F2

• Americans With Disabilities Act (a law passed in 1990)
• This act intended to give more protections and opportunities for the disabled such as making public buildings more accessible. Also disabled cannot be be discriminated against in the workforce. This act increased the power of the federal government because it forced the states to give these equal opportunities that it didn't have to do before to all disabled citizens.
• preemption (a practice that the U.S. Congress has followed with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and in other laws).
• A preemption is the invalidation of a state law when it conflicts with a Federal law. If a state comes up with a law and the federal law does not approve of it, it can make that law invalid and it cannot function in the state which increases the power of the federal government because they decide whether the state can do something or not.

2) Describe how EACH of the following has decreased the power of the federal government over the states:

• U.S. v. Lopez (a Supreme Court decision made in 1995)
• This court case involved Alfonso Lopez Jr.who brought an unloaded gun to school and was put on trial for violating a federal law about interstate commerce. The ruling was that the federal government can't do anything because they were stretching their power too far under the Commerce Clauses of the U.S Constitution. This decreased the power of the federal government because Congress could not rule over the states in this situation.
• devolution (a practice that the U.S. Congress has followed with the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 and in other laws)
• Devolution is power given to the state or local governments from the national government. When power is given to the smaller level governments, like in the power to tax, the national government loses its influence in that area because it doesn't have all of the power.

E9

1.) Jane McSnoop reported that the government has in fact been hiding aliens in a secret underground building in New Mexico. When asked who gave her the confidential government information, she refused to tell. Why is she allowed to do this?

She can do this because the of Shield Laws.

2.) What is it called when media is oriented towards a small group of people?

Narrowcasting

E5

While interest groups and political parties each play a significant role in the United States political system, they differ in their fundamental goals.

(a) Identify the fundamental goal of interest groups in the political process.

(b) Identify the fundamental goal of major political parties in the political process.

(c) Describe two different ways in which interest groups support the fundamental goal of political parties in the political process. Give specific scenarios as examples.

(d) For one of the means of support you described in (c), explain two different ways in which that form of support helps interest groups to achieve their fundamental goal in the political process.

My response:

(a) The fundamental goal of interest groups is to influence public policy in favor of their causes.

(b) The fundamental goal of major political parties is to help elect people into office that have the same ideals as them.

(c) When interest groups want to get their ideas pushed into the government, they create media campaigns to show their support for certain candidates that agree with their causes. NOW could create ads about how great Presidential Candidate Joe Shmoe treats women. Also, interest groups raise money to give to candidates which can ultimately allow a candidate to win. NOW could raise money to give to Joe Shmoe's campaign so that he has some extra money that will help him win.

(d) Raising money to give to candidates helps interest groups if the candidate they are endorsing wins office. The person they helped get elected now has the ability to directly influence laws and policy that can help interest groups.

Monday News 11/18

http://t.co/DYCNwBj3tV
After and Artist Steps Away From His Bag, a Summons and a Legal Battle
This article talked about an artist (Enrico Miguel Thomas) who left his bags, filled with his art supplies, unattended for a few minutes. He was charged with disorderly conduct, and was sentenced to a day of community service and the charge would be dropped in six months, which he refused because he believes he did nothing wrong.
Analysis
I think that they were exaggerating with these accusations, cities seem to be very paranoid since the Boston Marathon Bombing. I agree that he did nothing wrong, but I also understand that the lone bags could look a little suspicious to the officers. When Enrico came back to his supplies, the officers could have realized that there was nothing wrong and left him with a warning.

E4

Define:
Collective good: Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member.
Free-rider problem: When potential members sit back and benefit from the work of other people in the group without doing anything.
Selective benefits: these are benefits that can be restricted to people who pay their yearly dues, such as group insurance.

a) Procrastinators for a Better Tomorrow (PBT)
b) What is its goal? Its goal is to help procrastinators so they may become more productive members of society.
c) What is the potential group of people who will benefit from its goals? Procrastinators.
d) What collective good will your group provide? Federal programs that will help procrastinators stop putting things off to the last minute.
e) What selective benefits will you provide for members? Those who actually join the group will get travel discounts and discounts to the movies.
f) What will your group DO to accomplish its goals? Name at least two actions.

1. Engage in election activities so that they can get people who support our cause get elected.
2. Hire lobbyists that contact congressmen to influence them into proposing legislation for our cause.

E3

1.) I visited The Daily Caller
2.) There is a special tab or section for opinion, so this is where opinions have been posting. An example of opinion was when they called the Canadian Prime Minister 'The most American politician.'
3.) I would say most of the content is real like in the article about how Democrats lied about the Obamacare plan. Obviously they are stretching the truth but it is pretty much fact. They had a source from an American Crossroads video.
4.) I see some other news websites linked in to the articles and a few blogs.
5.) There is definitely a conservative view on this site because almost every article in the politics section makes liberals look bad and conservatives look better. An example would be like the headline "Obamacare lobotomize the marketplace"
6.) A site like this would not fully inform the people on all sides of politics because they don't show much of a liberal view or even a neutral view.

E1

Identify five types of mass media.

1. Television
2. Radio
3. Newspapers
4. Magazines
5. The internet

Describe one way that news from print media has changed over the last 200 years.

      In present day, people have the freedom of the press, the freedom to write whatever they thought fit in a newspaper. This allows for newspapers to unveil the dirty truth from the government. 200 years ago, this was not permitted.

Describe one way that media coverage of presidential campaigns has changed since the mid-20th century.

      Coverage of presidential campaigns has increased since the mid-20th century, political ads were usually the only thing being shown about presidential campaigns along with speeches. It wasn't until 1960 that the first televised debate was filmed for the country to see. Now, pretty much every aspect of the presidential campaigns is covered.

Define yellow journalism. Explain whether and how you think it exists today. Give examples, if you have some!

      Yellow journalism is journalism that is not accurate and may be exaggerated.Describe in detail three ways that the FCC regulates news media. 

     1.  It prevents monopolies from having too much power in the broadcast market. So the numbers of news stations that are owned by a company must be limited.

     2.  It conducts periodical check-ups on news stations of their goals and performance. If the news station does not serve the public interest it is stripped of its license.

     3.  It requires that all political candidates have equal opportunities for air time on a news station. The amount of time being offered to one politician, must be offered to any other politician.

Explain two specific ways that President Franklin Roosevelt used media to help him politically.

      Almost everybody had a radio, so FDR took advantage of that by having fireside chats, he also held over 1000 press conferences during his presidency.
Explain how President Obama and other politicians today use new media (like the internet) to help them politically.

      Politicians like to take advantage of YouTube to advertise because it's free. This way it also reaches out to more people. Also, by putting their platforms online, more people will likely look at it.Media has grown and fragmented in the last few decades -- TV stations narrowcast by aiming at very specific audiences, and you can find blogs for any political view.

• A. Describe one possible positive consequence for our democracy from this trend.
• They can show very stong positions and have a lot of information for one side.
• B. Describe one possible negative consequence for our democracy from this trend.
• They can be biased and not show the whole story to the people.

CLASS: November News

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/11/05/some-states-still-dont-know-where-their-borders-lie/

North Carolina and South Carolina still don't know where one ends and the other begins, causing problems with natural resources along the border.

I find it really funny that after hundreds of years there is still no official border between North Carolina and South Carolina. The sad part is that they aren't the only ones, Texas and Oklahoma also don't have a set boundary in certain areas. This just seems a little silly considering it's 2013.

D8

Three winners:

• Chris Christie- Governor or New Jersey
• Bill de Blasio- Mayor of New York
• Kristin Szakos- Charlottesville City Council

Three Facts:

• The main demographic group that voted for Chris Christie was white males, while the main demographic group that voted for Buono was blacks. People who usually associate themselves as being democratic even voted republican, with 32% democratic support, up from 8% in 2009. One of the main reasons for the popularity of Christie was the way in which he handled Hurricane Sandy.
• In New York City, the main demographic group that lives there is black people. Since de Blasio has a bi-racial family, this probably increased his popularity with them because they see him as somebody who will care more for the less wealthy black people.
• Kristen Szakos, a democrat, won one of the two seats available in the Charlottesville City Council. Her and Bob Fenwick(also a democrat) beat Michael Farrugio and Charles Weber who were both republicans. I think it's very hard to be a republican in a liberal city like Charlottesville which is probably why Farrugio and Weber didn't get majority votes. I personally wanted Michael Farrugio to win a seat because he is both a great person and he has good ideas for Charlottesville. His daughter is best friends with my sister and I truly believe he deserved a spot, he just happens to be a part of the republican party in mainly democratic town.

D7

Three Facts About the Issues for Gubernatorial Election:
1.) Cuccinelli is opposed to gay marriage.
         I just don't understand why people can't be free to marry who they love. It's not bothering anybody, and everybody has the right to do what makes them happy. My dad is opposed to gay marriage ( he is a dedicated catholic) but he doesn't necessarily have a problem with gay people themselves, but it's just awful that people are discriminating against people because of who they love.

2.) McAullife supports the expansion of Medicaid.
          Increasing the range of people who can receive aid from Medicaid is not something that should even have to be thought about. People can't afford the high expenses that come from hospital and doctor visits and there are people who think that money is more important than saving lives? I know that the state needs money to function but the budget for other organizations should be cut in order to allow a Medicaid expansion that won't cost Virginia money in the long run.

3.) Both candidates agree that there should be no more SOL's
          I actually don't mind taking SOL's because they are really easy, but I do understand why it's better to promote more critical thinking than memorization. Schools need to focus more on problem solving because the future is technology and engineering, and Virginia isn't going to get far ahead in these areas when students only learn how to choose the correct multiple choice question.

D5

This week, as I was not needed for creating videos, I created an outlet for the videos the video team has created, a Facebook page. Since the media team had not created one I asked if they would like for me to create one and they said yes. I have been posting videos and pictures on the page regularly.
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/FawkesNews33

D4

Open Secrets: Idaho
A.) More money is raised for the Republican Party than for the Democratic party.
B.) Of the $8,990,796 raised in contributions, $1,189,640 is for the Democratic party and $5,521,466 is for the Republican party.
C.) The top investor for the Republican party was Melaleuca Inc. The company donated $1,545,200. The CEO of the company, Frank L. VanderSloot, was the finance co-chair for Romney's campaign

Virginia Public Access: Virginia Governor
A.) I think that Terri McAuliffe will win the election.
B.) He has raised 10 million more dollars than Cuccinelli, over $26,345,763. His campaign also spends more money on tv ads, over $11,693,060, so more people will be viewing his ads than Cuccinelli's.

D2

Ad 1: How's That Again General? 1956 Election
-This ad was made by the Democratic party
- The ad was trying to evoke people to distrust of Eisenhower because he didn't accomplish what he had promised previously.

Ad 2: Man on Street. 1976 Election
- This ad was made by the Republican party
- The ad was trying to make the viewers think that Ford is the best because even people who usually vote democratic are voting for Ford.

Ad 3: Priority MD RNC. 2000 Election
- This ad was made by the Republican party
- The ad was made to depict Gore as a man who doesn't care about the elderly because he didn't want reform on prescription drug prices.

Overall:
- I noticed that in earlier ads the men running would actually talk  to the people instead of a voice-over talking about them like in later ads. Also, the ads were much longer in the past than in recent years.
-
The most effective ad for me was probably the third ad because it makes Bush appear to be a savior with the tone of music played when he is introduced and it makes Gore appear to be a man who doesn't care about senior citizens. Focusing on the prescription drugs, which the elderly mainly use, is smart because senior citizens have the highest voter turn outs. This ad would make the elderly think twice before voting for Gore because he wouldn't benefit them like Bush supposedly would. Also there is a subliminal message(which is not that subliminal since it's the thumbnail) that says RATS when bureaucrats shows up on the ad.

D1

This week I was unable to actively participate in filming but I was able to help Rico in choosing what to cut from the video so that it was shorter but still get the main points of the interview in.

C9

I am a part of the video team. We have been working on creating  a promotional video for 'Fawkes News' and I personally have helped in selecting the music and by outlining how the the video should flow.

C8

Policy:
             McAullife: Emphasized on strong gun control and on better education.
           
             Cuccinelli: Emphasized that he wants tax cuts and emphasized on justice and liberty in Virginia.
Quotes:
             McAullife: "How many people have to be killed till we wake up to have sensible gun ownership?"
                        This quote was notable to me because it was a bellicose statement, it really made me think
                        whether Virginia (and the U.S.) is doing a good job with guns.
           
             Cuccinelli:  "He is more conservative than I am" This was a bold thing to say, I didn't expect him to
                               say that about a democrat.
Style:
             McAullife: He moves his hands a lot more than Cuccinelli and he has more energy in his voice. Also,
                              he likes to attack Cuccinelli on things he has supposedly said.
                     
             Cuccinelli: Has a monotone voice which makes him sound less aggressive. He also likes to primarily
                     attack McAullife on the fact that he doesn't know anything about gov. in VA.
Wild Card: 
               I don't have any wildcards except that I think Cuccinelli has better hair than McAullife.

C7

Biased Question: Do you think the legendary liar, Santana Afton, is the best choice for Governor?

Neutral Question: Do you believe Santana Afton's policy coincides with the public's interests?

C4

     One difference between the Democratic and Republican parties is how they deal with jobs and job growth. With so many people without jobs, people want the government to do something about their situations. While both parties of the government have ideas for what to do, they differ in their ideology on what those ideas are. The Republican party prefers to cut back on government spending and focus more on making America more competitive with other countries instead of directly aiding those who are unemployed, like stated here: "The tax system must be simplified. Government spending and regulation must be reigned in. American companies must be more competitive in the world market..." The Democratic party, on the other hand, prefers to spend more money to aid people who are not employed by helping them find jobs or temporarily helping them financially as shown here: "We have already enacted key parts of the American Jobs Act-payroll tax relief, tax credits for business...a 'Bridge To Work' to help the long-term unemployed reconnect with the labor force." 

C3

 The United States has been involved in many wars during its lifetime that it has resolved. Yet I don't see anything effective being done about the current War on Drugs,which has been an ongoing battle in public health for over forty-two years since it was formally declared by President Nixon in 1971. Illegal drugs are a threat to the American people and people all over the world, but the U.S is not handling the situation in a reasonable manner. In fact, I think the American government is doing more harm than good to its own people by spending a ludicrous amount of money on trying to completely prohibit the use of illegal drugs and locking up anybody who is involved with them.

This War on Drugs is not only foolish and costly, but it violates our liberties as American citizens. Every day, thousands of people are searched without probable cause by police because their appearances lead officers and other government officials to believe they are affiliated with drugs. This conflicts with our fourth amendment rights which states that the people have a right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. Over 500,000 people have been incarcerated for crimes involving drugs, some for reasons that are not fully validated. 

The amount of money spent on incarcerating these "druggies" to diminish the presence of drugs in our country is a waste of tax dollars. With over 51 billion dollars spent annually by the government for this cause and to no avail, there should be reconsideration over what the government's role is in this situation.

Instead of banning drugs, they should be made completely legal to avoid dilemmas over illegal smuggling. Of course there would need to be regulations such as age restrictions and who is qualified to sell the drugs. But this way, it is possible to obtain any drug but it would be more difficult to actually receive.

If it were no longer illegal to use narcotics, there would be a decrease in crimes related to drugs throughout the nation. It is in America's best interest to cease funding for the prohibition of illegal drugs in the U.S. The current method will never solve anything.

    Links:  http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/society-suspects-war-drugs-civil-liberties

               http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=4694

               http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/06/opinion/branson-end-war-on-drugs/index.html

               http://www.cjpf.org/drug/colorado

C2

Jobs that interest me:

1. Online Guru- I would like this job because I am online often, so any ads or campaign content would definitely be posted.
2. Print Media- This job would also suit me because I could showcase my creativity in writing to attract readers to the campaign.

B9

Review question: What are two examples of an elastic clause?

B7

A. Types of Government

1.      The advantages to a federal government are that it still allows state to to have power, and it allows for a system of checks and balances so there is no tyranny.
2.      A unitary government would be better than a confederate government because a country would feel more united. The whole country would have to follow the same laws and there wouldn't be different laws in every state like in a confederate government. Overall, a unitary government would make a country more stable than a confederate government because there is only one central government controlling everything.

B. Distribution of Powers

1.      An enumerated power of the national government is to coin and regulate the value of money. This should be left to the national government so that all states can have a common currency without being confused by different currency from every state.
2.      The states have the power to give licenses so that they are easier to manage than having the national government regulate all of the licenses for people when they need them. It's easier to have the state deal with just the people in that state.
3.      A concurrent power would be the power to tax. Both the state and national government have the power to do this so that they can raise money at both the national and local level.

C. McCulloch v. Maryland

1.      "Supremacy of national government over the states." 
2.      "National government has certain implied powers that go beyond its enumerated powers." The part of the Constitution important to this would be when it talks about congress having the power to make laws that are necessary, thus giving it implied powers. 

D. Constitutional Clauses

1.     The full faith and credit clause is what allows public acts, records, and judicial proceedings to be valid in all states. An exemption to this would same-gender marriages; states are allowed to ignore them even if the couple was married in a state where it is legal.
2.      The privileges and immunities clause is what allows citizens of one state to be allowed the same privileges and immunities as the citizens in the state they are visiting. One exception to this would be college tuition. If  student from one state goes to college in another state, they have to pay a higher tuition.

B6

1.) In order for an amendment to be ratified, it must first be proposed. This can be done by Congress  having a 2/3 vote on it. After it is proposed it can then be ratified by  the State Legislatures where 3/4 of the states must vote on it.
2.) One informal method of changing the Constitution is judicial review. This gives the Supreme Court the power to interpret the Constitution anyway they want. Another method is through technology, over the years the use of more advanced technology has increased and has changed the constitution. Things like atomic warfare have increased the power that the executive branch can hold.
3.) Informal methods are used more often than formal amendment processes simply because it's quicker. It's easier to change with society than it is to go through the whole ratifying process, and the informal methods are not real amendments, just different interpretations.

B3

My amendment: The right for any man or woman coming from a foreign country to be granted full citizenship if they have lived in the country for more than ten years regardless of their background, unless said background involves criminal charges.

B2

1.) This is saying that if when the people want to break free of their ties to another country, they should state the reason or reasons why they want to be separate.

2.) The intended audience of this document is the king of England because T.J is talking about all the ways he has wronged the colonists. He wrote an entire document about wanting to separate to truly show the king that he didn't want to take anymore of his oppression, if he didn't write this document the king may not have paid him any attention.

3.) "He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands."  This is pretty much saying that the king would not allow or the population of the colonies to grow because naturalization was not allowed of foreigners, so migration was not encouraged.

A5

1. The government affected my life yesterday by making me go to school, since it's against the law to not go to school.
2. I would say my dad cares more but he doesn't really know that much, we probably know about the same as one another. He prefers to watch stuff about politics in Mexico rather than American politics.
3. Hurricane Katrina was something that most people my age remember.
4. Libraries are funded by the government so that anybody can go and read books for free. Another public good would be public transportation such as the CAT buses in the city. Although not free, it is still a very affordable
5. Four linkage institution categories are elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

• Elections- Presidiential elections, senatorial elections etc.
• Political Parties- Democratic party
• Interest groups- NAACP
• Media- News stations; e.g.CNN, NBC, FOX

6.  Four categories of policymaking institutions are the presidency, Congress, courts, and bureaucracy.

7.

• Obama- President
• Tim Kaine- Senator
• Sonia Sotomayor- Supreme Court judge
• Chuck Hagel- Secretary of Defense

A4

1.)      Inclusion: The United States fails in following the principle of inclusion. It states that a government should extend full citizenship to anybody who is subject to its laws, but the U.S is definitely not  following that, as the failure of an immigration reform can show. Although the government is supposedly trying to fix the problem with illegal immigration, it is evident that it full citizenship will not be granted to all people who  immigrate to United States. Even if a reform is passed it will not be easy for current illegal immigrants to gain citizenship. There will be many loopholes and several will not qualify to become citizens.

2.)     The elite and class theory definitely describes the United States, it is especially apparent recently, after the whole 1% drama. The wealthy are highly influential in government and get what they want, reduced taxes,  while the working class gets higher taxes. The wealthy gain more money, where as the poor lose money.

3.)     I think that following civic duties( pay taxes, military, be politically informed etc.) is important to the American people because all citizens are expected to participate and people can do their responsibilities to further better our country.