Essay Prompt 5

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.

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:

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?