Sunday, February 27, 2011

APGov A Chapter 12 Study Questions

I will give you a hard copy on Monday, but these are due Tuesday at the beginning of class.

MUST BE HAND-WRITTEN. No Copying off of classmates.


Chapter 12 The Executive Branch Study Questions
35 Points Due March 1st.

Read Chapter 12 and answer these questions:


1. What are duties as chief executive?
2. How do pardons work? When do they most commonly occur?
3. Explain what executive agreements are
4. What are the terms of impeachment? What is the process?
5. What does the Cabinet do? Who are they?
6. What does the chief of staff do?
7. What is the formal duty of the VP?
8. If the Electoral College cannot determine a president because the minimum is not met- how is the president chosen?
9. The most common role for the Chief of State portion of the president’s job is to do what?
10. What is it the president does annually as Chief Legislator?
11. What is executive privilege?
12. What does the 25th Amendment do?
13. Only one president ever got to use the line-item veto. Who was it? Why was he the only one?
14. What are Emergency Powers and which case established them?

Read the Chapter 12 Summary Chapter “The Presidency”
First read: “Divided Government and the Powers of the Presidency”

15. Define divided government
16. Why did the Founding Fathers establish the Electoral College?
17. How does the EC protect small states/States’ Rights?
18. What did the 22nd Amendment do?
19. Why are informal powers so powerful?

Read “The Executive Branch”
20. What does the White House Office do?
21. Which structure do you think is the best? Why?
22. What does the EOP do? (Executive Office of the President)
23. How do independent agencies broaden presidential power?

Read “Presidential Power in Action”
24. How do presidents use popularity?
25. What is the honeymoon period?
26. What does the President do with the budget?
27. Why is Pocket Veto controversial?
28. How was impounding funds reformed?

Read “The President’s Program”
29. What are the two ways to develop a presidential program?

Read “Vice Presidents and Presidential Succession”
30. What do Vice Presidents really do?
31. What changed with the 25th Amendment? Why did they pass it?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

APGov B: Why is Policy so Complicated?

As we begin the unit on Public Policy development and you work on your projects- one thing will be consistent:
Forming Policy is a SLOW process with too many people involved.
In forming policy, Congressmen work with the bureaucratic agency who oversees the policy, state and local governments, desires of their constituents, legal restraints, financial costs, and personal desires.

The President deals with the exact same list of issues and the relationships with foreign heads of state when forming foreign policy.

In history we've seen many legislative/presidential programs that are now famous: Roosevelt's Big Stick Policy, FDR's New Deal, JFK's New Frontier, LBJ's Great Society, Reagan's Russia/Start Negotiations, Nixon's Vietnamization, etc.

Choose any one of the items on the list and do the following:
1. define the parameters and desires of the policy
2. What factors influenced shaping the policy
3. What was the outcome of the policy
4. Determine whether the public thought it was successful or not/ public attitude then and now! (make sure to look at then and now)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

APGov-B: What does "Freedom of Religion" Really Mean?

One freedom we frequently address in the U.S. is freedom of Religion. But that is not exactly what it states. The actual text is "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

As a matter of fact, it is the very FIRST protection listed in the infamous Bill of Rights.


This week's blog is about looking at both of these elements.

ELEMENT ONE: The Establishment Clause.
While we do not have an "official state religion" most would agree we are a predominately Christian nation (thanks to our founders). And religion does permeate our society. We pledge allegiance to God and Country daily... swear on the bible in court... have mangers in town centers each holiday season... Easter, Good Friday, and Christmas are all national holidays...

So then what does establishment mean, We need to interpret in two ways. First, government should not favor one religion more than another. Second, money should not be involved. To deal with financial aspects, the Landmark court case Lemon v. Kurztman set up a rule for when government funds could go to religious institutions (primarily schools). Here is the test:

1. Have a secular purpose
2. Neither advance nor inhibit religion
3. Not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.


Now let's look at part two:
Element Two: the Free Exercise Clause
Primarily this means you have the right to practice your religion. There are, of course, some limits. This cannot give you the ability to harm others or violate laws of drug use.
As such, the following religious practices are outlawed: polygamy, snake charming, use of peyote, etc.

The government also evaluates cult religions on the harm factor.
Please go to YouTube and search for "Jonestown Massacre". Watch a few clips. Think about other instances like Waco, Texas.

Now, what to write about:
1. Give a current example of government establishment of religion and react to it. Is it legal or not? If you find it in violation- why does it exist?
2. How far should Free Exercise go? What are appropriate limits? Where's the line?

As always, post your responses to BOTH questions here. And then discuss with each other this week.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Why is Policy so Complicated?

As we begin the unit on Public Policy development and you work on your projects- one thing will be consistent:
Forming Policy is a SLOW process with too many people involved.
In forming policy, Congressmen work with the bureaucratic agency who oversees the policy, state and local governments, desires of their constituents, legal restraints, financial costs, and personal desires.

The President deals with the exact same list of issues and the relationships with foreign heads of state when forming foreign policy.

In history we've seen many legislative/presidential programs that are now famous: Roosevelt's Big Stick Policy, FDR's New Deal, JFK's New Frontier, LBJ's Great Society, Reagan's Russia/Start Negotiations, Nixon's Vietnamization, etc.

Choose any one of the items on the lost and do the following:
1. define the parameters and desires of the policy
2. What factors influenced shaping the policy
3. What was the outcome of the policy
4. Determine whether the public thought it was successful or not/ public attitude then and now! (make sure to look at then and now)

Next week's will be on a contemporary policy. This one is designed to get you looking at policy more holistically. :)

Monday, January 10, 2011

APGov A: What does "Freedom of Religion" Really Mean?

One freedom we frequently address in the U.S. is freedom of Religion. But that is not exactly what it states. The actual text is "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

As a matter of fact, it is the very FIRST protection listed in the infamous Bill of Rights.

This week's blog is about looking at both of these elements.

ELEMENT ONE: The Establishment Clause.
While we do not have an "official state religion" most would agree we are a predominately Christian nation (thanks to our founders). And religion does permeate our society. We pledge allegiance to God and Country daily... swear on the bible in court... have mangers in town centers each holiday season... Easter, Good Friday, and Christmas are all national holidays...

So then what does establishment mean, We need to interpret in two ways. First, government should not favor one religion more than another. Second, money should not be involved. To deal with financial aspects, the Landmark court case Lemon v. Kurztman set up a rule for when government funds could go to religious institutions (primarily schools). Here is the test:

1. Have a secular purpose
2. Neither advance nor inhibit religion
3. Not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.


Now let's look at part two:
Element Two: the Free Exercise Clause
Primarily this means you have the right to practice your religion. There are, of course, some limits. This cannot give you the ability to harm others or violate laws of drug use.
As such, the following religious practices are outlawed: polygamy, snake charming, use of peyote, etc.

The government also evaluates cult religions on the harm factor.
Please go to YouTube and search for "Jonestown Massacre". Watch a few clips. Think about other instances like Waco, Texas.

Now, what to write about:
1. Give a current example of government establishment of religion and react to it. Is it legal or not? If you find it in violation- why does it exist?
2. How far should Free Exercise go? What are appropriate limits? Where's the line?

As always, post your responses to BOTH questions here. And then discuss with each other this week.

Monday, November 29, 2010

APGov A and B Comm Svc

Post your Community Service Web Site links here for your "Digital Scrapbooks"

Make sure you include your name with your link

APGov-B Weekly Blog Post

OK, so as we discussed in class- what do you think about the WikiLeaks? What should the media do? Or, do you, as a citizen have the right to this information? What is the legal line? The ethical line? How will this impact foreign affairs-

Open Dialogue on this HOT topic

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Sunday, November 21, 2010

APGov B: Media Week! Good Times

I love this assignment! Find an ad that impresses me :)

First, find the best campaign ad for either a governor's race or the 2010 midterm elections
Post the link to the video here

Then, with your link discuss the following items
1. is the ad poitivie or negative in tone
2. Why does the ad "work"? What makes it a good ad?
3. Who paid for or created the ad? (candidate, DNC/RNC, or a PAC/Interest Group)
4. What are they trying to accomplish with this ad- what do they want you, the voter, to know or realize?

Remember, You cannot use the same ad as anyone else in the class

Friday, November 12, 2010

APGov- B Issue Papers

Students,
Please place your individual links here so we can go view and comment on your issue paper sites .

Then you need to visit one paper from each team and give them meaningful feedback.

For your own site, reply to any questions asked of you.

APGov-B Polling Blogs

Teams,

Please place your links for your poll result blogs here.

You then need to visit EACH team and post a comment.

For your own site, respond to questions posted to your poll blog site as well.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

APGov B- "New Congress" Gets a New Budget

It is current conventional wisdom that despite campaign promises, the newly elected Republicans cannot actually "repeal" the healthcare plan that was passed this fall. And under opinion polls, the title of the health care gets low approval, but when people are asked if they support individual provisions, polling is much higher. In the end, it may be that a slight majority of Americans approve of the reforms.

While they may not be able to actually 'repeal' the law- one definite possibility is to not fund the provisions they like in the budget that will pass in October 2011 for the 2011-2012 budget year.

Please read these two articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/health/policy/07health.html?_r=1&ref=politics

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/07/republicans-look-budget-maneuvers-prevent-spending-new-health-law/

So, what do you think?
Should Congress try to get a real gauge on what Americans want before they decide?

Should they use budget options to effectively cancel components they don't want?

Should they respect that the law was passed and let it go into effect?

To help you form your opinions, here is a summary of what the reform law did:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/myths-and-facts#healthcare-menu

Monday, November 1, 2010

APGov B- Political Culture

Welcome back.

We live in a society that prefers negative ads and a lot of them. How we develop our political ideology is based on these primary factors:

Family
Education
Peer/Media Influence
Region


To get started this week please take this political ideology quiz:
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

Make sure to scroll down and see where you fall and what that compares to.

Here are some common trends:
over 50% of families share the same ideology
age 18-30- more likely to be to the "left"
over 65- more likely to be to the "right"
South/Midwest- right
coasts- left
higher education levels- left
but higher incomes- right
Christians- right
Catholics- left
Blue Collar workers- left


So, here's what we are discussing this week:
**NOTE** Sharing your ideology is personal and is OPTIONAL.

1. What influences your own political socialization?
2. Are you similar or different than your parents?
3. People usually have social values and fiscal values. How do you balance these in choosing a political party....? (this is the real discussion here)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Media Week Blog Post

OK, Here's the highly anticipated topic.

First, find the best campaign ad for either a governor's race or the 2010 midterm elections
Post the link to the video here

Then, with your link discuss the following items
1. is the ad poitivie or negative in tone
2. Why does the ad "work"? What makes it a good ad?
3. Who paid for or created the ad? (candidate, DNC/RNC, or a PAC/Interest Group)
4. What are they trying to accomplish with this ad- what do they want you, the voter, to know or realize?

Remember, You cannot use the same ad as anyone else in the class

Friday, September 24, 2010

APGovA Issue Papers

Students,
Please place your individual links here so we can go view and comment on your issue paper sites

APGovA- Blog Posts

Teams,

Please place your links for your poll result blogs here so we can all go check them out

Sunday, September 19, 2010

AP Gov A- Congressional Campaigns

We are in the heat of Congressional Campaigning. In years past, re-elections are almost a "lock" for incumbents....making many of them life-long public servants. This makes some desire term limits for senators or congressmen.

Senators run for election every 6 years, meaning 33 of them get elected every 2 years.
In the House, the congressmen serve only a 2-year term so all 435 are up for election/re-election every 2 years. That means right now there are about 470 congressional seats up for grabs.

We've already talked about the roll of the Tea Party in this year's primaries and now general election. Another key player is the media..... but to run for office people need money. period. Campaign funding is a MAJOR issue in politics. As you read this week you will be exposed to campaign finance rules.

But for this week's blog I want you to find a "hot" congressional campaign from around the country. There are tons to choose from.

Here's what I want you to do:
1. identify the Dem and Rep candidate
2. what is their story/type of government service.
3. What are the key issues in that campaign
4. who supports them- which types of interest groups endorsed and donated to their campaign.

For this week's blog- you do not need to reply to each other. Just scroll through the posts and check out the different types of contests going in the country.

I will give you until Thursday since you have to do some online searching this week!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

APGov A- Political Culture

Welcome back.

We live in a society that prefers negative ads and a lot of them. How we develop our political ideology is based on these primary factors:
Family
Education
Peer/Media Influence
Region

To get started this week please take this political ideology quiz:
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

Make sure to scroll down and see where you fall and what that compares to.

Here are some common trends:
over 50% of families share the same ideology
age 18-30- more likely to be to the "left"
over 65- more likely to be to the "right"
South/Midwest- right
coasts- left
higher education levels- left
but higher incomes- right
Christians- right
Catholics- left
Blue Collar workers- left


So, here's what we are discussing this week:
**NOTE** Sharing your ideology is personal and is OPTIONAL.

1. What influences your own political socialization?
2. Are you similar or different than your parents?
3. People usually have social values and fiscal values. How do you balance these in choosing a political party....? (this is the real discussion here)

Monday, September 6, 2010

APGov B Week 2- The RIse of the Tea Party and It's Purpose in America Today

This week we were going to do a reading on Gay Marriage but that issue is evolving quickly right now so we will wait until we get to Civil Liberties unit.

We are going to instead look at the evolution and hopes of the Tea Party. Please first look at ALL of these sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/38805749#38805828

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/us/politics/23rubio.html?_r=1&hp

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/senate/florida?ref=politics

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/22/sunshine-state-political-shift-establishment-candidates-favored-win-0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082201288.html

An important key to politics and political parties is to remember that all politics are LOCAL. But we have "National" political parties:Republican and Democratic parties. a rising sect of the Republican party, the "Tea Party" started by Libertarians who wanted smaller government budgets and a smaller overall government involvement- fiscal conservatives.

Social conservatives quickly joined in and now the beliefs of the "Tea Party" are almost as diverse ans that of the straight of D and Rs.

In every midterm election the party in power loses seats. This is a 100% fact. How many seats is up to campaigning and relative party successes or failures.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How are voters supposed to identify with candidates and make informed decisions? Can they rely on party label? Does party label mean anything? What is the role of the Tea Party. Think about the Bull Moose Party, the Progressive Party....... How do they pick a party if issues are so diverse from state to state......all politics is local.... what do the Tea Partiers give to the Republican Party....?