http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/364378/november-03-2010/stephen-colbert-gives-you-props

This video talks about three propositions on state ballots that have been turned down in California (legalizing marijuana), Rhode Island (name shortening), and Oklahoma (banning sharia law).  The video is satirical because, 1) obviously, it reaches a large audience.  In the video, Stephen Colbert pretends to be in support of or against the decisions- the title says he gives them "props"*.  However, he is basically making fun of them by pointing out cerain details or by making weird comments.  For example, he states that lawmaking is being taken out of the hands of the lawmakers, or that the people are voting for a law that doesn't exist (sharia law).

*you've got to love puns

H.W. #2, Marking Period 2

The Electoral College is the organization that has the final say in the Presidential Election.  The vote is divided into the popular vote and electoral vote.  The Popular is the vote that citizens make.  The electoral vote is the vote that is given by electors.  The number of electors for each state is decided by the number of Senators plus the number of Representatives for that state.  Washington D.C. also recieves three electors.  In all but two states, all the electoral votes for that state go to the candidate that recieves the most votes.  A candidate needs to get the majority of the electoral votes (270 or more) in order to win the presidency.  Generally, the electoral votes mirror the popular vote, though there have been some cases where this hasn't happened.  I don't think that this is fair because it means that the voting system really isn't democratic.  The people aren't really voting for the President in this system.

Marking Period 2: HW #1

To become a law, a bill must first be proposed.  A commitee made up of a few Congressmen must review, edit, and approve the proposed bill before it can move on.  If it is approved by the commitee, then the bill moves to the House of Representatives to be edited and voted on.  If the House approves the bill, then it moves to the Senate to be edited and approved.

If the Senate approves the bill, then another commitee has to edit and approve the bill.  After that, both the HOuse and Senate must come together and vote on the bill.  If they approve the bill, then it goes to the President to be approved.  If approved, then the bill becomes a law.

Homework #13

Why is bag searching ACCORDING to the US Supreme Court legal, even though it seems to go against the 4th amendment? Do you agree or disagree with police stopping you and recording your name to a date base? DO you think this stops crime? Post your answers to your blog and write in complete sentences, no less then 8 sentences.

According to the Supreme Court, the bag searching is legal as long as there is a "clear and present danger".  I agree with this decision.  The Police are trying to keep the people safe by searching bags of people on the subway to prevent any potentially dangerous situations on the subways.  The bag searches are quick and random, so they don't waste anybody's time and can hardly be considered unreasonable.  I don't believe that the Police should be stopping people and recording their information.  Recording the personal information of people that are randomly stopped on the streets will not help to prevent crimes from happening. Doing so should really be considered an invasion of privacy and unreasonable.  Also, there is nothing stopping someone from exploiting that information that has been wrongly taken.

Homework #12

The Federal Government can declare war, coin money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, make peace, provide for the common defense,  maintain armed services, and pass immigration and naturalization laws.  The State governments can provide public education, conduct elections, and create local governments.  Both the state and federal governments can collect taxes, make and enforce laws, and establish courts

Current Events #2

Topic: U.S. Politics
Article: Scary Monsters
Source: http://reason.com/archives/2010/10/04/scary-monsters

Summary: The article is trying to tell us about how government growth is affecting the people and the society.  It says that many government officials are focusing their attention on minor problems and details, such as the Ground Zero Mosque.  Many officials talk about how the Obama Administration is messing up and doing things wrong.  Yet they either can't or refuse to specifically state what they will do to solve the problems.  Finally, the article says that they should be focusing on how the government is hurting the economy and obstructing freedom, instead of focusing on the popularity contest that is the midterm elections. 

Reaction: I found it interesting that the government is focusing on the minor problems instead of the major ones.  I also found it interesting that, although many people aren't happy with the Obama Administration, they also arent very enthusiastic about Republican ideals either.  What really grabbed my attention were the last two sentences- "Some day that transition will come to government. But only after we insist on it." It makes me think that the people as a whole aren't really trying to make a change either.  It seems to me that both the government and the people are at fault here.

World Impact:  The decisions of the U.S. Government are vital to the economy.  Every little action has an effect on people in the longrun.  The fact that the government is not focusing on recovering the economy and protecting freedoms is causing many more problems for people.  Not only that, but it is causing support for the government to decrease as well.  As this problem persists, more and more people will ecome disillusioned with the government, which will cause more political trouble in the longrun.

Homework #11

Congress needs to amend the Constitution because, as the country grows and progresses, the needs of the citizens will change as well.  Over time, new problems or situations will arise that will require the law to change in order to maintain order.  The amendment procress was created in order to provide a way to allow that to happen.  The amendment process usually begins when a bill is proposed and apporved by two-thirds of the House of Representatives and Congress. If the amendment is approved by the Congress, then it moves to the state legislatures.  Thre-fourths of the state legislatures must approve the amendment in order for it to become a law. 

Homework #10

I do believe that Federalism can be a good idea.  Although the country needs one central government, the fact is that different areas of the country require different needs.  Federalism allows the states in different locations of the country to enact laws that are better suited for the citizens that live there, while still maintaining one central government.  It also helps to regulate federal control over the people.

Current Events #2

Topic: U.S. Politics/economy
Article: A Lost and Volatile Decade
Source:http://www.realclearpolitics.com/?state=nwa  http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20100925_2370.php

Summary: The article talks about how the economic problems of the country are causing political and social instability.  It states that the past decade has for many citizens been a series of mishaps.  It talks about how history seems to be repeating itself with this because something similar had happened during the Industrial Revolution, with the transition from farm to factory.  The article also talks about how the actions of past presidents have helped or harmed the economy, and helped set up what was to come.  Finally, it states that the government should expect to see more political instability until the economy stabilizes.

Reaction: Overall, I thought that I could really agree with the article.  In somes part of this article, I really wasn't too surprised by the information.  For example, it didn't surprise me that the economic situation was repeating itself or that the political instability was being caused by this.  There was some information that I found interesting.  For instance, I found it interesting that even before the recession, the number of people recieving health benefis from work had been steadily decreasing.

World Impact: This issue affects everyone in the United States because they are the ones that help decide who will be representing them in the government.  Every desicion made by the government is affecting them as well.  Our society is changing, and, though it has provided benefits, it has also provided porblems as well, which the citizens are hoping that the government will solve.  When the government doesn't deliver solutions to the problems, they what to change it in hopes that others will be able to provide solutions.  As such, the political instability is partly being caused by them. 

Homework #9

Write at least one paragraph on the following question:

Why was the US Constitution needed? what was the American government like before the Constitution? what problems did it solve?

The U.S. Constitution was needed to provide stability to the nation.  After gaining its independence from Great Britain in the American Revolution, the United States needed to form a central law and government.  However, the people feared that making the central government too strong would result in another king being formed.  As a result, the Articles of Confederation were formed.  However, the Articles of Confederation were far too weak to serve as the Supreme Law of the Land.  It gave far too much power to the states, and gave hardly any to the central government (there wasn't even a president or official court system).  The Articles of Confederation eventually fell apart and the Constitution was created in its place.  The Constitution gave the government more power, and balanced the power between different branches.  It also solved many of the issues between the people of different states, such as representation and taxes.