chapter 14 blog

Chapter 14 Blog

            Elena Kagan, Associate Justice. She was a deputy assistant for Domestic Policy and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council. It seems to have been a long road for her to get to where she is today.  In Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the case was about a class action suit by women employees of Wal-Mart for discrimination, women making 81 cents to the men making a dollar. The women in the class action suit wanted back pay. There were massive amounts of women in this class action suit. Justice Scalia wrote for five members that there was not a single question that covered all the employees in the suit. The dissent, by Justice Ginsburg with other justices were, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. I agree with Justice Ginsburg that they should have sided with the lower court that the lawsuit was justified. Their practice of giving local discretion in employment decisions could bring on more discrimination.

          Sparingly.You can’t go any higher for a decision.They have just so many cases they hear while they are in session.

                  They should interpret the constitution.

                 There have been so many things that have changed since it was written.        

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Blog

1.       The U.S Food and Drug Administration is in my opinion the most important agency. They protect the public health of humans and animals. They make regulations on food and drugs. They have inspectors that go out to these places that make the food and drugs and inspect them. The FDA also regulates tobacco with warning labels on cigarette packs.

2.       The United States Botanical Garden.  It’s basically a show place. You can tour it and see all the flowers and plants. They can show you how to plant, but you can read the instructions on the plants you buy and it will tell you how to plant it, what sunlight it needs, how deep to plant them and how far apart to plant each one. I don’t see a need for the United States Botanical Garden.

3.       I don’t know that another agency is needed. I looked at all of them on the Government agency we site and it looks like it’s all covered and then some. 

Chapter 12 blog

Chapter 12 blog

1.       What makes a president great?

 Doing right by the people of the United States. Not fighting a war that we don’t need to be involved in. Reasonable taxes for everyone. Lowering the cost of health care. Lowering the wages of government officials. Raising the wages when the cost of living goes up. I’m sure we will not see these happening anytime in our lives. I think that would make a great president in this economy.

2.       The 2 presidents that have been the greatest were Franklin D. Roosevelt because he wanted to put cash into the people’s hands, but didn’t want to give handouts. He made programs like the national labor relations act that was a federal oversight for working conditions and labor disputes. The Tennessee Valley Authority and the conservation corps. Which, employed and trained workers. The second president is Abraham Lincoln, he wanted peace, and he freed the slaves. He said this nation, under God, will have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, will not perish from the earth. Great words from a great man.

3.       Abraham Lincoln was an effective president. He said there is no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, he has the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it. His plan for peace was flexible and generous. He was reelected and ended the civil war. Inscribed on one wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds....“ Those words are very moving. I think he was a sincere and kind man that wanted to do the right thing for the people of the United States.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 blog

Bush v. Gore election was a real mess. I remember that election, Jeb Bush was governor of Florida. Yes it should have gone to the Supreme Court. That was the best option to settle it and get a president in office.

Fundraising is important to get the word out. Television ads have to be paid for along with gas to travel to different states to campaign, campaign signs, and banners. All kinds of political expenses to get your name and ideas out to the people. If there’s no money, then there’s no campaigning. I don’t have any ideas to correct the problem. If you don’t have the support of a party, or know the right people, then you are on your own.

Low voter turnout is because people don’t believe the politicians anymore. They are fed up with the way things are being run in the United States. Unemployment is at nine percent. People losing their homes, and everyone is so mad and depressed over the economy. There would have to be a real smooth talking person to get people to sit up and listen and vote.

Blog Chapter 9

I am a democrat. I believe in working families, affordable housing and affordable health care. Lower taxes for the middle class workers. Job security and retirements plans are important. There isn’t anything in the democratic platform that I disagree with.

I don’t know if America needs political parties and maybe the founders knew what was best for America. Would it work today?   I don’t have an answer about that.  But, I wonder, would the politicians know what the people of America want without the parties?

The Citizens Party of 2012 is for the middle class citizens that are tired of the way the country is being run by the two big parties. They don’t think they really know what we want. That they are being swayed by the rich for their political purposes. 

Chapter 8 blog

Blog Chapter 8

I was a member of the United Steelworkers of America for six years when I worked at Tennessee Valley Steel.  The issues that they have are the same as mine. The middle class working person, health care, wages, a good pension, keeping American jobs here. America is going down the tubes, and we stand here and watch. Feeling hopeless at times wondering what is going to happen to the middle class worker. Working at Tennessee valley steel, we had good wages, good health insurance, good working conditions and safety was the number one concern.  I haven’t seen those things since then, and don’t know if I ever will.

The UAW, United Auto Workers Union, the union of the big 3 automakers. I was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1955, and I have always heard from mom and dad and my uncles that if you worked at one of the big 3 automakers, that the union will take care of you.  My Family are big union supporters.  The union supports the working middle class families. Better wages and health care, among other issues.

Depending on what interest group it is, in my opinion some could have more power in the political system. Freedom of speech is very important to us all. But, no one should be able to own a politician to get what they want. That is rich people being greedy. That’s just my opinion.  

chapter 7 blog

Chapter 7 blog

1. Objectivity still exists in media coverage of politics from what I see on NBC news. That is the only one I watch and that isn’t often. NBC news isn’t biased either.

2. How does talk radio affect my view on politics? I have never listened to talk radio, so I can’t answer that either. I have heard of Rush Limbaugh but not Air America.


3. Is media objectivity important? Yes it is important, they should not try and sway people into thinking like they do about politics. I want to read about politics or watch on tv and come to my own decision about how I feel about how the country is being run. I did read on aol about Obama couldn’t get the health care plan passed and he is dropping it. I did not read the entire article. There were no leaning right or left about it. If I did read anything about politics and they are being biased I would stop reading it.

Chapter 6 Blog

Blog Chapter 6

1.  Polls- are American news media too dependent upon polls?
 Is it appropriate for news agencies to create polls and then report on them?
 Why or why not?

a.     I think Polls are a good way to inform the public of the presidents rating of running our country.  The President looks at the polls, and if he wants a second term he may want to rethink on the mistakes he has made and find out what Americans want. We still have high unemployment and high foreclosures. Yes I think it’s appropriate for news agencies to create polls and give Americans a report on them.  I don’t think they are dependent on them. I think they are giving us information on what we want to know, or should know.

2.     How important is party identification to you as a democrat, republican or liberal? Was it more or less important to your friends? Why or why not?

a.     It used to be important to me; I was all democrat and wouldn’t vote for any other party. But now I’m changing my way of thinking. All of it is messed up. We need fresh thoughts of what Americans want. What they are doing now is not working. My friends are angry with the president and the government. They are not for any political party. They think that they have run this country in the ground and we may never recover from it.

3.     Do you feel that your opinion of politics is more influenced by economic issues or social issues? Why?

a.      Economics because of unemployment and the debt. If they cut government spending, it would be on the democratic side. Republicans won’t give in very much. They are for the wealthy and the Democrats are for the middle class and poor. And what happens when they raise the debt ceiling? They will just keep raising it and not pay it back.

Chapter 5 Blog

Chapter 5 Blog

The issue of race-

I think they have done what they could for racial discrimination. For some it will never be enough.  I have come across people over the years that think they are discriminated against in so many ways.  I think they have the same rights as we do the same chances that we do. But to some it’s not enough.

The issue of gender-

In the workplace women are discriminated against like equal pay in some cases. In factories and construction where it’s a male dominated work place. Some men think women don’t belong in some construction areas like bulldozing and welding. I think if a woman can do the job then she should be paid the same wages and be respected by others on the job.  And as for sexual harassment it isn’t as bad as it used to be. I’m sure it still happens but there is a lot of awareness about it posted on boards at work places. People can be cruel about it saying she wanted this or she deserved this. No one deserves to be harassed or be afraid to go to work because of harassment.

The issue of sexual orientation.

Gays in the military, don’t ask, don’t tell. I think it’s really stupid. Why should anybody care what your sexual orientation is.  People make a bigger deal out of it then they should. To me it’s like the right to privacy. It’s nobody’s business. Military or personal.  Gays should have a right to marry who they want. It shouldn’t make any difference to anybody what their sexual orientation is.

Chapter 4

               

Freedom of speech is important, but should be limited. If you have something to say about the government or the president , that would be ok as long as you don’t say something like I’m going to kill the president or bomb the white house.  To harm someone is very wrong, just because you don’t like the color of their skin or the things that they say.  The freedom of the press is good to because without them no one would know what’s going on around our nation or the world.  I think freedom of speech goes too far sometimes.  It should not be protected for anything that relates to degrading a person, mean comments to people with disabilities, bullying children, threatening someone either in person or on the internet.  To me it is unnecessary to purposely hurt someone with words of violence,  trying to start a war by rioting.  It’s okay to take a stand for what you believe, just not with violent words or throwing rocks, bottles or burning flags.

There should be a separation of church and state. I don’t think they should teach religion in schools.  There are a lot of people that don’t go to church but do believe in god. School‘s are suppose to teach children math, social studies, reading, and writing. Religion should be taught in church.  If you taught religion in schools, would it be all of them or just one type? I don’t know what it would be. I do know that it would be confusing to a child if that child never went to church or the school was teaching them something different then what they know from church.

                Accused criminals should have some rights until they are convicted. After that happens all their rights should be taken away. I do agree with the search and seizer laws, and the Miranda rights. However, I think police officials sometimes go through the Miranda rights so fast that the person being arrested truly does not understand or forgets what their rights are. There have been people arrested and interrogated for hours because they have not thought about getting a lawyer because they are too nervous and can’t think. I believe the Miranda rights should be given to a suspect twice. First, while being arrested and second before interrogations, so that a person really understands what they have a right to. The length of time of an interrogation that law enforcement uses is wrong in my opinion, I know they try and wear that person down to confess, but they should not be able to pressure that person for 12 or more hours or play good cop, bad cop. If they have evidence that proves this person did this crime then the interrogation should not be that long. Just put them in jail; let them have an attorney and wait for trial. 

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

1.  If the government and the states had equal share of power it would be a huge mistake. They all would be fighting against each other and us, as a nation, would look weak.

2.  Reagan didn’t like the government having all the power because he thought they were the problem. So he scaled them back and put blocks on grants so they couldn’t spend money on general revenue spending.

3.  I think the government should be in charge of education and funding and not the states so our kids in all states have a fair chance to get a good education.

Chapter 2 Blog

The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is important to me and many others I assume because it gives us many rights, like the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to assemble. The ninth amendment says we have the right to education, employment, housing and medical care. People would be living in the streets and starving if we didn't have the right to employment and housing. Our right to privacy, 1973 Roe v. Wade case, it was ruled that abortion is a private matter and so it is protected by the constitution. Without the right to privacy anyone could come in our homes and use our names for their own purpose. The right to privacy protects you, your home and your belongings from being taken, your medical records and the mail you receive. It protects your personal information. The internet security you have on your pc or laptop protects your information from being hacked into and taken by someone to use to get credit cards. That would ruin you financially. It is so important to protect ourselves, and with the right to privacy to help us.

Democracy and ideology

I think Americans take democracy for granted because they were born into it, learned about it in school and brought up to believe in democracy. Americans have never experienced another type of government such as a dictatorship.  I think that separation of powers is crucial to our government system so that no one person has complete control over our nation.  The three branches of government are legislative, executive, and judicial. In these three branches officials are elected and appointed, to give Americans a voice in who runs the country in what we think is the best way. The ideology spectrum for me is moderate.  I see things on both sides that the government should and should not be involved in.  For example, the government should not be involved in privately owned businesses and people’s personal lives.  However, the government should be involved in airline safety and security, regulating banks and taxes.

saying hi

Hi, my name is Patty McLees I'm 56 yrs old. I have been married for 20 yrs, between us we have 5 children and 9 grandchildren. We have 1 dog, Abby and 3 cats, Samantha, Tabitha and Tabby. I was born in Detroit, Michigan and moved to Rockwood, TN in 1980. I went to massage therapy school but I no longer do this because of back and knee issues. I was babysitting my grandaughter and now she is in school. I wanted to go back to school for a new career. I'm new to the whole blogging, tweeting and college experience, but eager to learn.