J1

This is an opinion article from the Washington Post. Yesterday, the Senate killed a bill requiring universal background checks for the purchase of fire arms. Many Americans were disappointed in the Senate's decision, read about how different people exercised their right to freedom of speech.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-on-gun-control-courage-in-short-supply/2013/04/17/d1dee8c2-a7ae-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200

1. What are two examples of rights guaranteed in the first amendment either demonstrated or described by this article

2. What is one case in this article where a person or people did exercise their right to free speech and then was punish for it? Do you think that law enforcement has the power to do what they did?

H6

a) Judicial Review is the ability to review the actions by the executive and legislative branch and decide whether or not they are constitutional. This includes laws.
b) Judicial Review gives the SC the power to overturn actions or laws, and therefore creates a check over the other two branches. The president cannot do whatever he likes because there is a court who will review his actions (i.e. executive orders). The same applies to Congress, they could not join up with the president and create a crazy law because the Supreme Court could overturn it.
c) Four justices must agree to hear the case and they issue a writ of certorari.

H3

1
a) Race or Sex, Age, and Political Ideology
b) Race or Sex provides diversity for the Supreme Court. The Court, in order to be representative of the people of America, need to be an accurate mirror of the citizens. Age is important for two reasons: the first is that with age comes experience, and with the experience one can predict how a judge may vote in the future. The second is that you do not want a very very old judge who is about to die. Political Ideology is taken into account for nomination because the President wants a judge who will vote in line with his ideology. It also ensures that the president's party will be represented even after the president is gone.
c) Sex is demonstrated in Kagan's nomination because she makes three women on the court, which is the first time that has ever happened. Because this nation is more than 50% female... this nomination is pushing us towards a more accurately representative court.

2
a) Two ways interest groups can take part in the nomination are sending out letters that support or degrade the nominee to their members or constituents and they also help lobbying for a nominee by talking to members of the Senate.  
b) The letters have been used to smear potential nominee's reputation, or to bring up a potential error in their background (for example: Thomas' potential sexual harassment?). Lobbying influences the members of the Senate to vote either way for a nominee, and of course it is up to the Senate to confirm. 
c) This is an example of an interest group involving themselves in Elena Kagan's confirmation. ""Ensure Elena Kagan gets a fair hearing," blares a headline on the website of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "The future of women's access to abortion hangs in the balance," the group tells visitors to the site, asking them to urge senators to inquire about Kagan's stance on the Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights." NARAL Pro-Choice America lobbied members of the Senate to ensure that Kagan got the seat.

H1

My justice is Ruth Bader Ginsburg

This was just my favorite line, "Those who like to believe they have picked themselves up by the bootstraps sometimes forget that they wouldn't even have boots were it not for the women who came before. "

Ginsburg, before she was a justice, found an Exhibit (Exhibit E) that documented various laws that differed between the sexes.  

She took many of these laws to the Supreme Court and achieved five victories. 

Ginsburg once had to hide her second pregnancy so she could receive tenure. This and a run in with her sons school contributed to her silent fight for women. 

G15

a. A balanced budget exists when what you pay equals what you spend/
b. Federal entitlements are guaranteed benefits for people who meet requirements.
c. Medicaid, a federal health insurance, is a federal entitlement. Entitlements such as Medicaid almost certainly prohibit a balanced budget because the government has to pay for lots of people's Medicaid, while those people aren't paying the government for this service.
d. A consequence of a large budget deficit is that we, as a country, invest less in research. There are so many things that come before research on the priority list that it becomes underfunded, However  research leads to our country moving forward in renewable energy, space exploration  etc.  When we are in lots od debt, our national innovation takes a step back.
e. The projected revenue from 2012 was 5.1 trillion dollars, according to http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/total_2012USrt_13rs1n , the total spending in 2012 was 6.2 trillion, according to http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/total_spending_2012USrn, and finally the national debt was 1,069 billion dollars in 2012, according to http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/us_deficit.
f. Today's national debt is $16,432,705,914,000 according to http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/

G12

The State of the Union 2013

• Here comes the president (POTUS)! 
• Shaking lots of hands 
• Some guy who has been sitting on the aisle for 25 SOTU... wow
• Many guests who have been victims of gun violence or are advocates of gun control 
• Michelle blew a kiss! Best couple ever 
• Green ribbons for Newtown victims, more gun control 
• "Partners for Progress"
• Troops coming 
• Economy- focus on creating a thriving middle class 
• Government cuts- bad idea, some republicans have an even worse idea. 
• Affordable Care Act
• Ask more from the wealthy, change how the government pays for healthcare based on the quality of care, and he is open to additional reform as long as it doesn't interfere with the promise of a secure retirement. 
• TAX REFORM
• For small businesses
• Romney joke? 
• Benefits for businesses who stay in the U.S. 
• They just showed the House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor
• Showed the Apple CEO
• 3D Printing in a small town in Ohio, launching this in three more towns 
• More on new technology, science, and innovation. 
• Invest in American energy 
• "Must do more to combat climate change" 
• Calling out John McCain and someone else but in a good way
• Companies say that if we fix our infrastructure companies will hire here
• Public works for repairing infrastructure
• Modern schools worthy of our children! 
• Invest in early childhood education  
• Make it so that high school diplomas come with an associates degree 
• COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. Woah pulling out the big guns. And everyone stood up! Stronger boarder security, more boots on the southern border, a pathway to citizenship, legal system- kill the waiting period and track entrepreneurs
• WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN
• Senate just passed the violence against women act, House please do the same! (Increased to include Native Americans and LBGT women)
• Raise minimum wage to 9 dollars an hour  
• "Being a man is not having the ability to conceive a child but the courage to raise one."
• End of 2014, war in Afghanistan will be over 
• Counter terrorism efforts
• train the Afghans 
• Showed the attorney general! 
• No nuclear weapons for Iran as
• Gun reform- they deserve a vote. The worst story about the little girl who was in the choir. And they deserve a vote! 
• Showed the Gabbie Giffords. 
• Most of his guests are women... interesting 

Republican Response- Senator Marco Rubio

• He likes American, which is good because I do too 
• Free-enterprise economy makes the middle class good 
• Obama says it is the problem of the middle class, which he says is untrue 
• He is stresses little government involvement 
• 
  

G10

1. Most important to the President seems to be Social Security and Health Services. Combined these two programs are delegated almost 2 trillion dollars. And that is a lot of money.

2. The most drastic and new changes that Obama is proposing include slashing the Department of the Interior's budget by 200 million dollars and also increasing the Federal Highway Administration

3. Congress is most likely to oppose Obama's suggested Social Security and Health Services intense budget because some members of Congress aren't huge supporters of government health benefits. I wish luck to Obama, I'm rooting for him.

G9

1. In order to reduce the deficit, I think it would make the most sense to reduce government spending and also raise taxes. However, those aren't very pleasant things to mandate. To be specific, I would cut spending that goes towards light drug enforcement and also greatly cut the money used on nuclear weapons research. I would also raise income taxes only on the top 25% money making people in the country. It would be imperative that I avoid doing anything drastic, but instead something that over time will fix the deficit issue.

3. My budget plan was 65% raising taxes and 35% cutting spending. I reduced nuclear arsenal and space spending because I don't approve of nuclear arsenal and space exploration is moving towards more of an international effort. I reduced the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 by the end of 2013 because I want more peace in this world. I also reduced social security for those with a high income to provide more benefits for those who had a low income.

G7

1 (a). Discretion in the political sense in the power to be able to make decisions that influence public policy. Congress allows policy-making agencies to have discretion in making federal laws for two reasons. The first is that they want to make sure that beneficial laws are passed. Congress can be very partisan and unfocused when it comes to certain issues because some members might not think that issue is important. However, the whole policy-making agency believes in the importance of their issue, and therefore is more likely to be productive and in a positive way. Also, Congress may not want to focus on little issues such as certain gas emissions, not to mention the fact that they may not be totally qualified. Therefore, it makes sense to delegate this decision to an informed, focused, determined agency.

1 (b). A quote that backs up that sometimes Congress members are simply not qualified, and that they are aware of it. "Congress is fond of stating a broad policy goal in legislation and then leaving implementation up to the bureaucracies" (484).

2 (a). EPA- deals with protecting the climate and environment  They create a lot of protections and regulations for businesses to follow. FCC- provides regulations on interstate and international communication. Federal Reserve Board- remains as the center of banking in the US

2 (b). The EPA regulates air emissions under the Clean Air Act. The FCC created 911, and that's very useful. The Federal Reserve Board recently (in January 2013) required the JP Morgan & Chase Co. to continue to take corrective action towards their instability and also said that they had to be willing to fully disclose everything.

3 (a). Congress has oversight, so they have the ability to investigate and demand reports from these agencies. This way they can keep tabs on them and make sure they are following their parameters. Also, congress has the power of the purse, meaning they control the money. If an agency wasn't cooperating, they could lose their funding.

E4

I found a story on Obama's current policy on gun control.

This is the link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/obama-gun-control-proposals_n_2486919.html

Obama has issued twenty three executive actions that require stricter gun control laws. His policy has four points: to focus on mental health, more law enforcement, school safety, and the availability of firearms. He wants to increase mental health help, provide more law enforcement, increase school safety, and restrict the availability of the majority of firearms.

The president has the enumerated power of an executive order, which holds the full force of a law. Obama could issue an executive order and use the recent mass shootings as justification. He has already issued 23 executive actions though.

Informally, the president can pocket veto, meaning let a veto sit so long that it dies. I think Obama could threaten to pocket veto every bill Congress sends him until they send him the gun control bill he wants.

G2

a. One formal, constitutional power of the president in foreign policy is the ability to make treaties. While congress must ratify these treaties, it is the president who must negotiate the terms. The president also has the  constitutional power of appointing ambassadors  He (soon to be she) can only decide, even if he can't confirm appointments, who the American ambassadors will be. Therefore, there will never be an appointed ambassador that the president doesn't approve of.

b. Congress has at least two consitutional powers in foriegn policy. Congress, and only congress, can ratify a treaty. So even if the president is all gungho, congress must approve. Also, congress has to confirm all of the president's appointments including ambassadors, meaning that they have influence over who he picks because he needs to pick someone who will be approved. Congress, and only Congress, can declare war

c. The president can informally send troops without Congress declaring war because he is commander in chief. The president can also make executive agreements, different from treaties, with other heads of nations, without Congress' approval.

d. While congress does have checks over the president, his informal powers can trump those checks. Or at least find loop holes in them. Even though congress has to declare war officially, the president can deploy troops anyway. And if Congress won't be in favor of a treaty, the president can make an executive agreement without them. Through these two powers, the president informally has greater foreign policy power than Congress

E7 (Make up work... was absent)

1. The fundamental goal of interest groups in the political process is to influence public policy.
2. The fundamental goal of major political parties in the political process is to put their people in office.
3. Interest groups can give financially to political parties to help with their campaigns. Also, interest groups can run their own ads on behalf of a candidate. Both of these actions help put people in office, which means the interest group is helping the political party reach its goals.
4. After interest groups have donated to a campaign or party, they are linked to a candidate. If that candidate wins, they are obliged to implement new public policy that the interest group supports. Therefore, by donating to political campaigns, interest groups are realizing their own goals.

F8

For Ryan Murphy's bill [one question, one amendment]: In section 4(e), you say that there is no undermining f authority. I was wondering who would enforce your law? Would it be the FDA? I also think that a tax of $1.01 is too high and that in section 4(d) you should say “tax of $0.80”

For Ms. Angle-Davis' bill [one question]: Is there a series of three HPV shots? Would all of these be covered by the bill, or just the first one?


For Ms. Davis' bill [one amendment]: In Section 4(d), change it to “Drilling companies that continue to use fracking” instead of “have used” because I think it is post facto punishment if they fracked while it was legal

For Ms. Carter's bill [one amendment]: In your definitions, change the definition of “minor” to someone under the age of eighteen, and nix the part about still being in high school. Or use a different word to describe who you want to protect, like "high school student." 



For Ms. Schulman's bill [one question]: Could you clarify what the peer-to-peer sharing motor vehicle program is? Is a single person now required to always share their car?

For Mr. Irving's bill [one amendment]:I suggest that instead of a penalty clause, you simply withhold funding from states that do not supply these buses. Because if they can’t afford to supply the seatbelts than they cannot afford to be taxed.  

For Mr. Wangjor's bill [one question]: Will this bill ensure the standardized tests become a better measure of a child’s knowledge? Because right now they can not be very accurate. What will happen if a teacher has children that has testing disabilities?

For Mr. Soronson's bill [one question]: In section (2)(b)(2), why will this act create a lot of new jobs? Won’t it just transform current waster programs that already have a set number of employees?

For Mr. Courtney's bill [one amendment]: In section (4)(b), take out the “first come, first serve” part and put small businesses ahead of larger ones.

For Mr. Lee's bill [one question]: How can we ensure that the judge will carry out his/her duties?


 

F6

The problem our country faces today is a simple but deadly one. Our gun control laws are not strict enough. We have turned our heads to the obvious fact that a sizable amount of innocent citizens are losing their lives, their guaranteed right as a citizen of the United States of America. I am aware that we currently have an amendment protecting the right to bear arms, making this another guaranteed right as a citizen. However, there comes a time when reform is inevitable. While my original proposal was to pass a new amendment banning the second amendment, I have settled on passing strict gun control laws. These laws will be national, and not up for debate within individual states.

According to a poll in 2008, 67% of murders in the United States were committed with a handgun. That 67% is 10,886 people who had families and friends just like we all do. Let us strive to think of the individuals instead of grouping them together in statistics. While the US is not number one in the world when it comes to gun violence (we are actually ranked somewhere between 17th and 26th), we are number one with our “equivalently modern” countries. A homicide is three times more likely in a house with a gun than in one without. In Connecticut recently, a total of 26 people, including teachers and elementary school students, were shot during a normal day at school. Again we have 26 families who will never be unaffected, their pain is forever.

There are few existing laws that deal with gun control today. There is the second amendment which guarantees the right of citizen to bear arms. There is also the Gun Free School Zones Act (1995), which prohibits knowingly carrying a gun anywhere that is a known school zone. Another piece of legislation in place is the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which requires a background check for any person purchasing a gun. While these Acts are helpful, there are too many loopholes and exceptions and the federal government has not done enough. Most recently, there was the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited certain firearms to be purchased after the bill was signed. However, that ban has expired.  

My law will outlaw the possession of semiautomatic weapons being available to citizens. Hunting rifles and other guns used for hunting may be allowed. My law will require, with no exception, that the customer provide reason for owning a gun. Then, after he/she has proven the reason, they must undergo a background check by the state or national government. If there are any traces of mental illness, the customer must not have the gun.The gun-seller must be licensed and keep track of every transaction, and his or her license must be renewed every seven years.
There will be more education in school about gun violence, and when you buy a gun you have to go through additional education. It will be recommended to every buyer that they purchase a safe.
In addition to these regulations, my law will contain a buy back program. This program will allow any citizen currently owning a gun to sell it back to the United States government, thereby boosting the economy a bit.

The committee that I would look to to review my bill would be the Congressional Committee on the Judiciary, because they hold jurisdiction over constitutional amendments. While I do not propose striking the second amendment, I do propose it be changed so this would be the proper committee I think.




Research:
http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/schoo-shooting-how-do-u-s-gun-homicides-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-world/

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2012/jul/23/how-does-gun-violence-compare-to-other-nations/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_law_in_the_United_States