J1

Studies show that U.S. policy is more influenced by interest groups and the wealthy than the average citizen.

Why do interest groups have such a big influence on policy? What do interest groups do to influence policy?

What type of interest group has the most power and influence over policy?

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/15/government-wealthy-study_n_5154879.html

H12

Literacy tests affected voter turnout in African Americans. States would require all citizens to take a literacy test before they could be qualified to vote. The tests were biased, so officials would purposefully fail African Americans in order to prevent them from voting. Poll taxes affected African American voter turnout as well. The states would require voters to pay a voting fee. Since most African Americans had low income jobs at that time, it was difficult for them to pay an additional fee to vote. Therefore African Americans would have low voter turnout.  

Two alternative forms of participation that helped bring about changes in civil rights policies were protests and court cases. With protests, African Americans were able to voice their opinions on policy. For example, during the Civil Rights movement, there were many sit in protests in which African Americans would peaceful sit inside white only restaurants in order to establish their view on integration. African Americans would participate in court cases to influence policy. For example, in the court case of Brown v. Board of Education, African Americans fought to overturn the “separate but equal” law, which resulted in the integration of public schools.

 

Court cases were effective in changing civil rights policy because it directly questioned the constitutionality of policies. For example, in the Brown v. Board of Education court case, the constitutionality of the “separate but equal” law was questioned, and as a result, overturned the law. Court cases essentially question what is constitutional, so African Americans were able to get fair treatment through the law.

One barrier that currently impedes minority representation would be redistricting. When redistricting occurs, minorities can be spit up into different districts, making it difficult for minorities to be voted into office. Gerrymandering is done so certain candidates will win the majority vote by splitting up the minority.

H11

1. Equal opportunity is a policy statement about equally holding that the rules of the game should be the same for everyone. Most of our civil rights policies over the past three decades have presumed that equality of opportunity is a public policy goal. Equal result is a policy statement about equality holding that government has a duty to help break down barriers to equal opportunity. Affirmative action is an example of a policy justified as promoting equal results rather than merely equal opportunities.

2. The 13^th amendment forbade slavery and involuntary servitude.

3. The equal protection clause says that states can't unreasonably discriminate against individuals.

4. The due process clause states that state governments must observe fair procedures when they deny a person life, liberty, or property.

5. The 15^th amendment states that the right to vote cannot be denied on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude; gave African Americans the right to vote.

6. Strict scrutiny places the burden of proof on the government, rather than the challengers, to show that the law in question is constitutional. Intermediate scrutiny places the burden of proof partially on the government and partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is constitutional. Rational-basis test is a test the Supreme Court developed to determine if a law is discriminatory, which is applied to laws dealing with age, disability, income, and similar categories.

7. The purpose of Jim Crow laws was to discriminate based on race.

8. De jure segregation is segregation imposed by law. De facto segregation is segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice.

9. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the law that made racial discrimination against any group in hotels, motels, and restaurants illegal and forbade many forms of job discrimination.

10. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African American suffrage. Under the law, hundreds of thousands of African Americans were registered and the number of African American elected officials increased dramatically.

11. White primaries were primary elections in the Southern States in which any non-White voter was prohibited from participating.

12. The grandfather clause is a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

H4

1.
a. Supreme court nominees have a specific ideology. They are either liberal or conservative. Nominees are usually older. Nominees have experience with law and the courts.
b. For ideology, appointments are made so that a wide variety of beliefs are represented in the court, so to have fair decisions. Nominees are usually older because they have more experience than younger candidates. Nominees have experience with law, such as previously being lawyers or prosecutors, which helps make fair decisions in the court.
c. Kagan was a law dean and a Solicitor General before she was nominated for supreme court justice. Therefore, she had a wide variety of experience that would make here an adequate supreme court justice.

2.
a. Interest groups have influenced the appointment process through the media and protests.
b. the media has advertisements that could help a nominee be supported by the general public. Protests can be held that make the public aware of the drawbacks of a certain supreme justice nominee.
c. Advertisements of Kagan were created, which might have reassured Obama of appointing her.

H1

- John Roberts was appointed as a justice in 2005
- He is considered a conservative
-He recently upheld the Affordable Care act

G15

a. Balanced budget: a budget where revenue is equal to spending; there is no deficit.
b. Federal entitlements: guaranteed benefits based on established rights.
c. An entitlement is Social Security. Since money is given to those in old-age and the amount of people in need has increased, more money is needed for the program
d. Large budget deficits result in the U.S. becoming more indebted to other countries.
e. The projected revenue for 2012 was 2.627 trillion and the projected expenditure for 2012 was 3.729 trillion. the deficit was 1.327 trillion. Source: http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/fed_revenue_2012US
f. National debt: 17 trillion. Source: http://www.concordcoalition.org/issues/indicators/us-total-national-debt

G12

1. Medicare and social security are priorities. Obama proposed ideas for the budget pertaining to social security. He advocates for higher taxes on the wealthy, so to increase the budget for social security. He proposed to shift from a standard consumer price index to a chain consumer price index, which would raise income tax on those who could afford to pay more. It is important to Obama due to the baby boomers becoming older, which increases the need of financial support for the elderly.
2. Obama wants to shift from a standard consumer price index to a chain consumer price index. The chain CPI would basically raise the income tax on the wealthy. This would have a total savings of $230 billion over ten years. These savings would help expand social security.
3. They would strongly oppose raising taxes on the wealthy. Specifically Republicans would oppose Obama's plan, due to the fact that republicans generally advocate for a flat tax rate.

G9

1. I might reduce the deficit by raising taxes on the upper class. I might cut spending on military programs.
2. I chose to raise taxes on the wealthy through Obama's proposal. I decided to do this because those with higher incomes have the ability to pay more in taxes, whereas those with lower incomes do not. This would negatively effect those with incomes of $250,000 or more. I also reduced the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 60,000 by 2015. I decided to do this because the military is a huge part of the budget, and I believed, since the U.S. has a large military, they were able to afford a reduction in troops. I also reduced mortgage deduction and others for high- income households. I decided to do this because higher income households have enough money that mortgage deductions will not significantly hurt those with high incomes. This would negatively effect those with high incomes.

G7

1a. Agencies usually have better expertise. Congress doesn't have the knowledge that agencies do. Executing a bill takes a lot of time. Since it is time consuming, congress leaves it executing a bill to agencies.
1b. " Bureaucrats posses crucial information and expertise that make them partners with the president and congress in decision making about public policy"  P. 472

2. Oversight is when the government supervises agencies, so to make sure everything is being done correctly. With a legislative veto, congress is able to reject a proposed executive action, so to make sure anything unconstitutional does not get put into law.

3a.
EPA: clean air, clean water
FCC: television, radio, telephone
Federal Reserve Board: money
3b. The EPA develops regulatory initiatives to decrease GHG emissions. The FCC revises media regulation and processes licenses pertaining to the media. The Federal Reserve Board controls and regulates interest rates.

G4

1.
Executive privilege: The president is given the power to veto a bill that is passed in congress. Even if both chambers of congress agree on passing the bill, and want it to become a law, they do not have the power to make it a law. The president is able to oppose a bill by not signing it into law.
Executive orders: The president is able to create a rule or regulation which acts as a law. An executive order has the power to affect decisions in congress.
Commander in chief: The president is given the power to deploy troops for 60 days without a declaration of war. Therefore, even if congress does not declare war on another nation, the president can still take action.

2. Legislative oversight: Congress evaluates executive agencies to make sure there are no problems, therefore reducing problems within the executive branch.
Senate advice and consent power: The president appoints supreme justices, and the senate approves the appointments. therefore, the president must consider an appointment that will be approved by congress, rather than an appointment that only he or she might consider.
Budgetary power: The president must consult with congress on the budget, and has to get congress' approval on budget plans.

G2

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/28/obamas-state-of-the-union-address-2014_n_4590869.html

2. Obama wants to strengthen the middle class, which he speaks about in the state of the union address. His main goal is to increase wages and create new jobs

3. The president can make executive orders. He has the power to change a law for his employees. This power would give him the right to raise minimum wage for his employees.

4. An informal power of the president is the ability to set the legislative agenda. This power gives him the ability to set the topic of minimum wage in the agenda.

F12

a. The President is the commander in chief. He is able to deploy troops. The President is able to make treaties.
b. Congress is able to declare war and ratify treaties.
c. The President has better access to information and sets the agenda.
d. The President is able to influence congress with better access to information. By setting the agenda, the President is able to decide what policy should discussed,
e. The president must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and can only deploy troops for sixty days without a declaration of war.

F11

1. Obama proposes the creation of new jobs by increasing the number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. rather than outside the U.S. He also mentions building new roads and pipelines, so to increase construction jobs. He also talks about strengthening the middle class. This will be done by reducing the tax rate on the middle class. He proposes better access to higher education for those who can not afford to pay for college.
2. Obama spoke confidently. He spoke with a sense of assurance. It made me feel confident in Obama's ability to make the changes he proposed. He mentions Michelle Obama and Joe Biden by name. By doing that, he was able to talk about their successes, such as Michelle's focus on reducing childhood obesity.
3. The camera's zoomed in on Michelle Obama when the president mentioned her. The camera also zoomed in on the speaker of the house, John Boehner. The audience would mostly give a standing ovation when Obama proposed change or when he emphasizes better opportunity. When Obama mentioned the increase in the amount of manufacturing jobs in the United States, there was a standing ovation.

F9

a. The majority party in the House is able to select the speaker of the house, who is the most powerful member in the house.
b. The Senate is allowed to filibuster, while the House is not. A filibuster is done to prevent the senate from taking action on a bill by talking for a long period of time. A filibuster makes it harder to pass a bill.
c. With the allowance of a filibuster in the Senate, the House is more likely to pass legislation than the Senate. The filibuster allows for delays with passing bills. The House has a set amount of time a bill can be discussed, making faster to pass legislation.

F8

A.
1. There are 100 seats in the senate and 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
2. 2 seats in the Senate and 11 seats in the House of Representatives.
3. try all impeachments and approve Supreme Judge appointments.
4. initiate bills imposing taxes and choosing the House Speaker
5. Members of the House of Representatives are elected based on population size, and only two members per state are elected to the Senate.

B.
1. Standing Committee
2. Armed Services Committee
3. Conference Committee
4. Rules Committee
5. Ways and Means Committee
6. Budget Committee
7. Budget Committee

C.
1. If Congress adjourns
2. Treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors
3. overrule a presidential veto and declare war
4. Approve supreme judge appointments and the power to impeach supreme judges.
5. 17th Amendment

D.
1. Congress Supervises federal agencies, programs, and activities
2. They are listening to the constituent's opinions, and then using their best judgments to make final decisions.
3. When deploying troops, the President must notify Congress within 48 hours and can deploy troops for 60 days.
4. Advises Congress on the probable consequences of budget decisions.
5. The ability of members of Congress to mail letters to their constituents without having to pay by substituting their signature for postage.

E.
1. Ensures party discipline; makes sure party members are voting according to the official party policy.
2. The most senior senator of the majority party is chosen.
3. Third in the line of succession to presidency.

Extra
1. John Boehner
2.  Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy
3. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer
4. Harry Reid and Richard Durbin
5. Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn
6. Leahy Patrick
7. Joe Biden

F7

Rep. Ainee

In more provisions section, delete " and will finally be able to be open about their relationships." It does not provide any necessary information for the bill, and it can easily cause conflict with the more conservative members.

 Rep. Chad  

In sec. 4b, replace "most experienced senator" with " the senate majority leader" therefore the most powerful person in the house and senate are appointing, creating a balance of powers. Also, the "most experienced senator" is a bit vague, and could cause conflict in the senate.

Rep. Randy

In sec. 4a, delete "and to strengthen for the best of future humanity" It is a bit confusing, and does not provide a point towards the bill. Also, it is more of an opinion, rather than a fact or solution.

Rep. Scott

In sec. 4, you say there shall be no exceptions unless the mother is danger of losing her life. Doesn't that infringe on a woman’s right to choose, making this bill unconstitutional?

Rep. Iyabo

In sec. 4, replace “Citizens have a choice of selling and smoking marijuana” with “citizens have the right to sell and smoke marijuana.” This will make it clear that every citizen has this lawful right.  

Rep: La’Shay

In sec. 4c, delete "warm" in the phrase " warm healthy food." Not all healthy food has to be warm. It would limit the variety of food that can be offered. for example, sandwiches, which are cheap, are not warm, so the shelters would not be able to serve them.

Rep. Jesse
In sec. 4, you say capital punishment shall be banned all together. How will that affect the government financially? Would it increase or reduce funds?

Rep. Viviana
In sec. 4, you say the number of visas issued out shall increase from 675,000 to 750,000. Would you be able to increase it further, or is that the maximum amount with the $500,000,000 budget?

Rep. Natalia
In sec. 4, you say all public elementary schools shall be required to provide at least one foreign language starting in the first grade. What will happen to public schools that can’t afford to create new classes, even with the government grants? Will grants be given out based on the school's financial situation, or will there be a set limit on the grant?

Rep. Maydha
In sec. 4, you say officers shall be required to take a test to reveal if they are racially bias. If it is concluded, through the test, that an officer is racially bias, will that automatically disqualify them from joining the police force?

F6

113^th congress

1^st session

H.R. 987

To reduce gun violence by extending background checks to all firearm purchases, including gun show purchases.

In the House of Representatives of the United States

January 10, 2014

Taylor Wright

 

A Bill

To reduce gun violence by extending background checks to all firearm purchases, including gun show purchases.  

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

Section 1. Short Title

This Act may be cited as the ‘The Universal Background Check’

 

Section 2. Findings and Purpose.

(a)    Findings- Congress finds that-

(1)    States do not require private gun shows to give background checks. A private firearms dealer is able to sell a gun without any information.

(2)    In the Columbine massacre, the two shooters initially were denied a gun through a federal background check, but then were able to obtain firearms from a gun show, due to no requirements for background checks.

(3)    When buying from a licensed firearms dealer, it is required to have a background check. When buying from an unlicensed firearms dealer, at gun shows, background checks are not required.

(4)    The “gun show loophole” provides dangerous criminals and the mentally ill complete access to firearms, without any restrictions.  

(5)    40% of all firearms purchased in the United States are sold without background checks.

 

(b)   Purposes- the purposes of this Act are to—

(1)    Reduce gun violence.

(2)    Limit the accessibility of firearms to those who are not qualified to purchase a gun

(3)    Support the safety and well- being of the nation.

(4)    Discourage the “gun show loophole”

(5)    Prevent national tragedies, such as the Columbine massacre or the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

 

Section 3. Definitions

In this Act:

(1)    Licensed gun dealer: A firearms dealer who is required to abide by the federal gun laws, which include running background checks on all potential firearms buyers.

(2)    Unlicensed firearms dealer: A firearms dealer who sells gun privately, usually through gun shows or the internet. Unlicensed dealers abide by the States laws on private gun purchases.

 

Section 4. The Universal Background Check

(a)    In General- All potential firearm buyers shall be required to undergo a federal background check, whether the firearm is purchased privately or through a federal purchase.

 

(b)   An unlicensed dealer shall be required to have a federally licensed dealer run a background check on buyers before a purchase is made. Federally licensed dealers must verify that a buyer qualifies to obtain a firearm before a private transaction is made, be it through a gun show, internet, or any other private sales.

                                                                         

(c)    If an unlicensed dealer allows a buyer to purchase a firearms without conferring with a federally licensed dealer, the unlicensed dealer shall be in violation of the law, and be prohibited from selling firearms, and may be convicted to the mandatory minimum sentence for gun law violation.

                                                                                                                                                       

 

Section 5. Authorization of Appropriation

(a)    In General- Expenditures are needed in order to carry out this bill.

(b)   Money shall be raised through a tax.

 

Section 6. Penalty Clause.

(a)    If an illegal gun sale is taken place, a firearms dealer shall be prohibited from selling firearms, and the firearms buyer and dealer may be sentenced to time in jail for gun law violation.

F4

Problem: Today's access to guns makes it easier for people with mental illnesses to gain control of guns, which results in unnecessary gun violence, or tragedies. States are not provided adequate background information when a person purchases a gun, which results in people who should be denied a gun, obtaining one. Access to information on mental illness in federal background checks should be increased. At the moment, due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act, only a limited amount of information on mental health is needed to prohibit those with mental illnesses from obtaining a gun. Access to an adequate amount of background information on mental health will be the most effective way to accurately decide who should and shouldn't be allowed to gain control of a gun.

Existing laws: The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, also known as the NICS, is a system that is required to be used when a gun is purchased. It checks criminal records and mental illness of whoever is purchasing a gun. The NICS improvement amendments act was passed, which created incentives for states to improve the reporting of mental illnesses on federal background check. However, reports did not improve, due to congress failing to give the incentives to the states, such as funding or grants. States were only given about 5.3% of what they were actually meant to receive. The Obama Administration Justice Department was created in order to enforce those who falsify information on their background checks.

Proposal: This law will increase the access states have on mental health information in the federal background checks. Many people that have been involved in recent gun shootings have been mentally ill. Therefore, it should be a requirement to have a complete background check, rather than just the minimum amount of information needed in background checks. There should be a detailed report on a person's mental health provided by an extensive mental evaluation.

Committee: Judiciary

Sources:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/obama-announces-gun-control-actions/?_r=0

http://www.policymic.com/articles/22802/gun-control-facts-existing-gun-laws-would-reduce-crime-but-these-are-not-enforced

F3

The amount of gun violence in the United States needs to be reduced through an increase in gun control. Due to the several gun tragedies in the past decade, this issue has been brought to the public’s attention, and emphasizes the need for restrictions. Through an increase in background checks, the number of gun violence and gun tragedies can be greatly reduced.