The 19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

I believe this amendment states equality for both men and women. The men have as much a right to vote as the women, and the women have as much right to vote as the men. It shows that the government is trying to create more equality throughout the united states, and in this specific amendment, women are the main factor. Women were not allowed to vote for a very long time and by this law/amendment being created, it allows women to vote as freely as the men. 

Earth Day

Part 1. 

Dell’Amore, Christine. “20,000 Species Are near Extinction: Is It Time to Rethink How We Decide Which to Save?” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014. 

Animal and plant extinction is slowly become a reality as the human population grows and intrudes upon the natural environment. With many species on the verge of disappearing forever, scientists are now having to decide which are worth saving and which should be left to die out. Saving an endangered species takes millions and millions of dollars, and sometimes the species cannot be saved. Species that have some economic value, like seafood or tourism, are often easy to put on the “save” list. However, for the many, many others, conservation groups and scientists are having to choose which species are worth saving. With 20,000 species near extinction, all of humanity can’t save all of them. Many groups are saving the animals deemed “cute and fuzzy” because those are what the general populace likes. Tigers, elephants, and pandas are clear favorites to people who support wildlife conservation. Less attractive animals, however, like snakes and spiders and frogs, are dying out, even though they might be more beneficial to the ecosystem. However, as WWF argues, saving one larger, cute species often helps other lesser-known species, by setting aside protected habitat for them too. Scientists and statisticians are working to develop formulas to see which species will likely be able to be revived, and which would be a waste of valuable resources–that could be used to save a more promising species.

Dolasia, Meera. “Can Changing Rope Color Help save Endangered Whales?” DOGO News. DOGO Media, 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 2 May 2014. 

Today, less than 400 of the long endangered North Atlantic right whales exist in the wild. While it is finally illegal to hunt these whales, they are now faced with a new threat–lobster fishing nets. Eighty percent of North Atlantic right whales have scars from their encounters with fishing nets. However, the future is looking more hopeful as several scientists believe there may be an easy fix to the problem. Since right whales can distinguish between different colors based on their wavelength, it is believed that changing the color of the ropes to something they will notice may be the solution. Using PVC pipes in an experiment, researchers found that the right whales did not notice the green or black pipes, but made a obvious effort to avoid pipes that were red or orange. Scientists are now “working with manufacturers to create experimental red ropes,” that will hopefully help save the North Atlantic right whale population.

Kitchell, Mark. A Fierce Green Fire. PBS. Educational Broadcasting, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 2 May 2014. 

Over the past several decades, the environmental movement has been gaining in popularity and necessity. Now, more than ever before, it is up to present generations to take action to save the planet, before it’s too late. The largest movements of the 20th century have been, and still are, the conservation movement, pollution and cleanup, Greenpeace, global resources, and climate change. As America, and other nations, have realized the need to start preserving and cleaning up the environment, we have seen the rise of groups and interests like the Sierra Club, the Love Canal Superfund, Greenpeace, and Brazilian rubber tappers. The nation is slowly starting to realize that regulations and policies need to be put in place to stop large corporations from controlling the water, land, and air. Though we have seen many successes over the last century, there have also been many failures. Climate change is among one of the most controversial issues. Global warming, though clearly evident today, has been continuously deemed a hoax by big business interests. Ultimately, America’s indecisiveness and unwillingness to accept a bigger role in environmental protection and conservation, and the role big business plays in controlling politics and legislation, are leading toward an uncertain and overwhelming negative future for not just humanity, but every other living creature.
My response:

            The issue of species endangerment and extinction is not a new one, and humanity needs to come to its senses and realize that we aren’t the only beings living on this planet. Though not every species can be saved, I hope, in the near future, nations can come together to help preserve and protect as many as they can. Losing a species is irreversible and can be detrimental to the ecosystem as a whole and other hurting species. More awareness and education needs to be spread on the issue, and people need to become more aware of how their actions are hurting and destroying the earth.

Essay #22

a.) An entitlement program is a government program that guarantees certain benefits to a particular group or segment of the population.

b.) The primary source of revenue for the Social Security program is taxes based on earned income, and other work-related taxes.

c.) One threat to the future of the Social Security program is that the Social Security "bank" is going to run out of money, because the outputs exceed the inputs.

d.) One demographic trend that threatens the future of Social Security is that there is a huge population of older people, born in the baby boomer era, living long lives, and the current birth rates are actually decreasing. This will lead to the Social Security program running out of money because the number of people who are eligible to recieve it is increasing (increasing population of "old" people) while the numer of young workers who fund Social Security is decreasing and unable to keep up with the funds being withdrawn.

e.) If the age of eligibility for Social Security were raised, then people would work longer (to an older age). As a result, not as much money would be taken out of the Social Security "bank," and more money would go in, extending the amount of time the fund will last.

Essay #21

a.) Two provisions in the Bill of Rights that protect individuals who try to influence politics are freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Freedom of speech allows individuals to say almost anything they want. Freedom of assembly allows individuals to peacefully assemble, or come together, for whatever reason that may be (including protest, petition, march, etc.).

b.) Litigation is used by interest groups in the court to gain policy preferences through cases or amicus curiae. Grassroots mobilization is used by interest groups to organize or rally citizens, who act to influence policymakers. Lobbying of government institutions is used by interest groups to make direct contact with policymakers for the purpose of persuasion by providing information, political benefits, and so forth.

c.) One specific federal government regulation of interest groups is the McCain-Feingold Act, which prohibits the contribution of "soft money" to political campaigns. "Soft money" are donations made in such a way as to avoid federal regulations or limits. The McCain-Feingold Act allows only the contribution of "hard money," which are set donations regulated by law through the Federal Election Commission.

Essay #20

AMA, American Medical Association

a.) The AMA targets Congress, and, more specifically, Medicare.

b.) The AMA is made up of primarily physicians and medical students, whom will, quite frequently, encounter Medicare patients or policies in practice. Since Medicare policies tend to set standards for other insurance payers, the AMA wants to have some influence over how Medicare is run.

c.) The constituents of the AMA include doctors and medical practice officers. Such members have created a set of ethics, rules, policies, and procedures to standardize terminology. These "Current Procedural Codes" are one of the primary ways that all medical and insurance forms are filled out. Since nearly all medical procedures are billed to insurers, namely Medicare, the AMA wants to be able to effectively communicate with insurance companies to ensure that their constituency gets paid.

Answers: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101107140754AAe6OJT

(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).

Essay #19

a) One of the many ways media has contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns is covering a candidate's personal life and personality. By covering a candidate's back story and personal details, the media gives the public a feel for who a candidate is and where they come from. Sometimes the media plays a crucial role in how a candidate is viewed by the public by exposing scandals or embarrassing moments from their past. Likewise, the media can play a positive role in influencing the public opinion by portraying a candidate as like-able and friendly, a strong leader and spokesperson, and so forth.

b) Another way the media has contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns is through radio talk shows and television debates. By making such appearances, a candidate can discuss their views and goals publicly, and let the population know about their stance on certain political issues. They also gain name and face recognition, a key component of winning elections.

C) One way presidential candidates' use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns is by attention-getting. By taking advantage of media coverage, presidential candidates can draw more attention to their race and show the public who they are. 

d) Another way presidential candidates' use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns is through seeking contributions. Candidates can use the media to make commercials and ads to get contributions from supporters.

(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.

Your answer should not include a discussion of presidential primary elections.

Essay #18

a.) One trend evident in the figure is that the percentage of House seats for Democrats has decreased.

b.) Incumbency advantage gives candidates already holding office an advantage over newcomers. Even though southern states may have voted for a Republican president, they continued to vote for experienced, incumbent Democratic congressional candidates.

Gerrymandering is the act of dividing electoral districts in such a way as to favor one party or class. In southern states, Gerrymandering created districts that protected Democratic seats even though there were more Republican voters in statewide presidential elections.

c.) Catholics have become much more inclined to vote for Republicans and much less inclined to vote for Democrats, due in part to the Republican views on abortion.

Labor union members have decreased in number, and, therefore, account for a smaller percentage of Democratic voters. 

Women, as a whole, generally tend to vote Democratic. As the number of women have increased, outpopulating men, they account for a larger percentage of Democratic voters.