Essay 14

2008-2)A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy:

Two formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy is enforcing and maintaining the laws and vetoing bills that would otherwise become laws. Some of these powers include the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States,  and the power to nominate ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not otherwise provided for.  and shall be established by law. They shall then have the power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. 

Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policy making in Congress.

Mandatory spending is spending on certain programs that are required by existing law. This limits the presidents ability to influence domestic policy making in congress because there are certain aspects of domestic policy that money must be spent on. An example of this is that social security is expected to be paid for by american citizens. There is a limit to how much money the government has to spend on domestic policy just as there is also a limit to how much can be spent overall. The president is limited on influencing Congress on domestic policymaking because there may not be enough money in the budget to spend on policy changes. 

Party polarization is when a single party is divided into two separate groups because of a disagreement in opinion and/or ideology. The division of the group is because they cannot come to a compromise. Party polarization limits the presidents ability to influence domestic policymaking in congress because he will not be able to persuade the opposite party to support his policy. This means that legislature would not get passed unless the party of the president had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and the house of reps has a majority that was also the party of the resident. 

Essay 15

2006-2 In recent decades, entitlement programs have constituted a substantial portion of the United States federal budget. Social Security is the largest entitlement program in the US. From the information in the chart above, and your knowledge of the US government and politics, perform the following tasks.

(a) define entitlement program
An entitlement program is a kind of government program that provides individuals with personal financial benefits (or sometimes special government-provided goods or services) to which an indefinite (but usually rather large) number of potential beneficiaries have a legal right (enforceable in court, if necessary) whenever they meet eligibility conditions that are specified by the standard law that authorizes the program. 

(b) What is the primary source of revenue for the Social Security program:
The primary source of revenue for the Social Security Program is payroll deductions. 

(c) Identify one threat to the future of the Social security program should the trends depicted in the chart continue:
One threat to the future of the Social Security Program should the tends continue would be that the amount of retirees will soon overtax the workers. Because of the baby boomers, there was a higher worker to collector ratio. Right now there is 50 workers for every collector while soon there will be only 3 worker for every collector. Workers will either be over taxed or the retirees will have lower funds. 

(d) Describe one demographic trend that threatens the future of the Social Security program and explain how it is responsible for the threat that you identified in (c )
One demographic trend that threatens the future of the Social Security program is a declining birth rate. The baby boomers raised the population. Todays social security program is based around this larger population. As the baby boomers grow old and die off the population will decrease and it will affect how the Social Security program works. We now have 50 workers for 1 collector but as our population decreases we will soon have 3 workers for 1 collector which means that retirees will not be able to collect as much as they once did. Americans are also living longer which means that people are going to be collecting social security for a lot longer. 

(e) Explain how any one of the trends in the chart above would change if the age of eligibility for social security were raised. 
If the age of eligibility for social security were raised it would mean that people would pay taxes for a longer period of time and as an individual would get more money for social security. You would pay more for taxes which would mean collecting more after retirement. This would also help the issues caused by the baby boomers and the fact that americans, on average, are beginning to live longer. 

Essay 13

2008-1) Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.

(a) Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is important to states.
Congressional reappointment is the process by which the House of Representatives in the USA are redistributed among the states following each mandated decennial census. Congressional reappointment is important because it increases or decreases the number of seats a state has in the House of Representatives and Congress. It's also important because it allows more representatives which make the state have more of an influence. 

(b) Define congressional redistricting.
Congressional redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census.

(c) Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting.
One goal of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting is making the territory safe for a candidate of the ruling party. Another goal of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting is taking away a safe district from the oppositions party. Another goal of politicians  when they gerrymander during redistricting is to get an area that consist of people who will most likely vote in his/her favor and to get as many votes from these people as possible. 


(d) Describe two limits that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.
One limit that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting is districts must be equally populated. This requires that each federal district within a state have about the same number of people, each state district within a state must have about the same number of people, and each local district within its jurisdiction must have about the same number of people.  Another limit that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting is districts lines cannot be drawn in a way that violates civil rights. This requires that redistricting is not abused to dilute racial or ethnic minorities' voice at the polls. 

Essay 12

2004_4
3) Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.

(a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response
Divided government describes a situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress and then leading to Congressional gridlock. Divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in the government because some one always feels as if they are being discriminated against. New regulations are put in place but then there are no government officials responsible for them. The people then feel as if nothing is getting done and the government officials aren't taking responsibility. 

(b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
As more and more money is used in campaigns the more money that needs to be borrowed from other contributors. The increased cost of election campaigns has contribute to the decline in trust and confidence in government because it makes people feel as if the candidates are buying support. The campaign mainly focuses around money and not the actual subject at hand. The people then begin to question whether this candidate is responsible or if they are just "buying" the campaign. 

(c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.
One specific consequence of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior is a depressed economy. When people feel that they can no longer trust what the government is doing with their money they will begin to spend less. This then affects the entire system and will cause a mass fail of the economy. Another consequence of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior is voter turnout. If people feel that there are no qualified candidates they will forget to vote or not have an interest in voting. This will then lead to voting blocks. 

Essay 11

(2001_2) the graph above shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate. From this information and your knowledge of of the US politics, perform the following 
tasks. (Fig 12.1)

a) identify two patterns displayed in the graph
The House of Representatives overall has higher reelection rates than the Senate. 
The Senate has a large fall in 1980, dropping from 90% to 55%. 

b) identify 2 factors that contribute to incumbency advantage. Explain how each factor contributes to incumbency advantage.
Two factors that contribute to incumbency advantage are finances and familiarity. People feel comfortable with recognition, knowing what they are getting and knowing about the system. Every campaign also needs money. Incumbents already have an advantage because they have the financial stability to pay for advertisement and other media. 

c) Discuss one consequence of incumbency advantage for the US political process:
Consequences of incumbency advantage include the lack of diversity and change. Incumbent political officials have advantages over other outsiders during election because they are already well known and have the media aspect. This can be found in congressional politics because they are already so well known that when they run for reelection they have that familiarity with the public that other new candidates may be ignored. This is a consequence because it does not allow the system to have diversity and change. The same incumbents will continue to be reelected. 

PBS Frontline on Meth - Bibliography

Citations:

N.A. "The Meth Epidemic." PBS. PBS, 17 May 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/>.
         This Frontline video discusses the increase in meth use over the past years. PBS is a corporation that covers many social media events through public broadcasting over the television, the radio, the internet, etc. For this specific video, Frontline joined with The Oregonian to cover the growth of meth on the West Coast. This popularity in California and Oregon has now spread across the midwest reaching the east coast. Throughout this frontline video, reporter Steve Suo and UCLA professor and meth expert, Dr. Richard Rawson, explain the new ways that meth is being made and the illegal distribution. This frontline also covers the new procedures being put in place as an attempt to stunt the growing problem. Ephidrine and Pseudoephedrine are two drugs that are used in the creation of meth but can also be found in many over the counter drugs. Rawson explains that meth had never really been considered a huge threat when cocaine and heroine were more prominent. The neglect that meth received allowed its popularity to spiral out of control. This "meth epidemic" is now under the radar and has resulted in many over the counter drugs becoming prescription only. 

N.A. "Big Pharma And Meth Cooks Agree: Keep Cold Meds Over The Counter." NPR. NPR, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/2013/09/26/226476602/big-pharma-and-meth-cooks-agree-keep-cold-meds-over-the-counter>.
This NPR segment tells the story of people with a different view on methamphetamine. Many meth cooks and large pharmaceutical companies agree that certain drugs containing ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine should be kept as over the counter drugs. For the past couple years, lobbyist have been attempting to make all drugs containing these substances as prescription only because they are used in the creation of meth. This NPR story covers the certain steps and different ways to create meth and an interview with Jonah Engle who has written for Foreign Policy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The New York City Independent. He describes the "easy" way to make meth called the "Shake and Bake" method. He explains how this method is easy because it can be done quickly and even while still in the area where the drugs were bought but can be dangerous because of the common explosions and toxins produced. This NPR story explains the opposite opinion on the current meth epidemic. 

N.A. "Liquid Meth: A New, Easier to Hide Version Of The Drug." The Meth Project. Meth Project Foundation, 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.methproject.org/action/details/news-story-2014-02-06-02.html>.
This story explains the growing use of a drug, methamphetamine, in Eastern Carolina. The police department explains how this form of this popular drugs is very dangerous because it can be hidden easily. The liquid form allows for it to be hidden in different places such as water bottles, soda bottles and other containers.  As our world is growing people are able to get away with more and much more easily. 

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins

Summary:

In Confession of an Economic Hit Man, author John Perkins describes his experiences working for a company known as Charles T. Main.  Perkins began writing his book in 1980 but was unable to publish until 2004 because of the multiple treats he received.

In the first chapter, Perkins begins by describing his early life. Perkins grew up attending an all-boys school in New Hampshire where his father taught. He describes his family as not poor but not wealthy enough to live comfortably.  Attending the wealthy all-boys school made Perkins feel out of place.  Perkins filled up his loneliness by succeeding. He was an honors student, editor of the school newspaper and the captain of two varsity teams.  His succession led to receiving a scholarship to Middlebury. Once he reached college Perkins noticed a change in him self. In college, Perkins met his first girlfriend Ann and his Iranian friend Farhad.  Farhad had a negative influence on his life and persuaded Perkins to drop out of school.

 Perkins then decided to join the peace core, which took him on his first trip to the amazon. Perkins was unsure of this trip but his uncle encouraged him to go, continuously mentioning “the company” and the potential for the use of the oil that was there. This trip inspired him to continue traveling. The next place Perkins traveled was Ecuador in 1968. Perkins was drawn into this job as a consultant that would recommend that Ecuador invest with the World Bank who would send billions of dollars to them so that they could build hydroelectric plants. It was ironic, however, that the job that was originally designed to help indigenous tribes ended up providing the basis to exploit them.

In chapter two, Perkins begins to talk about his first years at Chas. T Main. This company taught Perkins to manipulate statistics to advance other countries interest in working with them. Claudine, a consultant of the Charles T. Main Corporation, began working with Perkins and would try to temp him with physical seduction and verbal manipulation.  She acted as his mentor but would use these techniques to draw him in. Perkins main job as a consultant for Charles T. Main was to forecast the effects of sending billions into countries, predict economic growth, and compare benefits of investing money in different places for different things. However, underneath Perkins job description was a hidden agenda. Perkin’s charismatic attitude and people skills were merely a tool for the company. He would help persuade other countries to take loans from them and then make these countries forever in debt to the U.S. 

After making many foreign friends and being promoted to status of partner, Perkins finally came to the conclusion that he would quit the firm and create his own nonprofit to assuage his guilt. The many years he worked for MAIN he was conflicted with his involvement but didn’t know how to end this relationship. Perkins then attempted to publish books about his experiences but was stopped each time because of treats against him.  Finally, in 2004, Perkins was able to publish his most famous novel, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Analysis: 

While reading this book I was surprised by many things. Perkins, although professing a good morality, cannot overcome his drive for material objects and prestige. Throughout the book, Perkins explains that he is torn between promoting his company’s interest and doing the work he committed to, and living a more conscious and ethical life. However, it takes Perkins about 20 years to act upon his moral misgivings. 

This book also surprised me because of the insight I gained into the way corporations actually function.  I believe that it is astonishingly unfair that the general public has no knowledge of what is being done with their tax dollars.  Perkins gave a peek behind a black curtain that would not have been disclosed without his book. The government is so secretive, especially with respect to their involvement with large corporations such as MAIN. It’s frightening to think about how much impact these corporations have on major political designs and decisions  that affect not only the United States, but also every other country that has ever been involved with the U.S. 

Before reading this book, I had never really even thought about the relationships between the government and corporations. I trusted that our elected officials were ethical and were doing what they believed was best for the people, not what would benefit the wealthy few. I feel like the media, such as MSNBC, CNN or Fox news, would never highlight on the perspective of books like these because they, themselves, are major corporations, owned by wealthy individuals or politicians. They are merely part of the system of corporatocracy.