Reading Review: Vocab #2

Reading Review: Vocab #2

1. Realigning Elections: an election that dramatically changes the political system
2. Filibuster: an obstructive manner in a legislature by speaking at inordinate length
3. Habeas Corpus: a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court
4. Plurality: The excess of votes cast for one candidate over those votes cast for any other candidate
5. Rule of Four: The rule of four is a Supreme Court of the United States practice that permits four of the nine justices to grant a writ of certiorari
6. Social Capital: refers to connections within and between social networks
7. Pocket Veto: An indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until after the legislative session is over
8. Senatorial Courtesy: A custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee's state especially from the senior senator of the president's party from that state
9. Concurrent Powers: held by both the states and the federal government and may be exercised simultaneously within the same territory and in relation to the same body of citizens
10. Logrolling: the exchange of support or favors, especially by legislators for mutual political gain as by voting for each other's bills
11. Rider: A schedule or writing annexed to a document such as a legislative bill or insurance policy
12. Standing Committee: A permanent committee that meets regularly
13. Expressed Powers: a list of nonspecific responsibilities found in Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution, which iterates the authority granted to the United States Congress
14. Trustee: A member of the board of the foundation who takes part in the decision making process
15. Judicial Review: Review by the Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act
16. Delegate: A person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular, an elected representative sent to a conferenc
17. Necessary & Proper Clause: establishes the "implied powers," by which Congress has authority to pass legislation in areas not specifically listed in the Constitution
18. Political Agenda: a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate
19. Commerce Clause: states that the United States Congress shall have power "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes"
20. Deficit: An excess of expenditure or liabilities over income or assets in a given period
21. Issue Network: an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy
22. National Debt: The total amount of money that a country's government has borrowed, by various means
23. Iron Triangle: a term used by political scientists to describe the policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups
24. Divided Government: a situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress
25. Due Process: Fair treatment through the normal judicial system, esp. as a citizen's entitlement
26. Executive Privelege: The privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information in the public interest
27. Eminent Domain: The right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation
28. Take-care Clause: imposes a duty on the President to take due care while executing laws
29. Central Clearance: the sole agency charged with granting, denying, and revoking security clearance eligibility for the Army
30. Stare decisis: The legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent.
31. PACs: political action committee
32. Block Grant: A grant from a central government that a local authority can allocate to a range of services
33. Coattail Effect: the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election
34. Selective Perception:
35. Cloture: A procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote
36. Incorporation: the act of forming and legally establishing a new corporation
37. Political Efficacy: one's own influence or effectiveness on politics
38. Devolution: The transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, esp. by central government to local or regional administration
39. Nullification: doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize or to enforce a federal law passed by the United States Congress
40. Political Ideologies: An organized system of political beliefs, values, and ideas
41. Gender Gap: The discrepancy in opportunities, status, attitudes, etc. between men and women
42. Silent Majority: an unspecified large majority of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly
43. Superdelegates: an informal term commonly used for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party
44. Bully Pulpit: A public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue
45. Trial Balloon: A tentative measure taken or statement made to see how a new policy will be received
46. Red tape: Excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules and formalities, esp. in public business
47. Laissez-faire: Abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market
48. Judicial Restraint: a theory of judicial interpretation that encourages judges to limit the exercise of their own power
49. Judicial Activism: an interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions
50. Sovereign Immunity: an exemption that precludes bringing a suit against the sovereign government without the government's consent; "the doctrine of sovereign immunity originated with the maxim that the king can do no wrong"

Reading Review: Vocab #1

Reading Review: #1

Political Culture-way of thinking about how political and economic life should be carried out.
Political Ideology-set of beliefs about what policies the government should pursue.
Equality of Opportunity- Gives people an equal chance to succeed.
Equality of Results- Making certain people get the same result.
Civic Duty- Belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs.
Progressive Culture- Belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion.
Orthodox Culture- morality and religion should be of decisive importance.
Political Efficacy- Belief that you can take part in politics.
Middle America- Average middle class americans.
Silent Majority- large amount of people in a country or group who do not express their views publicly.
SES- Measures a person's work experience and family economics compared to that of others.
Christian Coalition- Offers people of faith the opportunity to have an impact on issues they care about.
Gender Gap- Difference in political views between men and women.
Liberal- Favorable to change and reform. Opposite of conservative.
Conservative-open to change and holds to traditional views.
Libertarian- Upholds individual liberty
Populist- Member of a political party that represents the interest of ordinary people.
Political Elite- Person with disproportionate share of political power.
New Class- Describes the ruling class of beauracrats and communist party functionaries which usuallt arise in a stalin communist state.
New Deal Coalition- Alignment of interest groups and voting blocs that supported the new deal.
Random Sample- every person has an equal chance.
Sampling Error- Difference in results when a random sample is taken at the same time.
Weighting-adjustment made in order to take account of special circumstances.
Quota Sample- Created by gathering a number of people from categories.
Focus Groups- Diverse group of people brought together to provide inscentive.
Instant Response Polling- designed to get instant results.
Push Poll- attempts to influence people under the guise of doing a poll.
Bandwagon Effect- People that will do something jsut because others do it.
Refusal Rate- Proportion of people who refuse to give up the sought information.
Exit Polls- based on interviews held on election day with randomly selected voters.
Tracking Poll- Conducted each day to assess trends caused by advertising
Skewed Question- A question that creates wrong results.
Context Effect- People behave differently in different situations.
Question Framing- How a surveyor decides to ask for data.
Saliency- Degree to which an issue is important to an individual of a group.
Help America Vote Act 2002- Helped make the voting system less complex.
Moter Voter Law- Enables prospective voters to register when they get a license.
15th amendment- Prohibits denial to vote based on race, sex, or ethnicity.
Literacy Test- citizens must show they can read before registering to vote.
Poll Tax- citizens pay a tax before registering to vote.
Grandfather Clause- If your grandfather could vote you can vote.
White Primary- Practice of keeping blacks from voting
Voting Rights Act 1965- Outlawed voting discrimination.
19th amendment- cannot be denied to vote based on sex.
Voting Rights Act 1970- No prerequisites for voting.
26th amendment- voting age to 18.
23rd amendment- Citizens of the District of Columbia can vote.
Disfranchisement- revocation of the right to vote by someone.
Australian Ballot- reduce fraud in voting.
Activist- People who participate in all forms of politics.
Demographics- Characteristics of the human population.

Should Teens Be Allowed To Drink?

In this blog i will be talking about an issue that teens illegally attemt to do and whether it should be made legal. Today i will be talking about whether teens should be allowed to drink under the age of 21 legally. Although people may believe that no one under the age of 21 may consume alcohol that would be false. Underage drinking with parental consent is allowed in 29 states, 30 states for religious purposes, and 13 for educational purposes. It is argued that even though the drinking age has gone up to 21 to protect young people from drinking, it is proven that this just promotes binge drinking in a less controlled environment. This results in more health and life-endangering behaviors by teens. People who support the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA), say that teens who may want to drink earlier may not be able to handle the alcohol responsibly, and are more of a threat to themselves and others. They back their statements up with the support of the MLDA, which when enforced the teen traffic fatalities decreased significantly. I personally feel that teens drinking is just a way of life and is promoted by peer pressure and probably will not be stopped. But having the MLDA makes teens a little more aware of where they do these activities at. So i feel that the MLDA should stay in place, but we should all just come to the general consent that teenagers will be teenagers and probably drink and smoke, because of peer pressure. Do you feel that the MLDA should be lowered to a younger age our kept at the same age? This relates to the government because it deals with the Department of Health & Human Services.



This video gives facts on the results of underage drinking.

This picture represents the pressures of drinking as a teen.

This picture shows the results of providing alcohol for underage teens, unless you are their parents.

http://www.procon.org/
http://www.hhs.gov/
http://www.youtube.com/

I'm A Proud Vegetarian

The issue I will be addressing today is whether being a vegetarian is an ethical proponent to being a humane human. The main issue with eating meat is not whether it is humane to animals, but does it also contribute to a healthy environment. Most proponents of vegetarianism say that eating meat harms health, waste resources, and causes deforestation. It also is proven that when having a vegetarian diet, it can provide the 10 essential proteins that our needed. Also killing animals for inhumane purposes is not as easy on the animal as it looks. It is a proven fact that animals or not exempt from the emotions of fear, anxiety, stress, and pain. People who support eating meat, have the opinion that since its a natural cycle for animals to die, what would be the problem with killing them. Eating meats also provides nutrients for a proper diet. I personally feel, as a vegetarian myself that having a vegetarian diet can provide the proper nutrients, and is a humane way to save the earth and not kill animals. But if most humans cannot stray away from eating meat then there are proper alternatives like just reducing the number of portions of meat that you eat, or not eating meat but eating fish in order to receive what people would call the right proteins. This relates to the government because it is featured in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In your opinion do you think that having a vegetarian diet is healthful.



This video shows the benefits of having a vegetarian diet.

This is a vegetarian food pyramid.

http://www.procon.org/
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome
http://www.youtube.com/

Should the Little People Be Heard

In my blog i will be talking about and organization called the American Civil Liberties Union and whether the organization is good for the U.S. The ACLU is an organization that protects all citizens from government abuse and illegal policies. They have protected citizens from a wide variety of issues such as, abortion, the death penalty, and immigration to religious displays. Some people say the ACLU is kinda like a watchdog for the little people, who stands up for issues for all people. Others may describe the organization as someone that uses the courts to subvert the U.S. Constitution, protecting people who have done wrong, and even going as far as to say, degrading religions. I feel as if their is an organization that is willing to take on issues that the government may not find too be that important, that we should support them because we want our voices too be heard as well. But i am not the opinon of America soo i ask you, how do you feel about your voice being heard, or do you feel that the ACLU is too imposing? I encourage you too comment. This relates to class because we talk about the different departments of the government, and this would help with departments that deal with the same problems.

This image displays how the ACLU's views on religion may be misunderstood.

This is the logo for the organization ACLU.




This video shows how the ACLU tackles the issue of whether children should have too say the Pledge of Allegiance.



http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.google.com/imghp
http://aclu.procon.org/

Saving Our World

In my blog, i will be talking about whether alternate energy can replace fossil fuels. A fossil fuel is an energy source made from the Earth's crust from decayed organic material. An example of these would be petroleum, coal, and natural gas. An alternate energy would be a source of energy that does not come from the splitting of atoms and sources that are not created by the burning of fossil fuels. Examples of these would be solar and geothermal energy, wind power, and hydroelectric energy. One of the benefits of using alternative energy is not only the fact that it will help save the earth and reduce pollution and global warming, it also will create jobs for people which will help the struggling economy. Some of the positives of using fossil fuels are unlike the uncontrollable wind and solar power, how much fossil fuels we use can be controlled until they are gone. This makes them a little bit more reliable. I think the best option for thes problem is too find and use a healthy balance between fossil fuels and alternative energies, therefore we can create jobs and we can save the earth as well. This relates too our class because we focused on the different departments in the government and i did a prezi on the Department of Energy. What do you think is a healthy solution to the problem of whether alternate energies should replace fossil fuels?

This shows an example of how were killing and taking from mother nature and using it while there are other sources out there.

This shows examples of good alternate energy sources to use instead of fossil fuels.




This is a video that explains what will happen after all the fossil fuels are used up.


http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.procon.org/
http://www.civil.utah.edu/index.html

D.A.R.E.

As a child i was introduced to Drug Abuse Resistance Education, aka D.A.R.E. This is a program that is introduced in schools to put awareness into the eyes of children of drugs and the results of abusing them. Dare has helped million of kids choice alternate paths to drug use. But some people feel that this program does not help children at all and may even promote drug use because they are introducing abusive substances that their parents may not want their child to be introduced too. Some of the benefits of Dare have been, better connections with the local police officers. Because of Dare kids can now develop personal relationships with officers who can lead children into making the right decisions. Also most Dare programs our started around a safe age of eleven where children are just starting to mature and see the world for what it really is. Some of the negatives that Dare has our, that the program does not provide you with answers to what could be real life situations. Also some police officers may not have proper teaching methods to apply with children. In urban communities some police officers are not as respected as others and it may be harder for them to get the message across. I personally feel that although Dare may not connect with every child the message of not doing drugs definitely gets across, and since it does make children aware of the effects of drugs i feel that Dare is an efficient program. Do you feel that Dare is delivering a safe and good message to children, our do you feel, most children just ignore this message. When talking about the Department of health and human services, this relates to our class and this topic.

This image is the most commonly associated with the D.A.R.E. program.

This picture shows how applying the D.A.R.E. system can promote healthy relationships with police officers.



This video shows a commercial using scare tactics to help kids avoid drugs.

http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.google.com/imghp
http://dare.procon.org/#Background

Killer Kids!!!!!

Have you ever seen a child try some fighting moves they saw on a video game? Well although they may look cool and may be what all the other kids are doing, did you ever think that they may be creating a bad environment. Playing violent video games is a big issue in the world right now and needs to be addressed as i will do in this blog right now. In the 2008 study of Grand Theft Childhood there was a reported 60% of kids who play at least one violent video game hit or beat up somebody. Compared to 39% of kids who do not play violent video games. Violent video games also send mixed messages by showing that there can be rewards for beating someone up on a video game. This could result in kids developing an aggressive attitude. But some studies show that playing these violent video games can serve as an outlet for aggressive kids to get there anger out. Do we really want the kids of the future developing aggressive behaviors and passing it down unto their families in the future. I feel that as a teenager myself i like playing violent video games as well but i have enough common sense to not make destructive decisions. Do you feel that the video games that we play in our generation contributes to how we act in our social environments. This issue compares to our class. An example of this would be the department of health and human services.

This picture shows how even some video games can teach children how to use guns.

This picture shows the violent character which is displayed in the games.



This video shows the perspectives on video game violence and how it affects society.

http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.google.com/imghp
http://videogames.procon.org/#Background

Can Facebook Be the Fall of the World

The topic that I will write aout is whether social networking sites our good for our society. Social networking sites have recently increased in this last decade. Some of the leading sites have been Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. Some of the benefits of these sites have been that you are able too meet new people or reconnect with old ones, including friends or family. It also may bring people with the same interests healthy conversation. But some of the negatives of social networks have been cyber bullying, less face to face talking, online predators, and promoting lazy behaviors. I personally believe that although having an account on a socail networking site may be beneficial it also can be negative. I use my social networking sites for school purposes, or talking to people who do not have phones or other types of communication. But it can also be used to dicuss topics commonly occuring in a normal teenagers or adults life, in a healthy environment were you cannot be punished for having an opinion. Although statitiscs are correct about the number of risks that have been said about social networking sites such as cyber bullying or promoting lazy behaviors. There have been plenty of times were i have just felt like staying inside on the computer or watching tv, rather then going outside to actually interact with other kids. Do you feel that social networking sites can damage a child's future in any way? Also this relates to class because Mr.Griffis asked us to build an Twitter account to be used for school. Is this considered a bad thing?

This picture shows how an obese child would rather sit and network on a computer rather than back in the old days were there was more physical activity.




This video shows some of the negative affects of Facebook, a social networking site.



This video shows how people feel that Facebook can be a positive influence on society.

http://socialnetworking.procon.org/#Background
http://www.yahoo.com/?fr=fptb-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElZbbFxARMY&feature=related

Can Mr.Griffis keep His Job?

The topic being talked about today is should teacher's get tenure. Tenure's keep teachers from getting fired for personal, political, or non-work related reasons. Before this some people were fired based on being pregnant, partying, and other reasons that had nothing to do with their place of work. Although all of this sounds fine and dandy, some people look at having tenure as a way to do as minimum work as possible because they know they have less a chance of getting fired. Therefore teachers become lazy and do not try to improve their teaching ways to benefit children. Although a benefit of not having tenure allows for a teacher to get fired if they are not fufilling their duties. I personally am indifferent about tenure because, although teacher's jobs should be protected, if tenure promotes teacher's to become lazy and it begins to affect the population of the school, than that damages our chances of being able to compete with other children from other schools. This relates to class because we have been talking about whether Mr.Griffis should get fired our not for not teaching. But the answer is no because he is a great teacher. How do you feel about teachers having tenure as a scaprgoat, and getting away with the bare minimum of teaching?

This picture shows how a teacher uses tenure to explain that he doesn't have to do his job completely or correctly.

This picture illustrates a teacher doing a good job and teaching. I have a similar teacher too this named Mr.Griffis.



This video shows people answering a general question on whether teachers should be paid on performance are tenure.

http://www.yahoo.com/?fr=fptb-
http://www.procon.org/
http://www.youtube.com/