Amendment Blog Post

AMENDMENT I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The first amendment is still by far the most important amendment our country has created.  It is the foundation of our nation and the reason we consider ourselves "free".  Without freedom of speech, religion, press, etc. we would not be a free country.  We would have no rights, everything people in our society revolves around the base of this amendment.  It gives our people the right to live how they choose and choose their own purposes in life.  This amendment is what gives us the right to our own opinions and without it there would be no such thing as creativity.  Without the first amendment our country would be nothing that it has become today.

Health Care

United Kingdom:
-Average family funded by taxes
- Young/ Elderly exempt from co-pay
-British system: Socialized medicine
-Government provides & pays for healthcare
-NHS distributes funds (taxes) to health care providers
- GP's paid based on numbers of patients they see/ paid extra for keeping patients healthy, and are instrumental in preventive care
-Administrative costs are low
-Patients must see a General Practitioner before seeing a specialist

Japan:
-Average family spends approx. $280 per month
-Co-pay 30% of the cost of procedure
-total amount paid in a month is caped according to income
- Social Insurance system
-All citizens required to have health insurance either through work or non-profit
-If a citizens cannot afford it they receive public assistance
-Almost all doctors/ hospitals are in a private sector/ private health insurance
-Some of the best health stats in world
-No gatekeepers/ can see any specialist
-So successful at keeping low costs almost spend too little on health care

Germany:
-Average family spends approx. $750 per month
-Co-pay $15 per 3 months, few exempt
- Uses Social Insurance model
- Free to buy insurance from one of 200 private nonprofit sickness funds
- Poor receive public assistance to pay premiums
- Sickness funds : nonprofit, cannot deny coverage, compete with each other for members, paid based on size of enrollment
- Single payment system
- Government does not negotiate prices, sickness funds bargain with doctors
-Citizens can see a specialist but must pay a higher co-pay
-Concerns: Doctors feel underpaid, Make less than in U.S., let the richest citizens opt out of sickness funds

Taiwan:
- Average family spends approx. $650 per year (family of four)
- Co-payments account for 20 % of the cost of drugs, dental, and outpatient care
- Exemptions from co-pay for major diseases, childbirth, poor, veterans, etc.
- Use National Health Insurance model
- All citizens must have insurance
- One government run insurer
- Those working split premiums with employers
- poor / veterans fully subsidized
-New health care system decreased the growth of health care spending
- Citizens can see any doctor w/o a referral
- Lowest administrative costs in world
- Each citizen has smart card with all health information and history stored within it
- Not taking enough money to cover care it provides

Switzerland:
-Average family spends approx. $750
- Social Insurance Model
-95 % of population already had insurance when law for the new model was passed
-All citizens required to have coverage
- Automatically assigned to company
- Government provided assistance to those who couldn't afford premiums
- Universal coverage
- Insurance companies not allowed to make a profit on basic care / can make money on supplemental insurance
- Only drug prices set by government
-Second most expensive system in world- behind the U.S.
- Do not have gate keeper doctors

COST OF HEALTH CARE

United Kingdom- 8.3 percent

Japan- 8 percent

Germany- 10.7 percent

Switzerland- 11.6 percent

United States- 15.3 percent

I think the U.S. should adopt some sort of socialized medicine model because the coverage here is so low.  The united kingdom may pay more in taxes, but for everyone to have equal coverage, it is worth it.  The U.S. has one of the lowest life expectancy rates and pays the most on health insurance.  Honestly if our country was risky enough to adopt any other model than we are following now I think we would be better off than we are doing in the moment.

Earth Day

American Masters, a Fierce Green Fire. Dir. Mark Kitchell. 22 Apr. 2014. PBS. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/a-fierce-green-fire/watch-the-film/2924/>.

In A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet, the environmental movement is shown around the world within a span of 50 years.  Grassroots and global activists educate the viewer about one of the largest movements in America.  Throughout the five acts different movements and stories are explained leading up to the summary that our battle against climate change needs to stop.  The conservation movement focused on the 1960's and the Sierra's Club, those who were trying to stop the construction of dams in some of what are now the biggest landmarks in our nation.  Pollution cleanup to help keep toxic waste and other pollutions out of our air and water is focused on along with Greenpeace, a company who helps save animals from these same wastes. Lastly the documentary focuses on Global resources and the fight to save rain forests. 

The Cove. Dir. Jim Clark. OPS. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.thecovemovie.com/>.

The Cove is a documentary made in 2009 that focuses on the hunting of dolphins.  In Japan thousands of dolphins are killed in mass groups due to fishing practices.  The film focuses on informing society on the truth and how many recreational hotels and aquariums and how appalling it is.  It also sheds light on the hazards dolphin meat can cause to a human because of the mercury levels, and how many people become poisoned from it.  23,000 dolphins are claimed to be killed in Japan by the whaling industry every year.  The film highlights that these practices are cruel, unnecessary and need to be stopped.

Stamper, Megan. "The Denmark Dolphin Slaughter." Huffington Post UK. AOL UK , Web. 10 May 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/megan-stamper/denmark-dolphin-slaughter>.

This article talks about a mass slaughter that has gained a lot of attention in the media.  While many people believe that people in Denmark are slaughtering dolphins, what they are reading is not entirely true.  Islanders of the Faroe islands in the Norwegian Sea kill long-finned pilot whales, which are not endangered.  The killing is done to help the villagers in the community and is not done as a "rite of passage" as many people have come to believe.  It has been investigated, and the people of this island are not doing anything against the law and are just trying to keep their families healthy.

Personal Statement:

While I am not an activist and I am not very educated on any of the dolphin slaughterings, I do not think is okay or necessary, whether it is dolphins or whales, endangered or not.  People should continue to spread awareness because these animals are too smart and it is cruel unnecessary suffering of animals.  Just like humans all other types of animals should be free to live a happy life, especially because dolphin and whale meat is not crucial for our consumption and their are many alternatives for the materials we use their fat and everything else for.

Essay 20

The AMA, American Medical Association, targets Congress and Medicare.  It is made up of primarily medical students who will at some point encounter Medicare patients while in practice. Since this happens so frequently the AMA wants to have some sort of influence over Medicare and the way in which it runs. It will help set standards for other insurance payers through Medicare policies. The constituents of the AMA include doctors,and medical practitioners.  These members have created rules,policies and ethics as a standard. The "Current Procedural Codes" they set are one of the primary ways that medical and insurance forms are filled out.  The AMA wants to be able to effectively communicate with insurance companies in order to make sure constituency will be paid since most medical procedures are billed to insurers. 

(1999_2)National interest groups often target national-level policymaking institutions to achieve their policy objectives.

Select one of the following national interest groups.
- AARP
- AMA (Medical Association
- NAACP
- NAM (national assoc. of Manufacturers)
For the group you selected do each of the following.
- a identify one major national-level policymaking institution that this group targets.
- b describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen and explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a)
- c describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen and explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/sg_gov_pol_us_99.up_7047.pdf

Essay 19

Media has contributed to candidate centered campaigns by focusing on the competition between the two candidates rather than the issues they are supporting or against.  By doing this the campaign will focus more on the backgrounds of the candidates and their personalities.  This makes the campaign less of a issue vs. issue and more of a horse race.  Another way the media contributes to candidate centered campaigns is by making public appearances on TV shows, or news channels in states that support them.  Their faces will also show up on TV ads portraying them as good people and the candidates they are running against as unholy or bad. The ads usually do not focus on anything about the politics of the election and solely on their personalities and attack the opponent.

(1999_1)In the 1990’s presidential election campaigns have become more candidate centered and less focused on issues and party labels. The change has been attributed both to how the media cover presidential campaigns and to how candidates use the media. Identify and explain two ways in which the media have contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns. Identify and explain two ways in which presidential candidates’ use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/sg_gov_pol_us_99.up_7047.pdf

Essay 18

The federal bureaucracy as part of the executive branch exercises substantial independence in implementing governmental policies and programs.  Most workers in the federal bureaucracy are civil-service employees who are organized under a merit system.  The merit system hires based on testing or promotion based on merit or experience.  The structure of the federal bureaucracy contributes to bureaucratic independence through its larger specialized units and independent agencies.  The complexity of public policy problems contributes through delegated authority and discretionary authority.
Congress can pass legislation affecting the bureaucracy and can reward or punish agency.  The courts can declare bureaucratic actions unconstitutional and can limit their practices through court ruling.  Interest groups use the first amendment for lobbying, protests, speeches and media use, as well as litigation.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_us_govt_politics_scoring_guidelines.pdf

Essay 17

Over the last several decades, the composition of the Democratic and Republican parties has changed in important ways.  A major partisan shift has occurred in the South, but other demographic changes have also been identified, such as the percentage of House seats for Democrats has trended down, as well as the percentage of presidential electoral votes for Democrats going down.
Southern voters from 1948 to 200 were electing Democratic candidates to Congress more frequently than choosing Democratic candidates for the presidency.  Even though Southern voters were voting for Republican republican presidential candidates, they continued to vote for Democratic congressional candidates because of the incumbency advantage.  Gerrymandering also created safe seats for democrats because of districts lines creating safe seats and minority-majority districts.  Even though there were more Republican voters in statewide presidential elections the southerners still voted for Democrats.
Over the past few decades, party composition has changed with respect to Catholics, Women, Labor Union members and social conservatives.  Catholics have contributed to party composition change because they have become less reliable Democratic voters, along with Labor union members.  Women on the other hand have become more reliable Democratic voters and have become a larger percentage of the Democratic voting bloc.  Social conservatives were nonexistent but have become reliable Republican voters.


http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_us_govt_politics_scoring_guidelines.pdf

Essay 16

The United States congress and the president together have the power to enact federal law. Federal bureaucratic agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law. However, in the carrying out of these laws, federal agencies have policy making discretion. Congress gives federal agencies policy making discretion in executing federal laws because they do not have the expertise that the agencies have and they are more efficient, making it easier for everyone to come to an agreement.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exercises its policy-making discretion in order to keep our air and water clean.  They can do this by regulating the use of chemicals in domestic and industrial areas.

Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent through hearings, investigations, oversight, and more.  They can change laws and veto certain legislation that they dont agree with.

2006-3 The United States congress and the president together have the power to enact federal law. Federal bureaucratic agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law. However, in the carrying out of these laws, federal agencies have policy making discretion.
(1) Explain two reasons why Congress gives federal agencies policy making discretion in executing federal laws.
(2) Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the policy area over which it exercises policy-making discretion and give one specific example of how it exercises that discretion.
a. Environmental Protection Agency
b. Federal Communications Commission
c. Federal Reserve board
(3) Describe two ways in which Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent.

Essay 15

In recent decades, entitlement programs have constituted a substantial portion of the United States federal budget.  An entitlement program is a government program providing mandated/ guaranteed/ required benefits to those who meet eligibility requirements or qualifications.  Social Security is the largest entitlement program in the US.  The primary source of revenue for Social Security is payroll taxes or taxes based on earned income which would be taken out of legal paychecks.  One major threat to the future of this program may be that outputs will start to exceed inputs, or they may ultimately run out of money.  This is also connected to the threat that their will be too many old people due to the baby boom and older generations living longer, but the number of the workers funding the social security are not increasing along with the older generation.  This results in an unequal ratio and that will result in less money paid in, but more money needing to be paid out.  If people were to work longer, less money would be payed out, more money would be payed in and the reserve would not decline as rapidly as predicted.

2006-2 In recent decades, entitlement programs have constituted a substantial portion of the United States federal budget. Social Security is the largest entitlement program in the US. From the information in the chart above, and your knowledge of the US government and politics, perform the following tasks.
(a) define entitlement program
(b) What is the primary source of revenue for the Social Security program
(c) Identify one threat to the future of the Social security program should the trends depicted in the chart continue
(d) Describe on demographic trend that threatens the future of the Social Security program and explain how it is responsible for the threat that you identified in (c )
(e) Explain how any one of the trends in the chart above would change if the age of eligibility for social security were raised.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/_ap06_gopo_us_sg.pdf

Essay 14

1. The constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers.  Two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy are calling congress into session, and legislative powers, such as vetoing and signing legislation.
2.  Mandatory spending is when spending is not controlled by annual budget decisions.  This limits the presidents ability to influence domestic policy making in congress and makes it difficult to make budge cuts tat might accomplish policy goals
Lame-Duck period is a period of time in which an officeholder's term is coming to an end, this can limit the presidents ability to influence policy because his power may be perceived as diminished during this time, and people may become less responsive towards the president.

2008-2)A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

-The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy.

-Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policy making in Congress.

*Mandatory spending

*Party polarization

*Lame-duck period

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_gopo_us_sgs.pdf

Essay 13

Congressional reapportionment is the reallocation of the number of representative each state has in the House of Representatives.  It is import ants to keep updated every ten years so that it is up to date with our societies population.  This will help the states keep their number of electoral votes correct and their amount of influence balanced with their population.  Congressional redistricting is the drawing or redrawing of house and congressional district lines within a state, it does not affect the senate.  During redistricting politicians may gerrymander in the hopes of enhancing their political party's strengths or weakening the opposing party, or protecting their incumbents.  When someone is gerrymandering to maximize their supporting votes they will try to either "pack" or "crack" their voters.  This means they will either try to concentrate their voters into a single electorate district to reduce their influence in other districts, or they will try to spread out their voters among many districts.  These tactics are often used together.  The U.S. Supreme Court has required that districts must be equally populated and compact so that redistricting is fair. 



2008-1) Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.
(a) Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is important to states.
(b) Define congressional redistricting.
(c) Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting.
(d) Describe two limits that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_gopo_us_sgs.pdf

Essay 12

Divided government is when the presidency and congress are from different political parties, which forms a split in our government.  This can lead to a decline of trust and confidence because many of the policies are not agreed on, creating tension and often leading to gridlock or less policy change.  Our society might start to believe that the government doesn't have the ability to pass necessary legislation and keep our government under control, then they start to lose their trust.  The increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in our government because of the perception that they are wasting good money by spending it on things that people believe isn't helping or influencing their election.  This can also lead to a majority of the population believing that you must be a wealth or elite person to be successful in the government or in choosing who you would like to vote for.  Consequences of decline in trust in our government can be decreased voting, increase in protesting, and an increase in independents or third-parties (which could be considered positive or negative).  A decrease in voting could occur because people might think that their vote won't make a difference or it would only be a choice between two wealthy elites, whom they can't relate to.  Many of these reasons can lead to protest because people might think they aren't given a fair option, and they can only resort to protest to try and get their opinions heard. 

2004_4
3) Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
(a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response
(b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
(c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior. 
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/ap04_sg_gopo_us_37090.pdf

Essay 11

Incumbents have a high reelection rate in both the House and Senate, but the House typically has a higher incumbency rate than the senate.  Incumbents usually have an advantage point because of their experience in the field.  This goes along with the fact that they are usually running against a weaker opponent, who isn't as used to the environment and isn't as politically experienced as an incumbent.  This will usually lead to a challenger defeat.  Another factor that can lead to incumbency advantage is the finance advantage they have. They are experienced in fundraising and will usually have people who favor their view and are willing to donate to them, whereas someone who is new won't already have a following or people who know what their political views are. This makes it much easier for an incumbent to run a campaign successfully.  Consequences of incumbency advantage can either be positive or negative.  A consequence that is considered more positive is that it leads to more experienced lawmakers.  This helps because more people making decisions are experienced and know how to get favorable laws passed.  A more negative consequence is that may of the people becoming selected are the same people we have had before, this leads to fewer women and minorities being elected.

(2001_2) the graph above shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate. From this information and your knowledge of of the US politics, perform the following 
tasks. 
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/sg_govpol_us_01_7046.pdf

Oil Spill Annotations

Source #1:

The Spill. 26 Oct. 2010. Frontline. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-spill/etc/introduction.html>.

Oil company, BP, has managed to create a bad reputation for the face of foreign oil by neglecting to attend to safety concerns. Cost-cutting measures have continued to lower the safety threshold and both injure and kill over 20 people so far. Frontline investigates and describes how this company has slowly decreased in safety and trust. It also shows just how dangerous the oil spills can be, leading to fire, explosions, and the death and injury of many bp employees. Lack of leadership in the company is the main cause of confusion with safety measures and cost-cutting which is making the company untrustworthy and not true to their word that they will bump up the safety measures to keep employees safe. 

Source #2:

Pelley, Scott. "Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster." CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc., 16 May 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blowout-the-deepwater-horizon-disaster-16-05-2010/>.

The deepwater horizon disaster refers to the tragic explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by bp, the largest oil company to date. It claimed 11 lives and is particularly terrible because there could have been many things done to prevent this disaster. To cut costs, bp avoided doing things for safety measures, not sealing the cement blocks being the largest of the cost-cutting activities, and that lead to the oil spill heard around the world. There could have been so many things that could have prevented this but bp has a major lack of leadership, starting with the CEO, that have ruined bp forever. 

Source #3:

McClatchy, David. "BP's Troubled Past." Frontline. PBS, 26 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-spill/bp-troubled-past/>.

For years, bp has been avoiding necessary safety measures to cut costs which has let to the injury and death of multiple employees. Now, there are documents being released that identify that bp truly could have done so much to save the lives of their employees but instead, they thought of the money aspect of it because they are greedy. Not only were people killed in the Texas City explosion, but there was a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people. The sad part of the whole story is that bp just needs new leadership to guide them in the right direction to make their company safe again and to prevent any more disasters from occurring anytime soon.

Smoke Meth Hail Satan Pt.3 j

Big Pharma And Meth Cooks Agree: Keep Cold Meds Over The Counter

     Meth production is both dangerous for those cooking and those using, it is corrosive to their communities as well.  The key ingredient is found in many cold medicines that can be found on the shelves in any convenient store.  Law Enforcement is trying to find a way to make this more restrictive and limit peoples easy access to buying this product, the ingredient which is known as the decongestant pseudo-ephedrine.

Heisenfelt, Ann. "Big Pharma And Meth Cooks Agree: Keep Cold Meds Over The Counter." NPR. NPR, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <Sources: http://www.npr.org/2013/09/26/226476602/big-pharma-and-meth-cooks-agree-keep-cold-meds-over-the-counter>.

Former meth addict describes highs and lows of drug abuse

      Brad Hearon, a former meth user, describes the night, during which he was cooking meth, that ruined his life.  At 19 years old he was cooking meth in a car with his friend, who's decided to light a cigarette, which caught the car on fire, he left Hearon to burn alive.  He was found 4 hours later burned to the bone.  He has had many surgeries and had to completely learn how to take care of himself again.  Meth can cause serious injuries and fatalities as it leads to paranoia, anorexia, hallucinations, hair loss, tooth decay and more.Ortiz, Erik. "Former meth addict describes highs and lows of drug abuse." NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <Former meth addict describes highs and lows of drug abuse  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/meth-addict-describes-highs-lows-abuse-article>.


The Meth Epidemic Summary
     Meth is the most addicting illegal drug in America. Meth cooks have found ways around the laws passed and pharmaceutical companies are fighting them.
Byker, Carl. "The Meth Epidemic." PBS. PBS, May 2011. Web. 07 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/etc/script.html>.

essay 9

     Policy agenda is a set of issues, problems, or subjects that get the attention of people involved in policymaking, examples would be government officials or decision makers. Even if they do not make the final decision, they play a role in policy-picking. The National News has the ability to inform everyone through raising awareness, providing information and demonstrating importance of the problem.  This will also help them get the attention of government and policymakers.
     Although everyone may not pay attention to the news, they are trying to get everyone to understand the dilemma going on. The President gains media attention easier than the Congress simply because he is the President. He is known as the leader of our country, who represents our nation, so he can gain interest in the public very easily.  Being just one person he has an advantage over the many members of congress.
     The viewing patterns were substantially higher in each age group in 1974. It has dropped by roughly 1/3 or more in each age division from the years 1974-2002. The pattern of youngest watching the least to oldest watching the most has stayed constant, but overall every category of ages have significantly dropped. The President is able to get attention by stating when he will address the country in advance so everyone is aware of when it will be happening.  The president will be more likely to use an alternate form of media to get issues out to the people, since TV viewing is so low in our society.

Essay 6

Essay 6:

In the U.S. political system there are several linkage institutions that can connect citizens to government. Elections constitute one such institution. Because of low voter turnout other linkage institutions can connect citizens to government.  Age and education are the two main factors that relate to ones likelihood of voting.  As voters become older they are more likely to take their own position and vote.  Along with age the more educated a person becomes the more likely they are to vote.

One current government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout is preregistration to vote.  Many people don't want to take the time beforehand to register themselves to vote, states which allow registration on the same day have a much higher turnout.

Media is one of the linkage institutions that connects people to the government and helps them become more involved in politics.  The internet gives people more access to politics than the have ever had, and gives anyone the opportunity to be educated and involved in politics.  The newspaper, news on TV, and magazines are all also forms of media that are constantly updating citizens about our government and elections.

Essay 8

Essay 8:

In the United States Congress, the majority party exerts a substantial influence over lawmaking. However, even when one party has a numerical majority in each chamber of the United States Congress, there is no guarantee that legislation supported by that majority party will be passed by both chambers. Rules of each chamber independently influence the likelihood that legislation will pass in that chamber; legislation passed by one chamber is not always passed by the other.  The majority party  has an advantage by assigning members to committees and appointing the heads of the committees.  Through this their committee controls most of the rules and sets the agenda.  The speaker of the house is also from the majority party.  They control debate, and assign bills to the committee.

The House and Senate have many differences which makes it likely that legislation may be passed in one chamber but not the other.  The Senate is less formal with its rules and procedures than the House, making it difficult for the two to agree on legislation.  Another difference is that in the senate, a senator can filibuster to stop a particular bill, but the House rules committees, so they can kill bills that are passed by the Senate.

Even though the House may pass a bill, the Senate can kill the bill with  a filibuster, even if the majority may want to pass the bill.  If the Senate passes a bill, the House Rules Committee can kill it before sending it through to other representatives. 

NoKoBloPo

     North Korea is by far the worlds most secretive society, and their isolation from the rest of the world has cause not only people from other countries to become curious, but even their own people.  Towards the end of World War II Korea divided into two zones, the northern zone being controlled by the Soviet Union, and the southern by the U.S.  Communist leader, Kim II Sung came to power in 1946, backed by his soviet leadership. In 1950, North Korea invaded the South, which ended in an armistice three years later.
     The U.S. intelligence team continuously tried to keep an eye on North Korea and we have always been one of their top enemies.  North Korea had huge industrial development, and their "guiding light" became Kim II-sungs's personal philosophy of Juche.  When he died in 1994 he became the "eternal president" of North Korea.  Since then Kim Jung-il was president, and now his successor, who is his third son and was trained since he was a young boy, Kim Jong-un is in power.  He has announced and planned nuclear tests, and missile launches and has put his country under speculation by the rest of the world.
     Recently North Korea has issued near daily threats to the United States and South Korea.  They have conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, and have been threatening the use of a ballistic missile.  China is their closest ally and many people in their country seek ways to sneak out.  The Obama Administration adopted a policy of "strategic patience" in 2009 [NY Times].  The United Nations Security Council has passed four resolutions since 2006 aimed at penalizing North Korea for its nuclear weapons program [NY Times].  North Koreans are enduring huge human rights violations right now, and most people are suffering of starvation, malnutrition or are being beaten or severely punished if they are even assumed to be criticizing their government.
   
With the conditions their country is facing I believe that we will see a regime change within our lifetime. As for now Kim Jung-un seems to be high in power, and does not seem worried about his nations condition.  But the society wants to reform, as many of them seem to secretly disagree, and I believe that slowly they will find a way to overthrow or remove their leader.

Citation
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/northkorea/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15256929

Essay 10

While interest groups and political parties each play a significant role in the U.S. political system, they differ in their fundamental goals.  The fundamental goal of interest groups in the political process is to gain access to politicians, so that they can influence them to protect their particular interests and ultimately increase the likelihood of favorable legislation being passed.
The fundamental goal of major political parties in the political process is to gain control of government positions, and to implement legislation that holds to their beliefs on how the government should be running.  By doing this they will get their party elected into office and gain control.
One way interest groups will support political parties is if a leading candidate supports the same interests as them, then they are supporting each other to gain more power.  Another way interest groups support  is by giving money to politicians f a particular party to help them get elected to government positions, and interest groups can rally public support for certain issues of a party (grassroots).
When interest groups give money to politicians to help them get elected they are essentially giving themselves access to that politician.  Through doing this they will influence the politician to vote certain ways on legislation, or try and persuade the politician to support legislation that will benefit their policies.  By backing a party powerful interest groups can have likeminded people elected to office and throw their weight around in the party, influencing major decisions.

Essays: 7

Essay 7: 

The U.S. Congress has debated a variety of campaign finance reforms over the last decade.  The proposals debated have included raising limits on individual contributions.  Lawmakers would want to pass legislation like this so that people can donate how ever much they please to a particular campaign.    They believe it would allow candidates to raise more money, quicker and more effectively.  These lawmakers believe that it is within their rights because of the first amendment.  Proponents believe that this legislation should be passed to make it easier for candidates to raise money.
Opponents would not like this legislation to be passed because they think without a limit on contributions it could become unfair.  Without the limit it would no longer be a democratic process that is equal for all running.  They believe that having limits would create a more level playing field for competition from various groups or individuals so that their are fair levels of donation.
Another proposal that congress has debated is limiting independent expenditures.  An independent expenditure is any form of campaign contribution that is not given to a specific candidate.  An example would be a TV commercial giving aid to any particular campaign, but it was paid for and put on by a wealthy individual who is not directly connected to the campaign or candidate.  Lawmakers who are in favor of this legislation believe that the process would be more fair and democratic for all candidates if wealthy individuals couldn't donate too much money making it unfair to the rest of the contestants.
Those who aren't in favor believe that it can give a candidate a head start and possibly let them spend less on their own advertising.  Their main argument is that it would violate the first amendment and they should be able to spend their own money independently.