial to our system of government?  Why or why not?  Many argue that defendant has too many rights - do you agree?  Why or why not?

  Accused criminals should have some rights until they are convicted. After that happens all their rights should be taken away.  I don’t think necessarily that defendants have too many rights because many of them are actually innocent so they deserve what rights they have

Chapter 3

1.       Is a strong national government necessary or should the state governments have an equal share of power? 

In my opinion, I think our national government should have more power. If the states had equal or more power than the national government, our country would be fighting itself. Things such as armies and overall power need to be conducted on a national level.

2.       National power increased during the Great Depression but then power began to shift back to the states (somewhat) during the Reagan administration?  Why did that happen and is that shift appropriate?

The power shifted back to the states during the Reagan administration because Reagan fully supported The New Federalism idea. Reagan wanted to greatly reduce the power of the government because he thought that was where the United States problems were.

3.       Education stirs much discussion relating to the issue of federalism.  Should the national government regulate education or is it a matter best left to state and local governments?  Why

I believe the national government should have a role in education to some degree.  If there was one set “standard” for every state to follow, I feel like that would be fairer.  It seems like some states are much further behind than others in education because some states just don’t find it necessary to fund education the way it should be funded.

Chapter 2 Blog

1. How important was the switch from the Articles to the Constitution?

The United States under the Articles of Confederation operated as a loose group of individual states. States were able to interfere with one another with no power over them to make them act as equals and the federal government had little authority to act as a government with foreign nations. If the switch hadn’t been made to a government with a stronger federal system, individual states would have probably gone their own ways as they tried to do before the Civil War.

2. How important are the Bill of Rights?

The Bill of Rights is very important.  One reason why it is so important is that it was used by Antifederalists as a gathering point to argue in favor of the independent states operating under the Articles of Confederation.  Another reason that the Bill of Rights is important is that it implies that the federal government's power is limited and gives the individual certain rights that neither the government nor majority can infringe on.

3. Is Capital Punishment constitutional?

The Fourteenth Amendment says that life cannot be taken without due process which suggests that it can be allowed with correct proceedings.  My opinion in this matter is that someone who has committed a horrible crime shouldn’t be put out of their misery by the death penalty.  For instance, a person who raped and murdered a victim should have to, in my opinion, work 18 hour days and sleep on a concrete floor with soup for every meal.  Someone who is that evil and mean should have to spend the rest of their lives thinking and regretting about what they did; they shouldn’t be put to death, instead they should suffer like their victims had to.

Chapter 1 Blog

Americans take democracy for granted to some extent.  We Americans are very blessed to live where we do and most of us don’t even realize it.  People who are born here in America have always lived this great free life and we can’t even imagine any other way to live.  In other countries, such as Iraq and Libya, freedom is very limited.  In a nutshell, Americans do take democracy for granted but often don’t realize it because they haven’t experienced anything else.

Having a separation of powers is very crucial to the American government in that one branch of government cannot overpower another branch.  Separation of powers evens everything out and doesn’t let dominances get out of hand.

As for what I am politically, I would say I’m liberal.  I agree with their side the most.