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.