Blog Post 2.8 "More Great News!"

There are people who are upset with Congress for lifting the ban on killing horses for food. They are depressed and people are just sending horses to Mexico to be slaughtered anyway. Some people have the same issue about ducks. 

1. They were sent to Mexico where slaughter was legal anyway.

2. People have the right to do what ever they want to. If they decide they don't want to eat something that is fine but do not try to tell me i am a bad person for eating what i want.

3. He laughs at their stupidity. He wishes they would worry about real problems.

4. People proclaim that Ducks live peaceful lives before being slaughtered.

5. Ducks suffer when tubes are shoved down their throats to swell their livers, but horses can lead a good life and die peacefully in an abattoir. 

6. This entire issue is irrelevant in the scope of government. There are so many more pressing issues that need attention. THIS IS NOT A BIG DEAL!!!!!!

blog post 2.6 "Balanced Budget Amendment FAIL"

1. two-thirds majority vote.

2. They believe that such a requirement would force Congress to make devastating cuts to social programs.

3. yes

4. The national debt is how much debt we are in or money we owe as a nation.

5. Congress could cut billions from social programs during times of economic downturn and disputes over what to cut could result in Congress ceding its power of the purse to the courts.

6. He is important because he`s over the House Rules Committee and they must often vote for bills and bills must often come through them.

7. National security and defense spending.

8. Budget spending

Blog Post 2.7 "Great News for America!!!!"

Obama legalizes horse slaughter for human consumption. People can now eat horses. Apparently the only thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on during these trying times is eating horses.

1. Uhhh It doesn't really matter to me if this is awesome or not....

Blog Post 2.5

1. What is a financial - disclosure record? A record or history of what type of investments Legislators make.

2. Why do we need those? They show what type of investments Legislators make.

3. Which one of John Kerry's jobs in the Senate is mentioned? What does that mean he is responsible for? His job as the Massachusetts Senator and  chairman of the health subcommittee of the Senate’s powerful Finance Committee. He is heavily responsible for the stock market part of the Finance Committee.

4. What was John Boehner doing during health care reform debates? Investing “tens of thousands of dollars” in health-insurance-company stocks

5. What is insider trading? Insider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities (e.g. bonds or stock options) by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company.

6. What do the House and Senate ethics rules say about congressmen's stock ownership?  a member’s recusal from a vote affecting his or her stock portfolio “might be denying a voice” in the process

7. What suspicious activity did former Speaker Nancy Pelosi take part in? Her husband made a big play—between $1 million and $5 million—on Visa, the credit-card company when she was Speaker of the House.

8. How will the Tea Party and Occupy movements likely respond to this book? They will have a lot of negative things to say about this book because it goes against their interests.

9. What does the author (of the book) say is his main problem with politicians? The fact that the political elite gets to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us.

Blog Post 2.4 "Pork Barrel Legislation!"

This article was written by Daniel Stone. It is talking about the Tea Party and why they are upset about the budget. It also talks about the pork projects being requested by House leaders and other Representatives. It also shows how some of the GOP candidates are using pork barrel and trying to cut the bdget at the same time. Basically, the whole thing is abut how on the outside, most of the Tea Party congressmen want to cut the spending but privately want more spending in their constituency.

1. He is supposed to help the Speaker of the House and lead his party in the House of representatives.

2. Because his constituency is in Virginia and not in Nevada.

3. Because the members of the House have to simultaneously help thier constituents and do work in Washington, the budget isn't really getting cut and the Tea Party members are upset that the budget isnt being cut.

4. Both John Boehner (The Speaker of the House) and Darrell Issa (The Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman) both asked for pork projects.

5. Because pork projects have nothing to do with the party as a whole. Pork projects are for a Congressman's constituency.

6. because he is a very far right person, he believes that all spending should be cut and asking for pork projects is a direct contradiction of that belief.

7. Republicans are outwardly opposed to the stimulus package but are orivately happy about it because they can can put it in their constituency.

8. It's kind of a "does this out weigh that?" thing. They are not acting on their beliefs but they are benefiting from it.

Blog Post 2.3 "Congress and Potential Policies"

The article is written by Chris Good. Good talks about the GOP candidates and why their plans wouldn't work or only have a slight chance of working. It also talks about the discord in Congress and how unwilling all parties are to work together to pass laws that would actually do the country some good instead of run it into the ground. Especially in the Senate where the Democrats have the mojority. At the end of the article there is a slideshow of the GOP candidates's plans and why they would never work or only have a slight chance of working.

1. They believe that if the Republicans win the Senate Democrats will be very unwilling to cooperate and won't repeal Obamacare and the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.

2. The president can't make or even really introduce laws. Thats is Congress's job.
3. 33 Senate seats will be up for the 2012 election.

4. 11 seats could actually change hands.

5. In order to get anything done in the Senate, you have to have atleast 60 guarenteed votes.
6. By allowing younger citizens to not have Social Security it would lessen the ammount of people on it and therefore more money would be avaliable.

7. Because Perry and Cain havent said anything about repealing Obamacare, their plans are more aggreable than Romney's plan.

8. Obamacare can only be repealed if the Republicans can get more than 60 Senate seats and keep their House majoity. Even then it will still be tricky because people refuse to acknowledge that Obamacare is socialist medicine.

9. Republicans don't like it because Grover Norquist doesn't approve and everyone else doesn't like it because it actually raises taxes for certain people. It hurts poor people.

10. Mitt Romney because I know him the best (other than Rick Perry but seriously, who has land named that??) and because he wants to repeal Obamacare.

Blog Post 2.2 "Republicans and Chris Christie"

This column was written by Thomas L. Friedman.  He writes about the country's upcomming election and how Chris Christie has decided not to run.  He also mentions a Grand Bargain and tells us that it needs to happen.  Friedman has also atated his opinion about the presidential race and said that both the far left and far right would do serious damage to the country.

1. He feels that the Republican Party has become a danger to the country.

2. Something that provides more near-term investment in the economy that spurs job growth, combined with a credible long-term plan to increase tax revenues and trim entitlements so the country’s debt-to-G.D.P. ratio stays in a safe range.

3. Lower spending today means lower taxes tomorrow, and limiting the future path of government spending does limit future taxes.

4. Promising never to raise taxes, without reaching a deal on spending, really means a high and rising commitment to future taxes.

5. President Obama’s latest budget plan is moving away from entitlement reform and embracing multiple tax increases on the wealthy.

6. No. He left the country with no credible, long-term fiscal option before it now.

7. They would cut the debt by $3.9 trillion by 2020 — through raising tax revenues, cutting defense and increasing the age at which people would qualify for Social Security and Medicare.

8. Democrats

9. Obama has left a gap for a sane Republican or independent candidate.

10. Because he seemed ready to tell hard truths that Obama has started to shrink from.

11. It is a race between the Democratic left and the Republican right.

12. He seems to be fairly moderate because he is pointing out that the extremes would be very bad for the country.

Blog Post 2.1 "Occupy Wall Street"

Occupy Wall Street is a movement that is spreading fast in cities. It has started recently but it is already struggling to maintain its focus and identity. The future of Occupy Wall Street as a political force may well depend on how well it conveys its message and mission. The group says they cannot wait any longer and let corporate greed and corrupt politics run the nation. The group calls themselves "The 99%." This means that 40% of the nations wealth is in the  hands of the richest 1% of the population.

 

1. It can get confused about what it really stands for and may change without meaning too.

2. OWS means they are the 99% of Americans. The 1% of Americans are wealthy and hold 40% of the nation's wealth. The 99% is every other American and is not wealthy.

3. Protest

4. They are taking the media's attention from the major parties

5. OWS is upset because they do not want him to run because they feel he has done nothing and should be kicked out of office

6. They would like to see change in the economy, corporate corruption of our political system, and the negative effects of corporate personhood

7. I think it has they potential to flourish and make change but only if it can get its bearings straight.

Blog Post # 8: "Transformative Presidents"

Andrew Romano is the author of this week's article. He talks about Chris Christie and how she is attacking Obama's administration. The article also compares Obama's administration to FDR and Regan's administrations. The article also talks about the US needing a savior for the government and how at the first sign of imperfection the American people turn away from the "savior"

1. Everyone wants to run him

2. 1/5 of the population is unemployed or looking for another job

3. They came during an economic crisis

4. they opposed a vulnerable administration, then “cut the knot, raised a new standard, and promised to restore to American government

5. He experimented with a lot of different reforms and restored the American government during a time of crisis

6. He passed the largest income tax cut in history and was credited after the economy was rejuvenated

7. He kept harping on his reconstructive storyline. Yes, both presidents made reforms which went wrong. After the economy is restored Obama will just say he planned that.

8. How are Obama's accomplishments in his first term different from these reconstructive presidents?
Obama is just surviving bill by bill

9. Obama is being too lax about the situation which makes him come off as if he doesn't care.

Blog Post #7 "Political Parties and Safe Districts"

This Article was written by a collection of authors. Anthony Weiner's congressional seat wa lost to the Democrats.

1. Joe Crowly may be campaiggning in New York because New York is one of the few states that changes between democratic and republic.
2. The recent incident with Anthony Weiner could possibly be a reason for the cack of turnout among Democratic voters and volunteers.

3. Labor Unions usually lean to the Democratic side.

4. Labor Unions feel as though more people would vote for in an election for a candidate for a house seat rather than in the presidential election.

5. Weiner showed that in federalism, congressman can do as they please and basically not get in trouble for it.

6. The 9th Disctrict voters have voted against Obama.

7. Crowley has a very important role in dealing with anything concerning the Democratic party.

8. The 9th District has been known as a Democratic district for a long time.

9. People are probably moving out of the district and population in the district`s census is probably getting lower.

Post #5 "Obama & Public Opinion"

This article was written by Daniel Stone covers the release of information right before the 9/11 weekend. The Obama administration released a lot of bad news concerning the welfare of the nation because they knew not many people were like to read the Saturday paper because of it being a holiday weekend.

1. A new employment data release showing no job growth, Obama not stopping the approval process for an oil pipeline, and the management of federal response for Hurricane Irene and the earthquake being more difficult than was supposed to.
2. They would do that right before a holiday weekend because people would be less likely to pay attention.

3. 9/11 commemorations and the GOP presidential debate

4. Obama's agenda are currently to jumpstart his stalled presidency and unveil his jobs agenda

5. This story shows how the Obama administration tries to take control of public opinion so that the media does ot control it by showing how the Obama administration gave the bad news so that the media would not be able to swing public opinion in disfavor of the Obama administration.

Post #4: "Rick Perry"

This article was written by David Sessions. David is talking about potential Republican nominee, Rick Perry and his eagerness to reignite the argument over federalism. Perry authored the book Fed Up! which is referenced several times in the article. Sessions mainly focuses on the fact that even though Perry is trying to claim federalism and "tries to pain himself the heir of federalists", Perry is actually making strong anti-federalist arguments.


1. Rick Perry thinks Washington has shamelessly abandoned any pretense of respecting the Constitution.
2. Perry is lumping together early constitutional debaters and quoting the people on the losing side. He leans heavily on the warnings of Thomas Jefferson, known for his vehemently anti-federalist pronouncements, about the encroachments of the federal government.
3. Perry would be so supportive of the 10th amendment because his arguments are mainly anti-federalist and the anti-federalists were all about states rights.
4. Because Perry is ignoring a crucial Constitution-bending  necessity in favor of trying to oppose slavery and minimize its transformational impact, it seems weird that Perry would Support Lincoln.

5. Perry's biggest problem with the government is the "tyrants" in the government.

6. The author believes, " Lawyers for George W. Bush’s administration argued that the executive branch has the authority to eavesdrop on American citizens without a warrant, to hold and torture prisoners of war without charge, and to hand captives over to unsavory foreign torturers. The Obama administration not only has shielded Bush officials from prosecution but also has asserted its own prerogative to launch wars without congressional approval, to assassinate American citizens without charge, and to persecute whistleblowers who have tried to reveal serious wrongdoings by their superiors.

7. Perry's top of the agenda is repealing the health care bill Obama passed.

8. According to the author, war is "a love like no other" for Perry. According to Perry, the US underspends for the military and that the Pentagon’s sprawling bureaucracy is both indispensable and infallible. 

9. Sessions believes Perry to be contradictory as well but he also believes that Perry is mocking political arguments.

10. I believe that Perry is a contradictory man who doesn't know what he is trying to say. I think he will do well in the race only because of his notoriety and few hardcore supporters that will vote for him because he is Rick Perry. 

Blog #6 "My Personal Political Ideology"

1. Taxes: Do you feel like people should pay more taxes to support more programs, or less taxes so that people keep more of their own money?
                 I feel that people should pay less taxes because they should be able to have the benefit of thier own money. Most people work hard to provide for their families and The taxes hurt the working poor/lower  middle class the most. The wealthy people have so much money that they give anyway, the taxes dont really bother them. When you raise taxes for programs that help only the "poor people", the working poor/lower middle class (who live paycheck to paycheck) become the people who need the most help but cannot get the financial help needed because they "make too much money". So really, with all of the social programs in place, the people getting the money are better off then those giving money.

2. Spending: Do you feel like the government should spend a lot of money on programs or that the government should cut its spending to pay off its debt.
                 I believe the government should pay off its debts. You cannot spend money you do not have. Being in debt to toher countries is a bad idea to begin with but even more so to countires who have conflicting beliefs that are not compatible. Those countries can have plenty of infuence over the U.S. because we owe them so much money.

3. Military: Do you believe that the US should spend lots of money on its military and maintain a large presence in other countries around the world or that they should stay out of foreign affairs and have a smaller military?
                 I believe that we do need to be involved in foreign affairs because when you don't involve yourself in that you have power-hungry dictators who rise up quietly and try to take over everything, ie. Hitler. No we shoulsn't be fighting everyone's battles for them but we do need to be wary of potential threats to our nation and our allies. As a nation, we need to help our allies and they need to help us, because that is why we are allies in the first place. On the other hand, if there is military just to have military, then we need to butt out.

4. Welfare: Do you think that the government should help those who are less fortunate by providing them with financial assistance or that those people should find a way to help themselves without using other people’s tax money.
                  If someone truely is working hard to get by and is just not making it, the government should help them by getting them what they need to help themselves. A good comparison is the fish saying. You give a hungry man a fish and he is fed for a day. If you teach a man to fish he is fed for a lifetime. Instead of just handing over taxpayer's money for the people to use how they feel necessary, give them the tools they need to help themselves. There are actually people who need the system to provide for themselves and their families, but they are a very small minority. Most people on these social programs are just being lazy and working the system so that the government pays for everything and they dont have to be responsible for themselves.

5. Gun Rights: Do you think that every person should have unrestricted rights to own guns and take them where they want to or do you think that the government should put more restrictions on people’s right to own a gun?
                  I believe that no one should reestrict you from owning a gun. That is a constitutional law, the right to bear arms. I do believe however, that the government should be able to restrict where you can or cannot take said weapon, especially at schools, bars, places of worship and other places similar. The restriction of where you can or cannot take a gun is a safety issue and not a "just because someone wants to repress your rights."

6. Homosexual Rights: Do you think that the government should make sure that homosexuals are not discriminated against, including the right to marry whoever they want to, or do you think that the government should stay out of this issue and people should be allowed to discriminate against homosexuals and even ban homosexual marriage?
                  I think that this particular question is touching two different issues; discrimination and gay marriage. When talking about discrimiantion you have to take everyone in consideration. Protection from discrimination should be allowed to all peoples of any race, gender, age, religion, disability or lack there of, and anything else I missed. Now, gay marriage is different. The actual definition of marriage is a union between a man and a woman. By definition and law gay marriage isn't legal but I do believe that the definition and law should change to allow homosexuals to marry because you cannot help who you fall inlove with.

7. Prayer in schools: Do you think that there should be prayer in schools at things like sporting events, assemblies, graduations, or over the intercom, or do you think there should be no prayer in schools at all so as not to make people with different religious beliefs uncomfortable?
                  I believe that there should be the option as to whether or not people can pray. Unless a person is athiest, almost everyone else prays to someone or something. Who is to say that people pray only to God or no one. Anyone can pray to whomever or whatever they want and believe in. That option should not be taken away from anyone because the people of the U.S. have a right to practice their religion where they want.

8. Abortions: Do you believe that a woman should have the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy if she does not want to have a baby, or that abortions should be illegal because an unborn baby’s rights should be protected?
                  I have a idealistic opinion about this topic. I believe in what pro-choice is supposed to be, not what it actually is. If women actually were given all of her options and told the consequenes of all her actions and still wanted an abortion, then that is her INFORMED choice. There is more you can do than just have an abortion. Women have other options.

9. War on Drugs: Do you believe that the government should do everything in its power to stop the trafficking of illegal drugs by severely punishing those who posses or sell them, or do you think that drug use is a “victimless crime” and that the government should focus on other types of crime?
                  There is no such thing as a "victimless crime". The possession, usage, and distribution of illegal drugs is a major factor in thefts, homicides, and other crimes.

10. Rights of the Accused: Do you think that accused criminals should be able to appeal their convictions and possibly go free if there were problems in their prosecution, or that the courts already do too much to let people off the hook on technicalities?
                  Everyone has the right to appeal their cases. The law is supposed to be completely unbiased and give everyone the same treatment regardless if they are the victim or the criminal.   
11. Rights of Accused Terrorists: Do you think that people accused of being terrorist have the same rights as US citizens and should be given fair trails and protected from things like torture, or do you think that the US should do all that it can to stop terrorism everywhere in the world?

                  First off, the question isn't clear as to wether or not the alleged terrorist is a U.S. citizen already or not. If they are not, then of course that shouldn't have the rights of a U.S. citizen because they are not one. If they are a U.S. citizen, then I should hope that the government is doing everything in its power to find out if said person is actually a terrorist or not. If the person is then that person needs to held accountable for his or her crimes. This does not mean that it is okay to be sadistic and torture people for absolutely no reason. Torture should be a very last resort and only if the only other option is death. There are other ways of making people talk. I believe that you have to have plausable evidence of a person actually being a terrorist before extreme extreme measures are taken.

12. Which of the two main ideologies do you think best describes your political beliefs?
                  Conservative

13. What is the main source of most of the political beliefs that you have described?
                   My faith in God and my family. The way i was raised influences how I perceive right and wrong and what common sense is. My beliefs are a reflection of what I believe is common sense.

Blog Post # 3: "The Constitution Today"

                 This article discusses many different topics. Strengel brings up current political topics and how we use the Constitution to argue for and against them. We use the constitution to debate the validity of being in Libya, the debt ceiling, Obamacare, and immigration. The article goes in depth of the topics and how we relate them to the Constitution.

INTRO:

1. Stengel claims the Tea Party has turned America's attention back toward the Constitution.
2. Those who believe the Constitution should be interpreted only as the drafters understood it are called "constitutional originalists".

3. Texas Congressman Ron Paul says the intent of the Constitution is to restrain the federal government. Stengel disagrees and says in turn said the framers strengthened the federal government and weakened the states.
LIBYA:

4. The War Powers Resolution requires the president to remove U.S. troops from armed hostilities if Congress has not given its approval within sixty days.
5. Obama thinks the situation in Libya does not meet the threshold of hostilities in the Legislation so the resolution does not apply.

6. Stengel explains that the War powers resolution is supposed to counter what Johnson and Nixon did in Vietnam. Congress felt manipulated and wanted to affrim its power as the war-declaring body.
7. Congress is trying to have it both ways. On the one hand, Congress wants to reassert its primacy. On the other hand, It does not really know if it wants the action in Libya to stop or not. Constitutionally, Congress cannot commit troops anywhere so the question of whether or not Congress wants to is a moot point.
DEBT CEILING:

8. Defaulting on our debt would be unconstitutional because it faces one of the few absolute proscriptions in the Constitution. Section 4 of the 14th amendment says "The validity of public debt of the United States, authorized by law including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned."
9. The party in power is always against raising the debt limit and the party in power is always for it. This causes the party in power to usually win the argument over the debt limit.
OBAMACARE:

10. Obama's Health Care plan has been said to be unconstitutional because of the arguement "the government cannot compel citizens to do things or buys things simply because we are here."

11. The government requires us to purchase things because they can require us to pay taxes, serve on juries, and register for the draft.
12. Stengel believes that not buying insurence is a private decision to do nothing and that impacts the rest of the nation by basically taxing people who have insurence because it raises the cost of hospital care and insurance premiums.
IMMIGRATION:

13. Jus soli means that if you're born within the borders of a country, you're automatically a citizen.
14. The 14th amendment makes the U.S. a jus soli nation.
15. SInce the 14th amendment is a reconstruction amendment, its original intent was to establish that former slaves were indeed citizens and entitled to all the rights of citizenship, including voting.

16. A code of laws differs from a constitution because a code of laws says you have to stop at the red light; a constitution has broad principles that are unchanging but that must accommodate each new generation and circumstance.

Post #2: "Cornel West and Barack Obama"

       This is a column about Cornell West and his intense critisims against Obama. West was a huge advocater of Obama during thw 2008 elections, but West has become increasingly more irate with our president. The column explains what West's accusations have done to the African American population in their views and how Obama's supporters have recently been fighting back against West. Many people disagree with West's actions and believe his critisims are not what is best for this country because they "will not inpact the reelection of Barack Obama. That is simply not an option." says the Ogletree for Obama and West.

1. African Americans

2. The percentages. 17% unemployment for African Americans and 11% immenient forclosure.

3. An organization representing the African American members of the US Congress

4. The poor people of the US.

5. He is placing apathy in the hearts of African Americans and causing them to lose heart in the political system.

6. They do not think Obama has helped the economy at all.

7. They may be doing it for the publicity and to their own ends instead of for the poor people

8. Cornell West is criticizing Obama about everything he is doing. West is influencing a lot of people and that's isn't good for reelections.

9. Someone who is very vocal and persuasive about certain topics or issues and influences a vast number of people to have the same opinions as he/she

10. I think he could be a little less destructive and a lot more constructive in his criticisms. He could also accept an invitation from the president and talk all of this over.

Post #1 Obama and the Debt Ceiling

     Krugman begins the article with a comment about the deal about the federal debt ceiling.  He says the deal will depress the economy further and will make America's long tern deficit problem even worse. He then goes on to talk about how the spending cuts without added revenue is depressing the economy further.  Krugman goes back to discuss the actual terms of the deal which brings up his opinion on why the president surrendered. He begins to talk about how the Republican party continues to threaten the president in order to dictate the policies they want to get across. He maintains that we are witnessing a catastrophe on many levels. He ends with saying the Democratic party wont be the only losers and questions the validity of America's democracy if the Republicans can get away with basically blackmailing the president.

1. The federal debt celing is the total limit applied to nearly all federal debt.

2. According to the New Republic magazine, America doesn't have a long term deficit problem. http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/93365/no-long-term-deficit-problem

3. Krugman believes the worst thing you can do during a bad economy is slash government spending.

4. Krugman says the president surrendered to the Republicans because he gave into their demands when they made their threats.

5. Defense spending is the same thing as military spending. Military spending is how much money America spends on "beefing up" the military and what percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) it is.

6. The G.O.P is a short for the Grand Old Party, or the Republican party.

7. It is my understanding that Krugman is most upset over how quickly the president is to give in to the demands and threats of the Republicans.

8. Medicare is medical insurance for people over 65 and young people with certain disabilities and any age with permanent kidney failure (called “End-Stage Renal Disease”)

9. Krugman concludes by questioning America's democracy and if it truly works since the Republicans have gotten away with such blackmail just to dictate policies. 

10. I believe his political opinions are those of the Democratic party. He isn't afraid to call out our president on what he believes isn't right.