Different interest groups choose different techniques to achieve their objectives based no their resources, characteristics and goals. Litigation is the process of taking legal action, it is when a person begins a civil lawsuit to enforce a particular right. So in the United states interest groups often use litigation to sue the group they oppose. This strategy was used by the NAACP which resulted in the decision made in the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954.
Interest groups use campaign contributions to try to make candidates sympathetic to their cause elected to office. If they contribute money to a campaign (with a limit of $5,000) it is a bribery of sorts because it makes the politicians feel that they should return the favor to that interest group.
Lastly one of the most effective ways to gain votes is mass mobilization or grassroots lobbying. This means you gain publicity for your cause through a large audience or promotion. It has been proven to be a fast spreading technique.
The NAACP used the first technique because they sued numerous segregated school systems. They did this throughout the 1940's and 1950's which led to the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, where the supreme court ruled that segregation in schools is unconstitutional.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Senator Wyden Biography
Biography:
Senator Ron Wyden was born on May 3rd 1949, in Kansas. His family moved to Palo Alto, California where he was raised. He first attended University of California, Santa Barbara with a basketball scholarship. He transferred to Stanford and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971. Later in 1974 he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. Wyden founded the grey panthers at Oregon and led it until 1980. He ran for the House of Representatives that year, and served from 1980-1996. He is now married and has five children. Wyden has been a senator for the United States since 1996.
Committees:
Issues:
Questions:
What issues are concerning you most at the moment?
Which of the colleges that you went to was your favorite?
Do you think it is important to go to college to have a successful future?
Senator Ron Wyden was born on May 3rd 1949, in Kansas. His family moved to Palo Alto, California where he was raised. He first attended University of California, Santa Barbara with a basketball scholarship. He transferred to Stanford and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971. Later in 1974 he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. Wyden founded the grey panthers at Oregon and led it until 1980. He ran for the House of Representatives that year, and served from 1980-1996. He is now married and has five children. Wyden has been a senator for the United States since 1996.
Committees:
| Joint Committee on Taxation Select Committee on Intelligence Special Committee on Aging Committee on the Budget Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Finance |
Issues:
- Education: Wyden has authored many acts to help students who are in debt and to help students choose career paths with valuable insight. Some of these acts include the Student Right To Know Before You Go act, and the College Tuition Savings act which was part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation act which eliminated taxes on College Tuition Savings Funds.
- Environment: Considering that he is the chairmen of the Energy and Natural Resource Committee, Wyden has taken a lead on many issues concerning our environment. He has taken the lead in protecting olod-growth forests, led the opposition to the savage rider, advocated reform of federal government land management practices and more. He won passage of the Combat Illegal Logging law. His efforts have resulted in impressive results in saving endangered species and expanding wilderness protection within Oregon.
Questions:
What issues are concerning you most at the moment?
Which of the colleges that you went to was your favorite?
Do you think it is important to go to college to have a successful future?
Sunday, November 17, 2013
The Philippines
Due to a powerful typhoon the Philippines are in need of drastic help. They are going to need many different types of relief. They will need help to regain food, shelter, water, clothes, and hygienic needs. In order to do this people need to be willing to help or to contribute. The most reliable way to help is through a charity. It is the easiest way to help people from all over the world can provide relief by donating money to a charity who will help a certain cause. The most important things to take care of is to find a way to help them regain energy so that they can have heat and shelter, provide clean, drinkable water, as well as cleaning up all of the debris and dead bodies. It is crucial that they find a place to bury the bodies since so man people died.
I felt that the charity Mercedes found in which you donated money for wells to be built was a very good idea. That way we are helping to provide long lasting help, not just something that will temporarily fix the situation. I also thought that the best invention idea was the straw that filters the water as you sip through it. It is also nice that those are already invented and people could easily donate to a charity to have many water filters sent to the Philippines immediately.
I felt that the charity Mercedes found in which you donated money for wells to be built was a very good idea. That way we are helping to provide long lasting help, not just something that will temporarily fix the situation. I also thought that the best invention idea was the straw that filters the water as you sip through it. It is also nice that those are already invented and people could easily donate to a charity to have many water filters sent to the Philippines immediately.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
10.31.13
ESSAY 3 The methods that have changed the Constitution over more than two centuries have come from either formal or informal methods to add amendments. Some formal methods include ratification of an amendment by the Legislative Branch and then ratification by the states, 3/4 of which must agree to ratify. Another option is 2/3 of the states can call for a Constitutional Convention which can be approved by 3/4 of the states and bypassed by the legislature, this method is called a National Convention. There are many more informal methods for Constitutional change than there are formal. The main informal process is Judicial interpretation. The Supreme Court has the ability to decide whether laws are constitutional or not. The Constitution never gave the court this power, therefor judicial review was created so that they could check the other branches. Another informal method is found within the electoral college. At first the president wasn't elected by popular vote, state legislature would elect people to vote for candidates. But now these delegates have little to no power, and vote for whoever their state is voting for.
Informal methods are more commonly used than formal because they are easier to use and require less consensus from a large group of people. To amend the Constitution Congress has to have 2/3 majority to send it to the states, but with informal methods, a much smaller group of people are needed to change anything.
ESSAY 4 The framers of the United States Constitution created a federal system. Federalism is the distribution of power in an organization between a central authority and the constituent units. In other words our national government is organized so that two or more levels of government have the same amount of formal authority over the same people/areas. Categorical grants, federal mandates, and selective incorporation have all been used to increase federal power relative to the states. A categorical grant is a grant designed for a specific purpose, they are the main source of federal aid to states and local governments, but the state must spend money in accord with national government wishes. They are "strings attached" grants. A federal mandate is when a federal government tells it's states what policies to implement. Lastly selective incorporation is when federal courts can overturn state and local practices.
States use block grants and the Tenth Amendment to increase their power of the government as well. Block grants are considered to be "no strings attached". This means the states can use the money however they feel useful. The Tenth Amendment reserves power to the states and to the people, it is being used to argue that power should be returned to the states. This means that the government cannot hold something over the states if it is not in the Constitution.
Informal methods are more commonly used than formal because they are easier to use and require less consensus from a large group of people. To amend the Constitution Congress has to have 2/3 majority to send it to the states, but with informal methods, a much smaller group of people are needed to change anything.
ESSAY 4 The framers of the United States Constitution created a federal system. Federalism is the distribution of power in an organization between a central authority and the constituent units. In other words our national government is organized so that two or more levels of government have the same amount of formal authority over the same people/areas. Categorical grants, federal mandates, and selective incorporation have all been used to increase federal power relative to the states. A categorical grant is a grant designed for a specific purpose, they are the main source of federal aid to states and local governments, but the state must spend money in accord with national government wishes. They are "strings attached" grants. A federal mandate is when a federal government tells it's states what policies to implement. Lastly selective incorporation is when federal courts can overturn state and local practices.
States use block grants and the Tenth Amendment to increase their power of the government as well. Block grants are considered to be "no strings attached". This means the states can use the money however they feel useful. The Tenth Amendment reserves power to the states and to the people, it is being used to argue that power should be returned to the states. This means that the government cannot hold something over the states if it is not in the Constitution.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Watergate: G. Gordon Liddy
General Watergate link:
http://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/6c.html
G. Gordon Liddy:
G. Gordon Liddy's was an FBI who helped organize and direct the Watergate Scandal, he was the chief operative for the White House during Nixon's presidency. He was the leader of the five men who made at least two separate entries in May and on June 17th of 1972, although Liddy never entered the Watergate complex, but he did admit to supervising the second break-in to a room in the Watergate Hotel.
He testifies that the break-ins were not seeking political intelligence but that the team was simply looking for photographs linking the future wife of President Nixon's White House counsel, John W. Dean, to call-girl ring. Liddy says that the floor plan of the Democratic Party headquarters at the watergate office building showed him that he had been deceived about the mission of the burglars. He refused to testify to the Senate committee investigating Watergate.
Liddy was convicted for his role in the Watergate break in, conspiracy for the Daniel Ellsberg case, contempt of court, and burglary. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and $40,000 in fines to pay. Although President Jimmy Carter commuted his sentence to only eight years. He was released on September 7th after spending a total of four and a half years in prison since many others convicted of the scandal faced less harsh conviction.
After being released from prison Liddy wrote an autobiography, Will, which sold millions of copies and was later made into a TV show. He led a popular talk radio show and started up a private security and counter surveillance firm. He also became quite the actor, appearing in multiple movies and TV shows. He is still alive at the age of 82.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Gordon_Liddy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/watergate/liddy.html
http://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/6c.html
G. Gordon Liddy:
G. Gordon Liddy's was an FBI who helped organize and direct the Watergate Scandal, he was the chief operative for the White House during Nixon's presidency. He was the leader of the five men who made at least two separate entries in May and on June 17th of 1972, although Liddy never entered the Watergate complex, but he did admit to supervising the second break-in to a room in the Watergate Hotel.
He testifies that the break-ins were not seeking political intelligence but that the team was simply looking for photographs linking the future wife of President Nixon's White House counsel, John W. Dean, to call-girl ring. Liddy says that the floor plan of the Democratic Party headquarters at the watergate office building showed him that he had been deceived about the mission of the burglars. He refused to testify to the Senate committee investigating Watergate.
Liddy was convicted for his role in the Watergate break in, conspiracy for the Daniel Ellsberg case, contempt of court, and burglary. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and $40,000 in fines to pay. Although President Jimmy Carter commuted his sentence to only eight years. He was released on September 7th after spending a total of four and a half years in prison since many others convicted of the scandal faced less harsh conviction.
After being released from prison Liddy wrote an autobiography, Will, which sold millions of copies and was later made into a TV show. He led a popular talk radio show and started up a private security and counter surveillance firm. He also became quite the actor, appearing in multiple movies and TV shows. He is still alive at the age of 82.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Gordon_Liddy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/watergate/liddy.html
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
10.30.13
ESSAY 1
The role of democracy as well as the role of majority rule have changed and will continue to change in american politics. The House of Representative, which is part of the Legislative branch is the part of our national government that is most closely tied to our citizens. This is because the people, who back in the day were land owning white males, could elect who they chose to the House of Representatives. This gave us as a people more freedom and choice.
The U.S. constitution limited majority rule by creating separation of powers (Judicial, Legislative, and Executive) and through checks and balances. These require that power is balanced among the three different government institutions to insure that no one group has too much power.
Primary elections have helped the United States become a more democratic system because they place more choice over who would be president in the hands of the people. A second development of the twentieth-century that has helped our country become more democratic is the Seventeenth Amendment. It states that the senate of the U.S. will be composed of two senators per state, who are elected by the people. This helped our country by giving the people more of a say as well as giving each state equal power when it comes to the number of senators.
ESSAY 2
Citizens participate in the political process through many different forms besides voting. Two common forms are civil disobedience and protesting. Many civilians will act on civil disobedience knowing that they are breaking the law, but in hopes that they are making a big enough statement that more people will get involved and keep the ball rolling. The other form, protesting, is done to achieve a policy change through less detrimental acts than civil disobedience. These types of demonstrations draw attention to the problem quickly and universally. Many protests or civil disobedience acts will air on national television, in newspapers, and many other forms of media almost immediately after the incident. This helps the demonstrators draw attention hoping to persuade other civilians into reform.
The role of democracy as well as the role of majority rule have changed and will continue to change in american politics. The House of Representative, which is part of the Legislative branch is the part of our national government that is most closely tied to our citizens. This is because the people, who back in the day were land owning white males, could elect who they chose to the House of Representatives. This gave us as a people more freedom and choice.
The U.S. constitution limited majority rule by creating separation of powers (Judicial, Legislative, and Executive) and through checks and balances. These require that power is balanced among the three different government institutions to insure that no one group has too much power.
Primary elections have helped the United States become a more democratic system because they place more choice over who would be president in the hands of the people. A second development of the twentieth-century that has helped our country become more democratic is the Seventeenth Amendment. It states that the senate of the U.S. will be composed of two senators per state, who are elected by the people. This helped our country by giving the people more of a say as well as giving each state equal power when it comes to the number of senators.
ESSAY 2
Citizens participate in the political process through many different forms besides voting. Two common forms are civil disobedience and protesting. Many civilians will act on civil disobedience knowing that they are breaking the law, but in hopes that they are making a big enough statement that more people will get involved and keep the ball rolling. The other form, protesting, is done to achieve a policy change through less detrimental acts than civil disobedience. These types of demonstrations draw attention to the problem quickly and universally. Many protests or civil disobedience acts will air on national television, in newspapers, and many other forms of media almost immediately after the incident. This helps the demonstrators draw attention hoping to persuade other civilians into reform.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
New American Center
On the survey we took yesterday my results told me I was in the “Bleeding Hearts” category. I was surprised my results because on most of the questions I answered neutral. Even though Im not considered knowledgeable when it comes to politics, I have noticed in the past that I do agree with some more liberal and some more conservative views. I even have noticed that I do think in ideological terms to an extent.
So after reading “13 Things That Define The American Center,” I was even more confused. Almost every view that the new american center has I believe in as well. I noticed that many of the poll questions they showed I had the same answers to yesterday. I find that I have the same viewpoints about the way our country is evolving but my results from yesterday don’t reflect that at all. This makes me question how they determine from certain questions where you fall on the spectrum, which questions made me fall completely to the left?
After reading all of this information I feel like a lot of things the center believes in makes us as a whole have disappointment in our country. We want certain things to change, but unless our government and politics system breaks into more than two definite parties most of it isn’t likely to happen any time soon.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
10/14 Homework
What is the effect of ideology on public opinion in America? Do people really think in ideological terms? Does the liberal conservative dimension adequately capture how Americans feel about political issues?
The effect of ideology on public opinion in the U.S. is contradictory because americans are ideological conservatives but operational liberals or in other words conservative in principal and liberal in practice. The small percentage of people who think in an ideological way are called ideologues. But many people decide how to vote and what they believe about in politics depending on factors such as personalities, how the economy is going now/ who is in power and if the leader is linked with good fortune. So a large percentage of people are voting based on nature of times or no issue content rather than thinking ideologically.
The effect of ideology on public opinion in the U.S. is contradictory because americans are ideological conservatives but operational liberals or in other words conservative in principal and liberal in practice. The small percentage of people who think in an ideological way are called ideologues. But many people decide how to vote and what they believe about in politics depending on factors such as personalities, how the economy is going now/ who is in power and if the leader is linked with good fortune. So a large percentage of people are voting based on nature of times or no issue content rather than thinking ideologically.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
About Me
My name is Avery and I enjoy doing yoga and spending time with friends and family. I work at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I don't enjoy it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)