C6

1. Economic Left/Right: -4.88
    Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.85

2. I want to know more about the seemingly random questions, like "abstract art that doesn't represent anything shouldn't be considered art at all." Are these questions just supposed to create a response in the quiz-taker? I know for me I had a kind of "whaat?" initial response, for I didn't see how these questions pertained to my political orientation.

C5

1. What do you think about publicly funded health insurance?
2.  Medicaid, a health insurance program funded by the federal and state governments, accounted for 15.9% of health care coverage in 2010. What do you think about publicly funded health insurance?

C4

Print Ad Maven -- I think this job would be both interesting and exhilarating. I can already think of many places that we could place he ads, and I think it would be fun to help create ideas for ads.

Chief of Staff -- I think I could do a good job of motivating people to get work done and delegating responsibility. I also think it would be exciting to work closely with both the candidate and the other positions related to the campaign, and I do think I work well with other people.

C3

My fellow classmates, Mr. Robinson, it’s a pleasure to be speaking in front of you this afternoon. As you all know, the election is upon us. Ideas are circulating as to what our main focus should be as the independent party of this election. My opinion is that we should focus on the issue of women’s rights.

I know that this topic is highly debated in politics today. However, the fact of the matter is that we need to enforce the law as the federal government has already written it, and not as how the states have tried to circumvent it. The law in the United States is that abortions are legal. Thirty-nine years ago in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade the United States Supreme Court ruled that abortions are a fundamental right guaranteed under the US Constitution. However, in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey case, these established legal protections were weakened by giving the states the right to enact regulations, as long as they don’t create an “undue burden” for women seeking abortion. Currently thirty-seven states enforce parental notification or consent laws for minors seeking an abortion, fourty-six states allow healthcare providers to refuse to participate in the abortion process, and forty-three states allow institutions to refuse to perform abortions. These sound like undue burdens to me.

Take a moment and think about women. Think about a young woman going through this process. The emotional turmoil involved is anything but slight, and trust me when I say that no woman will take this option lightly. But all women have the fundamental right to be able to choose to have an abortion, and no state should be able to establish policies that strictly undermine the process of this right.

Also, keep in mind that we will not be stripping the states of their rights. The Roe v. Wade decision specifically recognizes state interests in protecting the health of the pregnant woman. So, federal law should ensure that all states are securing this heath. This is accomplished through publicly funded family planning services. In 2006, family planning services like Planned Parenthood helped women avoid 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, which would have led to 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions. All citizens, especially women and men of low income, need access to contraceptives. With contraceptives, less pregnancies occur, and therefore less abortions are needed.

        All in all, I ask you to keep in mind the rights of the American people, and the rights of women, when establishing our party platform.

References:

ttp://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/index.htm#Abortion
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/births_deaths_marriages_divorces/family_planning_abortions.html

C2

           Beliefs on abortions and a woman's right to choose are main differences between the democratic and republican platforms. The democratic platform is very straightforward in stating that government should not restrict women's health care. In their platform they declare that "the Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay." Republicans feel the opposite way towards abortions, and want government to immediately cut federal funding for clinics that perform abortions and for insurance that covers preventive measures for women. The Republican Party wants "to permanently ban all federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage." Abortion and women's healthcare are some of the many topics over which the two parties quarrel and disagree on, and will undoubtedly be a part of the upcoming debates.

C1

1. According to the quiz, I am a Statist. My personal issues score is 40% and my economic issues score is 10%.
2. I was conflicted on how direct the questions were. I found myself answering 'maybe' on so many because the questions only presented one side of an argument, and I was on the fence about my answers. I was mostly indecisive about the draft, governmental barriers on international trade, and governmental censorship questions.

B8

A)
1. The first principle was the supremacy of the national government over the states. Article VI, Clause 2 of the Constitution pertains to this principle. In the McCulloch v. Maryland case, Marshall and the courts interpreted this clause to declare that as long as the national government is in agreement with the Constitution, its actions and policies take precedence over the states.

2. The second principle was that the national government has implied powers that are not specifically written in the Constitution, but that are strictly interpreted from those powers given to it in the Constitution. Article I Section 8 of the Constitution is important to this principle. This part of the Constitution lists the enumerated powers given to the national government, and it also states that the federal government has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers." Therefore, the national government can use this "necessary and proper" statement to have certain implied powers.

B)
1. The full faith and credit clause means that full faith and credit must be given to public acts, records, and civil judicial proceedings across state lines. This means that loans acquired in one state still need to be paid back if you cross a state line, and marriage licenses are valid if you move between states. One exception is if all states are required to recognize same-sex married couples. Congress instituted the Defense of Marriage Act which allowed states to deny gay marriages, even if they're legal in other areas of the U.S.

2. The privileges and immunities clause entitles people to the benefits and obligations of citizenship in any state they visit. One exception is that residents of a state are offered reduced tuition to public universities, and out-of-state students have to pay a higher rate.

B7

A)

1. Federal governments seem to have shared powers between the national and state levels. Although there has been and most likely will always be disputes about the division of power (which level gets to regulate certain policies), these debates keep one level from having too much control over the other. The federal system also decentralizes politics. This leads to more opportunities for political participation, which is always a positive aspect.

2. Life would be better under a unitary government, for there would be no arguments over division of power between the state and national governments. The central government will have the main authority, and can therefore regulate the activities of the state governments. This way, the central government controls policies that affect the entire nation, and therefore laws and regulations are uniform throughout the country. This will allow politics to focus less on the useless, time-consuming debates between state and national governments over a division of power, and more on creating and enforcing effective public policy.

B)

1. One enumerated power that belongs to the national government is the power to declare war. If this power was given to the states, one state may declare war on another country. Then, violence would inevitably ensue in the one state. However, the violence could then continue into the other states. The other country could definitely attack parts of our entire nation, harming many who weren't involved in the war the one state declared to begin with.

2. One power reserved to the states is the power to establish local governments. This makes sense, for each state government is essentially a unitary government. So, the state government has power over thel local governments, and should have the power to create them. 

3. One concurrent power is the power to make and enforce laws. Because there are certain laws that fall strictly under the state's jurisdiction, and certain laws that the national government can regulate, each level of government needs to have the power to make and enforce these laws. 

B6

a. There are four ways of formally adding amendments to the Constitution, for there are two different methods of proposal and two different methods of ratification. One method of proposal is that two-thirds of the state legislatures request for Congress to call a national convention. At this national convention, or meeting of state representatives, an amendment may be proposed. An amendment can then be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures.

b. One informal way of changing the constitution is the Supreme Court's power of judicial review, the right to decide whether the actions of the executive and legislative branches agree with the Constitution, and are therefore legal. Judicial review is an informal method of changing the Constitution over time, for the Constitution never clearly states that the Supreme Court has such power. The 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison was the first case in which the Supreme Court realized and exercised this power, and the first case in which the federal court declared an act of Congress illegal. Another informal way of changing the Constitution is by altering political practice, or the components of the government. An example of this is the development of organizations that aim to gain influence in government, or political parties. When the Constitution was written, political parties did not exist. However, over time political parties have taken root and now greatly influence the policy-making process.

c. Informal methods are used more often to change the constitution than the formal amendment process because informal methods take less time to reach approval. Informal methods rely on the interpretation of the constitution, and therefore yield more flexibility among government. This allows for the process to be quicker. The amendment process, on the other hand, involves proposals and ratifications by many state legislatures or a majority of Congress. This process takes more time, effort, and cooperation: a combination that is difficult to come by in politics. 

B4

1. When you want to break up with someone else, you should tell them why you're doing it.
2. Intended audience / Why write this :
           - King George III
           - British parliament
           - Continental Congress
           - In a sense, all of humanity (for Jefferson/other members of Continental Congress must hope that anyone will read it and strive for a just government)
           - The colonists (anyone who could read or be read to, copies would be posted up around towns)                             -                -The document also serves to rally the spirits of the Americans, it attempts to justify the reasons for why they're declaring independence
3. - Dramatic, a little whiny
    - "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures"  -- Does this mean King George III was calling meetings in places that no-one could go to, like in England?
   - A lot of points about the military and the king sending troops without the colonists' consent
   - "He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance" ... "Eat out"? I didn't realize this was a common phrase back then!
   - "...the merciless Indian Savages..." - Even here they're awful to the Native Americans. And they capitalize Savages, therefore officially defining them as uncivilized and violent.

B2

Three different ways the government increased its power after 9/11:
1. Terrorist detentions - Guantanamo Bay
2. Domestic surveillance - PATRIOT act
3. Airport Security - body scanning technology



1. I'm opposed to Guantanamo Bay. The extremity with which the U.S. government deals with terrorist threats, to me, is ridiculous and completely un-American. People are being held under conditions that are expressly prohibited by our constitution. As stated in the article, multiple administrations have detained prisoners at Guantanamo Bay "indefinitely without granting them access to independent judges or any protections of the Geneva Conventions." How can our nation can allow for independent liberties at home, and then deny these same inherent rights to others?

Unit A Test Review Question

In what way do some theorists believe the definition of the pluralist theory is less applicable to the involvement of citizens in interest groups today?

a. No one likes politics anymore, so there's no involvement
b. Theorists argue that people are becoming more self-defined, and therefore less actively involved in interest groups
c. Interest groups conflict too much, causing citizens to abandon hope
d. Too many citizens are involved, so the groups are overwhelmed

Amendment

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall be restricted to the government-run militia, the law-enforcing agencies, such as the police and sheriff departments, and those persons who use arms for the purpose of hunting. Federal law mandates that licenses are required in all states and in all cases. No person shall have a license who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and completed an application and all measures for acquiring a federal firearms license imposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.