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.

Essay #17

2.a.) One of the many key characteristics of the merit system is that hiring and promotion are based on the experience or qualifications of someone.

b.) The structure of the federal bureaucracy is very large and divided into specialized units and expertise. Jobs, in the federal bureaucracy, are assigned to those who have the most experience, making for efficient operation. 

The complexity of public policy problems is too much for Congress and the president to handle, so they delegate authority to the bureaucracy. The federal bureaucracy and its members can set rules and regulations in a non-discretionary way.

c.) Congress can reject presidential appointments to the bureaucracy and can pass legislation affecting the bureaucracy.

The courts, by process of judicial review, can declare bureaucratic actions unconstitutional.

Interest groups can use litigation and public freedoms, like protesting, lobbying, and speeches, to gain the attention of the courts or Congress, who can directly check the bureaucracy.

Essay #16

Federal Law

a.) Congress gives federal agencies policy making discretion in executing federal laws because it is more efficient and less time-consuming and congress and its agencies lack the expertise needed to execute the laws otherwise.

b.) The Environmental Protection Agency exercises policy-making discretion over clean air and water. It exercises that discretion by putting limits on how much pollution cities and factories are allowed to make, and where they are allowed to dispose of it.

c.) Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent by overseeing the whole process (they can hold hearings and investigations) and controlling the funding or budget for each agency.

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

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.

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.

Essay #13

(A) Congressional reapportionment: The process of relocating the number of representatives allocated to a state. One main reason why this is important to the states is because the people want their representation in congress to be as big as possible.

(B) Congressional redistricting: The drawing or redrawing of House district lines.

(C) Two goals a politician might have when gerrymandering are increasing minority representation and decreasing opposition strength. For instance, a minority neighborhood in a large city might have previously been part of a larger district, but a politician might make it its own district to increase minority representation. If a politician wanted to break up opposition support, he might slip a neighborhood that was mostly one party, and make that party the minority in several other districts. Politicians redistrict to increase their support which is also known as gerrymandering.

(D) One restriction that the supreme court has placed on congressional redistricting is that district lines cannot be drawn solely based on race meaning that a neighborhood that is mainly hispanic cannot create its own district. District lines also make it so that there could not be two separate neighborhoods  which become the same district unless they are connected.

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.

Oil Spill Bibliography

Smith, Martin, and Marcela Gaviria. "The Spill." PBS. PBS, 26 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

        In the last 10 years, the British Petroleum company also known as BP, has arguably become one of the most unsound companies in the history of oil extraction. Within those ten years, BP has had more than four major massacres which have resulted in the death of employees, the destruction of company infrastructure, and millions in settlement costs. Despite the company's constant shift in leadership, it is apparent that BP exercises a grossly negligent Business plan which pinches pennies and results in the death of employees.

Pelley, Scott. "Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 16 May 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

        This article investigates the negligence employed by British Petroleum leading up to the 2010 oil disaster that is now being called the worst oil spill in history. The article outlines events that led up to the disaster and the warning signs that were ignored British Petroleum. The story also depicts the harrowing escape of one of the survivors of the disaster and interviews a former BP insider who warns of another potential disaster.

Rushe, Dominic. "BP May Face $18bn in Fines for Gross Negligence as Federal Trial Resumes." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.

        For petroleum a phase $18 billion in fines for gross negligence as the federal trial resumes. The plaintiffs attorney argues that British Petroleum was woefully unprepared for the 2011 blowout and lied about how much oil was flowing from the well. BP tried to hide the amount of oil that was spilling into the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Verizon oil rig disaster. These and more come his new arguments for the prosecution in the recent days of the trial. US District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans is presiding over the trial and it is already apparent that he is leaning the prosecution's favor.

Essay #12

  (a) Divided government is when a political party controls the white house and another party controls the House and Senate. Due to the lack of agreement between the two parties, a political gridlock is often created and creates a standstill between the two where nothing is decided on. A divided government can also cause problems with the relationship between the people and their government because the people lose trust in the government when things aren't being taken care of.

        (b) An incremented cost in election campaigns have caused a distrust in regime in general. This is because as elections have become much bigger, the connection to the public and the political opinions have been lost for more corporate tactics.

        (c) Two specific instances of a decline in trust and confidence in the government are the recent recession and court cases involving congressmen. The recession is a great example of the general public's distrust in their government. This was made evident in the following election with a majority party change. Therefore, court cases involving Congressman or members of the senate being charged with stealing government funding. With a distrust in government citizens decline their right to vote and lead to protest.

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. 

Essay #11, Incumbency

   (a) The importance of incumbency is undoubtedly high on America's priority list. In this section, the graph exhibites the incumbency of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The graph shows how both the House and the Senate have high incumbency rates, while the House has higher and more stable rates than the Senate. 

        (b) Incumbency allows for many advantages for the politician involved. By remaining in office, they have more experience and understand the inner-workings of the government. Also being in office longer allows them access to more campaign funding as they have more connections within the government.

 (c) A positive consequence of incumbency is the development of more experienced political leaders. The longer a politician is in office, the more experience they will have, and the better they will become in most cases. 

(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. (Fig 12.1)

a) identify two patterns displayed in the graph

b) identify 2 factors that contribute to incumbency advantage. Explain how each factor contributes to incumbency advantage.

c) Discuss one consequence of incumbency advantage for the US political process

The Meth Epidemic

Byker, Carl. "The Meth Epidemic." PBS. PBS, 17 May 2011. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.

        In the PBS Frontline special, Carl Byker depicts the epidemic of Meth sales, its use, and its conveyance in Portland, OR and its incremented use across the nation. Furthermore, the video verbalizes with the multiple increases and decreases of meth use over the years on the West coast and how those fluctuations have resulted from the purity of the meth which fluctuates predicated on the availability of the chemicals used to make the meth. The frontline presentation portrays how the drug pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in making meth, is purchased, both licitly and illicitly, from every-day pharmacies and transformed into pernicious meth.

Davies, Dave. "Astronomically immense Pharma And Meth Cooks Concur: Keep Cold Meds Over The Counter." NPR. NPR, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.
       
        While millions of Americans have tuned in to visually examine the fictional television math world of breaking deplorable, not many Americans ken that that world is not far from the truth. Journalist Jonah Engle has spent years researching the authentic world of meth and has indited numerous publications on the issue. In one of his recent articles he noted the recent spike in home-cooked meth with the utilization of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals such as pseudoephedrine. Methods not only an astronomically immense peril to the cook but a grave hazard to a community. In recent years the meth epidemic has only worsened and he perpetuates to show no denotements of amelioration.

"Law Enforcement." MethPedia.org. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
     
        As the amounts of Meth perpetuates to grow and migrate east, law-enforcement agencies have developed certain strategies and policies to combat the unique challenges they face in their ongoing war against drugs. Challenges faced consist of the deterrents of engenderment, distribution, trafficking, and utilization of the highly addictive drug. Unlike many other drugs, Meth can be made in peoples homes with local ingredients that can be found in a corner side drug store. While many recent law enforcement efforts have been prosperous in reducing the number of meth labs in the Coalesced States, law enforcement  agency is have recently optically discerned an incrementation in the trafficking of meth from Mexico into the US.

NOKOBLOWPO Sources

Sources

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

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/secret-state-of-north-korea/

NOKOBLOWPO

Once Japan was vanquished in World War II, Their control of Korea was completely lost. As Korea's incipient owners, the US and USSR split Korea in two at the 38th parallel line of latitude. Soviet troops occupied the northern part of Korea, while Coalesced States troops occupied the southern part. Several years later in 1950, North Korean troops assailed across the line and when UN demands for a withdrawal were ignored, troops of member nations entered the conflict on the side of South Korea. . The Communist Chinese joined North Korea, and the war became stalemated. An armistice in 1953 fine-tuned the boundaries between the two sections substantially as they had been afore. Years later in 1980, an incipient constitution was imposed under Major General Chun Doo Hwan who had just seized the regime and he was elected president the following year. Under Chun, South Korea prospered. In 1987, with growing opposition to his rule, Chun consented to the adoption of an incipient, democratic constitution and the holding of elections. The presidential election of 1987 was acquired victory by Roh Tae Woo, the former bellwether of Chun's party. In 1988 the country was host to the summer Olympic Games. In 1997 the South Korean economy was hit by a rigorous financial crisis. In December of that year a $58-billion avail package, the most astronomically immense international loan to date, was arranged by several countries and international lending agencies to avail South Korea's regime, banks, and industrial corporations make payments on their debt. The economic difficulties were the most astringent South Korea had suffered since its industrialization following the Korean War. In 2002 North Korea revealed that it was conducting a nuclear weapons program, and therefore in breach of a 1994 accedence with the Cumulated States, South Korea, and Japan not to engage in such a program. In January 2003 North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of which it had been a party, and later that year promulgated that it had reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods, a method of obtaining weapons-grade nuclear material. Mistrustful of North Korea's intentions, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the Coalesced States commenced in 2003 to hold a series of multiparty negotiations with North Korea in an effort to persuade it to discontinue utilizing nuclear technology.
In December of 2011 Kim Jong-il died and Kim Jong-un was hailed. December of 2011 Kim Jong-il died and Kim Jong-un was hailed as "Great Successor" and surmounted of the National Defence Commission. In 2012 February Kim Jong-il was posthumously awarded the highest military denomination of Generalissimo--the same rank held by his father. The Army pledged thier adhesion to Un in a mass parade held to mark the 70th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's birth. In 2012 April Kim Jong-un formally surmounts ruling party leadership, becoming First Secretary of the Workers Party however the launch of a "rocket-mounted satellite" to mark the day of inchoation of Kim Il-Sung failed. After the launch most observers commenced to cerebrate that North Korea was conducting a long-range missile test. In August 2012 The Amalgamated Nations verbalized that North Korea asked for exigent food avail after devastating floods in July. In December 2012  A North Korean rocket launch puts a satellite into orbit, after the failure to do so in April. The UN including China regard this as a breach of a proscription on North Korean ballistic missile tests, as the rocket technology is identically tantamount. In February 2013 North Korea carries out a third nuclear test, verbalized to be twice as astronomically immense as the 2009 test and the UN Security Council approves fresh sanctions over the test. I believe North Korea's current state is unstable and has an unfit ruler at the helm thus the state will suffer either a regime or state change. I optically discern it being most likely that North Korea will  optically discern a vicissitude in regime in the near future as superseding or transmuting the ruler of a state is the simplest alteration with the greatest effect. I believe the supersession of Kim Jong-un would greatly benefit the state and if an incipient "sane" ruler takes his place, the county may again become stable. Albeit I do not prognosticate north and south Korea conjoining in the near future, a state change such as this would most likely benefit multiple countries including the Cumulated States. All that is kenned for sure is that a regime or state change is desperately needed in North Korea and a stabilization of the state would be great.

Essay #10 Groups of Interest

Essay #9 The Influencing Media

DATA for 2009 

Viewer’s Ages and Frequency of Viewing of Network Nightly News: 1974 and 2002 Combined

1974                  frequently (%)                    rarely (%)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

18-29                  45                                                  13

30-44                  50                                                 12

45-64                  68                                                  8

65+                      71                                                  5

2002                 frequently (%)                    rarely (%)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

18-29                  19                                                  22

30-44                  22                                                17

45-64                  40                                                  11

65+                      53                                                  8

        A policy agenda is a set of issues, quandaries, or subjects that get the attention of the people involved in policymaking. These are quandaries that people inside and outside the regime are paying great attention to, for example recent national policies have fixated on the economy and its regulation.

        The national news media engages in agenda settings by raising awareness, providing information, drawing attention, and demonstrating the importance of consequences of a problem. The media is a tool of communication to the general public and for general audiences thus it depicts government actions and issues in a general sense so that it is easily understood and the effects of the government's actions are widespread knowledge.

        The primary reason the president has an advantage over Congress in gaining media attention is because the president is one person with central power whereas the Congress is composed of many members who divide the attention. The president acts as a figurehead for the government in which citizens look up to. Despite party and political differences, the president is commonly believed to be a person that can be trusted and listened to.  

        Young people view less TV news that older people, older people view more TV news than younger people. This is true because older people tend to have a greater interest in politics and government affairs. Older Americans understand how the government affects them and that by playing a role in government such as voting is of great benefit. It is also true that people in all age categories viewed less TV news in 2002 than they did in 1974.

        One implication for presidents in their use of the media to promote their objectives to the public is the presidents must rely on alternative media to gain the attention of the public. Today media is found in a vast number of forms such as newspapers, TV, radio, magazines and more. This complicates media dispersal however allows for a greater number of americans to access media in one of its forms.

Essay #8

In lawmaking, a majority party in the United States House of Representatives has an advantage. This advantage allows that party to hold the majority of the committee chairs and set the agenda for the house's meetings. Furthermore, they commonly control the debates. This is a great advantage over the minority chairs and allows for the majority party to speedily pass their parties bills and exercise and overall advantage over the minority parties.

        When it comes to procedures and rules, the house of representatives tends to be more formal whereas the Senate is less. The House has more members and exercises a more formal setting as a means of control and organization. Another difference between the House and Senate is that a filibuster has affected in the Senate whereas it does not in the house.

        Even though the house may pass a bill, the senate can kill that bill with a filibuster. Even though the Senate may pass a bill, The House rules committee can hinder passage of that bill in the house. These are a few of the checks and balances which have been employed between the two houses to assure that no house becomes overly powerful.