chapter 14

1.)    Justice Hugo Lafayette Black was a Supreme Court Justice from 1937 until 1971 and was appointed to that position by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Justice Black was a Democrat and represented Alabama in the United States from 1927 until 1937 when he was appointed to the position of Supreme Court Justice.  Black was noted to have been very supportive of civil rights and liberal policies throughout his career as a Senator and a Supreme Court Justice.  One of the biggest most landmark court cases Justice Black heard during his time in the Supreme Court was Engel v. Vitale.  This case dealt with the separation of church and state and public schools beginning the day with a recited prayer.  Justice Black delivered the opinion of the court for this case.  Black wrote that the court had ruled that government written prayers were not to be recited in public schools and were an unconstitutional violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment. I agree with Justice Black on his stance in this case. I also believe his views on separation of church and state are right and that there should be a strict wall of separation between church and state.

2.)    I believe that judicial review should be exercised regularly. I feel that it is very important for the judiciary system to review laws passed and actions of the other branches of government.  This ensures that the laws passed and actions of the other branches are constitutional and does not impede on the civil liberties and equal rights of all citizens of the United States.  It is the job of the courts to protect us as citizens from unjust laws and practices that may arise within the national or state level governments. 

3.)    I believe that the framers knew what was right when they wrote the Constitution. However, they knew what was right in that time period and for what was happening in the everyday life of America back then.  Times change and people change and our nation has changed dramatically since the Constitution was written.  With the changing times and changing nation our Constitution must be allowed to grow with it so that fair and just decision can be made for all citizens and it can ensure that everyone shares equal civil liberties. Many people would disagree with this reasoning of an un-strict constitution. But there is no possible way the framers of the Constitution could predict or know the future of the country and could not prepare for how much our nation has evolved, grew, and changed since 1787 when they drafted the Constitution.     

I commented on the following blogs:

Edward King:  http://edking1963.blogspot.com

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

chapter 13

1.)    I believe that many of the federal agencies that are active in today’s government are very important and have vital roles in today’s government.  I feel that the most important federal agency is the Environmental Protection agency, the EPA.  It was established by congress in 1970 to dictate and relate certain aspects when it concerns the well being of our environment.  The EPA has a unique role in the federal government, with responsibility for preserving the quality of air, water, and land. It monitors the quality of the air and the pollution levels in it, and also controls and regulates the disposal of waste and the proper of disposing waste to make certain we live in the cleanest world as possible.  It has the power to create and issue policies to protect the cleanliness of our environment which affects us in our everyday and our health as well. This is a very important agency in and it plays many crucial roles in our government today.  I believe that without the EPA our world and environment would be in much worse shape than it is today.

2.)    I believe that out of all the federal agencies I researched that the International Broadcasting Bureau would be the easiest terminated and have the least impact on government and the citizens of the United States if it were to be terminated.  With modern advances in technology such as the internet, blogs, and the newer technological devices that make the internet and news so readily available I feel that these advances have done away with the importance this agency may have carried in earlier years of its existence.  I believe that if this agency were to be disbanded it would have little effect in today’s government or in the everyday lives of citizens. I also believe that the federal funding for this agency could be used and applied to other agencies and causes that carry more weight and importance in today’s times and government.

3.)    I do not believe that any other agencies are needed necessarily.  I believe that the agencies we have in place now are sufficient in their jobs and cover most bases that we would need a federal agency for. I actually believe that there are a couple agencies that could be done away with for the simple fact that their power is very limited or that the agency itself has run its course and is no longer effective or needed in today’s times.   

I commented on the following peoples blogs:

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Pam Smith:  http://percious3355.blogspot.com

Cheyenne Canter:  http://canterc.blogspot.com

chapter 12

1.)    I believe that it takes many qualities to make a good President.  They must be honest and should have a firm stance in their beliefs and not be wishy-washy in their political views whether they be economic or social issues.  I also believe that the President should not let his or her religion affect the decisions made or their beliefs while in office.  The President should strive for equality of all citizens in the United States and make sure he does everything within his power to ensure that equality for all is instituted.  He should also be gracious and humble; no one likes an arrogant leader.  They should try to implement fair policies and tactics that would better our nation as whole and not just certain groups within it.  The President should also have firm beliefs in national security, not necessarily aggressive ones, but more of a take-no-crap approach but have the skills to negotiate and be diplomatic with other countries to prevent as many national security threats as possible.

2.)    I believe that two of our greatest presidents have been Jimmy Carter and Thomas Jefferson. Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States was a soft spoken man with strong political beliefs and stood firm in those beliefs throughout his presidency.  He also believed in equality for all American citizens and once said, “Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood.". He accomplished a great amount during his Presidency, including the SALT II treaty which sought to reduce strategic nuclear weapon manufacturing by the Soviet Union and the United States. Considering that he served during the era of the Cold War this was a very big accomplishment and eased the minds of our worried nation.  He also played a large role for peace in the Middle East when he signed the Camp David Accords. These negotiations directly resulted in the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and he was hailed for being able to negotiate peace between these two countries which were known for their shaky relations.  He also had a huge part to play in Iran Hostage Crisis. This crisis was between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days.  Just minutes after the inauguration of President Reagan these Hostages were released and Reagan got most of the credit for the release even though Carter was the President in office during this crisis.  Many believe that this crisis not being resolved at the time of the election was why Carter was not re-elected for a second term.  Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, is still considered today to be one the brightest and most intellectual people of his time.  He was a very well educated man in many fields of study.  He could read and speak Greek, Latin, French and English.  He is known as one of the framers and founders of the United States and was at the forefront of the revolution in Virginia.  He also drafted the United States Constitution. Without Thomas Jefferson and his influence on the United States during the Revolution it is safe to say that things may have turned out very differently and America would not be the great nation that it is today.

3.)    I was very unfamiliar with our tenth president, John Tyler, member of the Whig party. I learned some very interesting facts about him while doing some research. He had the most children out of any other president, 15 children, and the last when he was 70 years old. He also held many other political offices; he was a U.S. Representative, a Senator, The Governor of Virginia, and also the Vice President to President William Henry Harrison. President Harrison caught a cold after standing in the rain during his inauguration and died one month after being sworn in as president leaving the Presidency to Tyler. I do not believe he was a very affective President as many of his views were not progressive but instead regressive to the state of our nation at the time.  Tyler was very pro-slavery which angered many slavery abolitionists. As President, he vetoed many of the Whig parties proposals which made many of his cabinet members resign and resulted in him being expelled from the Whig party.  The Civil War began 16 years after Tyler’s term as President and to no surprise he sided with the confederates and served in the Confederate House of Representatives shortly before his death. Despite his shortcomings in domestic policy while he was President, he did have a few foreign policy achievements. The possibly biggest achievement was the annexation of Texas, which he devoted his last two years of office to accomplish.

I commented on the following blogs for this chapter:

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

Cheyenne Canter:  http://canterc.blogspot.com

chapter 11

11.)    The U.S. Senators for the state of Tennessee are Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. Tennessee is represented by 9 members in the House of Representatives. They are; Phil Roe, John Duncan Jr., Chuck Fleischmann, Scott DesJarlais, Jim Cooper, Diane Black, Marsha Blackburn, Stephen Fincher, and Steve Cohen. I live in the 8^th district of Tennessee and this district’s Representative is Stephen Fincher.

2.)    Congressman Jim Cooper is firm supporter of the arts and the music industry. Nashville is a part of Congressman Cooper’s jurisdiction which is a place where music flourishes and somewhere that people travel to with hopes of having a career in music. Nashville is home to many recording artists and companies, The Grand Ole Opry, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. People come from all places to visit Nashville because of its rich music history, and that is not something Congressman Cooper is willing to let die. He feels that a sound music policy is important to Nashville and he has made it one of his top priorities.  He is a co-sponsor of the Performance Rights Act, which make sure performers and artists receive proper and fair compensation for their works. He also supports the PRO-IP Act, which strengthens ownership of songs, art, etc. and makes penalties stronger for those who break the law by trying to counterfeit these artists’ ideas or works. I agree with his stances on this topic and feel that more people in his position should take an interest in the arts and the music industry. I firmly support the arts because music has helped me overcome man obstacles in my life. I feel that the arts have lost a lot of their support over the years especially in our schools, especially in rural and underprivileged areas. I hope that someday music and art will once again be supported in the school system as it once was.  I believe that music could be an amazing and positive influence in young people’s lives as it has been in mine.

3.)    Bob Corker is a strong supporter of the pro-life movement in reference to abortion and believes that life starts at conception.  I disagree with his stance on the abortion issue. I believe that abortion is the woman’s choice and that women should have the right and liberty to make that decision for themselves. I do not believe that government should mandate or put limitations on this right or freedom. Furthermore due to his stances on abortion Corker does not support embryonic stem-cell research but does support adult stem-cell research. I support him in his beliefs on adult stem-cell research but disagree with his beliefs in embryonic stem-cell research. I believe that stem-cell research could hold the key to many of the questions that we are looking to answer in the health care world regarding diseases and other terminal illnesses whether it be adult or embryonic stem-cell research.

 

 I commented on the following blogs:

Cheyenne Canter:  http://canterc.blogspot.com

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

chapter 10

1.)    I believe that Bush was right to call for a stop of the recounting and agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling that to make an attempt to “guess” at the voters ballot choice was a violation of the equal protection laws. I don’t believe that there was any fair way to try to decipher of make an educated guess of what another person cast their ballot for. I believe we need to have better systems in place to record or save the ballot cast so that the intent of voters can be revisited and not all information will be lost so this instance will not re-occur.

2.)    Yes I do believe that elections are too dependent on fundraising, and that it is unfair that good candidates are not able to run because they are not able to raise the right amount of money.  I think that fundraising for elections isn't necessarily a good thing though. I believe that candidates running for office should fund their own campaign. If someone would like to donate to their cause in support of the candidate they believe in, then that is great! But I do not feel that fundraisers should be held. I feel that the government cannot do too much more to regulate or monitor campaign spending as they have already set up regulations and guidelines for campaign spending.

3.)    I believe that turnout is low for a few reasons. One reason I believe turnout is low is because people don’t feel as if their vote counts and do not see the importance of voting or exercising that freedom. I believe that most people take the right and freedom to vote for granted.  I firmly believe that everyone should exercise their right to vote because this is a freedom fought for by not only our armed forces but was also fought for by civil rights activists and women suffragettes. Being a woman, I feel that it would not only be disrespectful to  my government to not exercise my right to vote but also to the women who came before and took a stand for women’s equal rights.  Because of these great women I have the freedom to vote and a way for my voice to be heard as an equal citizen. I believe that turnout will continue to increase the more the process is simplified and made easier, and with newer technology to appeal to younger voters.  

I commented on the following blogs:

Cheyenne Canter:  http://canterc.blogspot.com
Pam Smith:  http://percious3355.blogspot.com

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

chapter 9

1.)    Out of the two major political parties I would have to say that I lean more to the Democratic Party as opposed to the Republican Party. I have way too many liberal beliefs when it comes to social issues to be associated with the Republican Party.  I agree with the majority of the beliefs and practices of the Democratic Party. Democrats believe that same-sex marriages should be made legal and that for it to be illegal for gays to marry it infringes on their equal rights as an American Citizen, which I strongly agree with. They also believe that abortion should be left at pro-choice, which I also agree that the decision to have an abortion should be left to the woman getting the procedure and no limitations should be put on that woman’s rights to that procedure.  Democrats also believe that these two social issues are fundamental constitutional rights, and I also believe them to be the very basic right of everyone to be equal in the United States. I further agree with the Democratic Party that God and all religion should be removed from politics and that it has no place in today’s government. I also support the Democratic Parties stances on the economic issues we face in today’s government. They believe that taxes should be reduced for middle class and working families, not for millionaires or the wealthy, as I too believe. 

2.)    If America could operate unbiased with solely the best interest and equality of ALL of its citizens then I believe that we could operate without political parties. Sadly, this is not how are government operates.  We have political parties because so many people are separated in their beliefs when it comes to both economic and social issues.  I do not believe our government would be able to operate without political parties in today’s times because beliefs are so diverse. I believe that is partially due to religion greatly influences our law makers and government officials and no separation of church and state in today’s government.  I also believe that citizens rely on political parties to help them establish their beliefs. These parties make it easier for citizens to know where they stand and which nominee has the same beliefs as they do in an election. 

3.)    The Libertarian Party is the fastest growing party currently in the United States. I agree with a lot of stances that this party takes; however, I do disagree with some of their beliefs.  I agree with this party as they believe in strong civil rights. I agree with this party in reference to their belief that government power should be more limited than it is now but maybe not as much as this party believes it should be. I believe that we need a strong government when it comes to national crisis’ for our nation to survive but do feel that the government should operate on the very fundamental of equality when it comes to social issues, which we do not operate under today and feel that with the limited government this party believes it equality for all would be achieved easier.  This party strongly believes in separation of church and state as I do. I do not agree with this party when they say that we should not be a part of the United Nations or NATO. I feel that both of these organizations are in place for a reason and help us maintain peace with other countries.  

I commented on the following blogs for this chapter:

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

David Smith:  http://simplydwsmith.blogspot.com

chapter 8

1.)    From table 8.1 in the text I chose the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). This union helps thousands of musicians daily by negotiating fair settlements, protecting ownership of recorded music, and by lobbying in our government. The AFM strives to raise the music industry standards, help professional musicians be discovered, and make sure that musicians are treated fairly in business negotiations. I first of all learned that there was a union for professional musicians who sought to help these musicians receive equal and fair pay for their services. They strongly support the arts and in fairness of treatment to performers, which I appreciate. I agree with their view points on making the music industry a better, more conventional work environment and in their mission to enhance the music industry while supporting equality for all artists.

2.)    I positively associate with the American’s United for Separation of Church and State, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit interest group. This group strongly believes that all religions should be kept separate from governmental proceedings so that we as a nation can truly practice freedom of religions, and so that other groups will not be prejudiced against because laws reflect certain religions. I strongly agree with this view. The separation of church and state are imperative to a just nation. They also believe in and celebrate all religions and seeks a nation where all citizens may freely pursue their beliefs and own personal convictions. I additionally concur with this. The Americans United for Separation of Church and State has a firm grounding of morals and beliefs that I am in the same opinion with.

3.)    I believe that some interest groups do have too much influence and power in today’s political system, but also feel that some interest groups do not have enough influence. I also agree that there is a fine line between freedom of speech and keeping unfair persuasion out of government and believe that the line is often crossed. I believe that this line is crossed when an interest groups main agenda is pushed through our government and it impedes upon the rights and equality of other citizens within the United States. I also believe that this line can be crossed when the interest groups’ beliefs can be harmful to us a nation and when it could possibly have more of a negative effect on our country than a positive one.

I commented on the following peoples blogs:

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Cheyenne Canter:  http://canterc.blogspot.com

chapter 7

1.)    I believe that some objectivity does exist in today’s media coverage but not much. Most major news networks are biased one way or the other. I feel that out of all the major networks the two that are the least biased would have to be PBS. I also feel that foreign countries media coverage of politics in the United are more objective than most of the networks in our own country because they can have an outsiders point of view on the issues. The most biased and least objective news stations I would have to say would be Fox News by far and MSNBC.  In their news reports, Fox tends to favor the Republican Party and usually somehow interweaves their opinion in with their news reports. CNN also tends to be a little more objective than most other networks, but on some topics they tend to favor the Democratic Party.

2.)    Talk radio really doesn’t affect my view on politics; I have my set of beliefs on political issues and do not sway on them. I enjoy listening to these talk radio shows to hear others views and how they approach the issues they are discussing at the time and to hear if I agree or disagree with them, but I already have very strong convictions on political issues.

3.)    I believe that media objectivity is very important. I feel that for news stations to give a fair report with all truths they cannot respect one side or the other when it comes to politics.  When political stories are ran on today’s news station’s, I believe that their personal opinions, convictions, and beliefs should be left out of it and only the facts reported on. The only time I believe opinions should enter a news story is if they have special guests representing both sides, but opinions should not come from the news station itself or the anchors and reporters they employ.

I commented on the following blogs for chapter 7:

Tinisha Key:  http://keytd.blogspot.com

Robert Cook:  http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com

Pam Smith:  http://percious3355.blogspot.com

chapter 6

1.)    I do feel that news agencies do rely on polls a little too much when reporting about elections. All we hear about in the news around election time are polls on who won this debate or who is winning what state. Although these polls are informative I think that they should not be focused on as much as they are in news media today. I do think that polls are a good idea and that it is appropriate for news channels and other media to cast polls and report on them because it helps the public see where certain things in politics and elections stand.

2.)    Political party identification has never really been crucial to me. I tend to fall under more of the Democratic or Libertarian parties but have never really put a label on my political beliefs and choose to be independent in my political views. Political party identification is more important to my parents and grandparents than it is to me. They tend to associate with one or the other. The majority of my friends fall under the same category that I do, in which they do not really associate with one party or the other. My group of friends and I believe that in an election political parties do not really matter. What matters is which candidate stands for the same beliefs that we have and has the policies economically, socially, and wants equal rights for all.

3.)    My political views are influenced by both economic and social issues. One issue is no more important than the other. I worry about the state of our nation economically because I see the suffering people are enduring because I live in a community that has one of the highest unemployment and poverty rates, so I see firsthand the struggle the people in our nation are going through in today’s current economic situation. I also have strong opinions on the social issues that our government is faced with today. Issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage are just a couple of the social issues that are highly debated in this election and in government today. I tend to fall under the Democratic party again when it comes to these issues. When it comes to abortion I am pro-choice: who are we to say what a woman can or cannot do to her body? I also believe that same-sex marriage should made legal in all states not just the select few it is today, and that we should grant people of all sexual orientations equal rights because they are just as much of an American as every straight person who discriminates against them. So I would say that my political views and beliefs are influenced by both economic and social issues.

For chapter 6 I commented on the following classmates blog posts:
-Pam Smith (http://percious3355.blogspot.com)
-Cheyenne Canter (http://canterc.blogspot.com)
-Robert Cook (http://rcookclassblog.blogspot.com)

chapter 5

1.)     I believe the government does all that they can to reduce instances of racial discrimination. Granted the government cannot always prevent such instances. I feel no matter their efforts there will always be bias against peoples of a different race, simply because a lot of people within our nation do not understand another races ways or are ignorant to their culture and beliefs. The lack of knowledge and comprehension produces assumptions about different races and that is wrong. With the Civil Rights Movement, many races, not only African Americans, gained more rights and eventually equal liberties in the United States. There will always be bigotry and racial discrimination no matter what the government does to aid in the equal rights of races in the United States. This is a sad statement, but a true one.

2.)    Gender discrimination is still an issue in today’s society. Women have made great progress to obtain the right to be on an equal playing field with men; however, there is much room for improvement. Before the Women’s Suffrage Movement, women weren’t even allowed to vote, but thanks to strong women with big voices we now have that right.  In the workplace however, not always do women get the same pay, benefits, or positions that a male co-worker would. I have witnessed many women who hold the same position as male counterparts yet they do not receive the same pay or respect. I do not believe this is right and believe that government should make more of an effort to equalize pay for women in the workplace.

3.)    Discrimination against sexual orientation is a hot topic in our government today. I do not believe that the government has done very much to aid in the equal rights of people with sexual orientations other than heterosexual. Homosexual acts are still even considered illegal in some states and are only protected by the privacy act, which means a gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. couple can only show affection in the privacy of their own home. I feel that a lot of this issue comes back to separation of church and state. I believe that if our government truly practiced separation of church and state that people of the homosexual or bisexual orientation would have equal rights (i.e. right to be married and show affection in public). Our leaders and law makers let their Christian faith and values influence their opinions when making such laws. This should not happen and should not be allowed to happen, and yet it does. Our nation stands upon equality for all. Yet, our government turns around makes it illegal for two persons of the same sex  (American citizens) that love each other to get married because of their religion doesn’t agree with it. If they let their religion influence the laws that are passed how can we say that they practice and follow the establishment clause? How does our government not see that this is unconstitutional?  How is there are equal rights for all?  How can you say that we have separation of church and state when clearly one specific religion influences our politicians and the laws that they pass? So in conclusion, I feel that the government has done very little to support or gain equal rights for all sexual orientations. I further believe that it is time for our government to step-up to the plate, stop discriminating, and do something about this issue. 

chapter 4

1.)    Not only do I feel that freedom of speech is important, I believe that is crucial to our nation and us as citizens to maintain our freedom. It is necessary that we as a people of a free nation have the right to have a voice and the right to speak out against circumstances and laws that we do not agree with.  I do not feel that the freedom goes too far at all, the only instances that I believe free speech should not be protected is if the speech is a form of hate speech (i.e. against a group of people such as races, genders, or sexual orientations) or if the speech means to demean or threaten our government.

2.)    I feel that if our government is to make fair laws that give equal rights to all citizens and people living in this country separation of church and state is crucial, although I believe that there is not much of a separation of church and state in today’s government.  I feel that our elected officials and law makers cannot or should not let their personal convictions of religion come into play when making laws for this country.  In the United States we have freedom of religion, meaning that there are a vast amount of religions practiced in this country. Laws should not reflect or show support of one religion or the other. If our government puts laws into place and makes things illegal that impede on other people’s rights simply because that is their personal belief and what they have been taught in their religion, how you can say that we have freedom of religion or that everyone in this country is equal? Some laws that are in place today do reflect or show support to a certain religion, and I do not agree with this. Religion should have no factor in law making and has no place in government.  When we make laws all that should be discussed or worried about is if the law is constitutional, and if that law gives people equal rights or takes away from their equality as American citizens.

3.)    I believe that defendants rights are very important to our government and that the amount of rights that defendants currently have are not excessive by any means. Everyone who is accused of committing a crime is entitled to a fair and speedy trial and to be tried by a jury of their peers. Our government also has other rules in place such as warrants, right to counsel, and self incrimination. All of these policies are put into place to protect us, our privacy, and our rights as U.S. citizens. Without these rules and regulations in place we would have a very poor justice system and innocent people would be convicted of crimes more than they are today. Granted there are many bad people out there that commit heinous crimes that may not deserve these rights in our opinions, but they are still an American citizen and are still entitled to these rights and to be treated equally as all others.  I know many people do believe that defendant’s rights are excessive, but try to put yourself in the defendant’s shoes. What if it were you on trial for a crime you may or may not have committed? You would want fairness and all of these rights granted to you, just as you and everyone else deserves.

chapter 3

1.)    I do believe that a strong national government is necessary and that the majority of the power and big decision making should be held by the national government.  If state governments had equal or more powers than the national government, then states would become selfish and put their own individual states needs before that of the nation as a whole. The unity of the individual states is also important for other reason such as military necessity.

2.)    The onset of the Great Depression power began to shift to the national government because the entire nation was in a poor economic state and the people wanted action and aid from national government.  When the nation began to come out of the Depression and at the beginning of the Nixon administration, powers began to flow back to the state governments, again as it rightly should have. At that time, after the nation’s foundation as a whole was stable with Nixon and Reagan administrations, we began to practice New Federalism.  The main idea behind New Federalism and general revenue sharing and block grants, was that the states could more efficiently spend governmental resources where that specific states needed it better than the national government could.  This shift was very necessary in my opinion. During the great depression, we suffered a national crisis which called for unity and a strong national government to fix the issue. After these issues were resolved, power began to shift back to the states where it had originally lied so that the states could solve state issues and leave large matters that affected the entire nation to the national government.

3.)    I believe that national, state, and local governments should all aid and support education financially and in other ways, but the authority to regulate education should lie with the national government. Education or what is taught in our schools should not be regulated or determined by individual states or local governments.  I believe that the same curriculum taught in Tennessee schools should be taught in California schools – all schools within the nation should have the same curriculum or syllabus. This way all state educational systems are on the same page and our children are all learning the same material regardless of race, creed, gender, or social standing.  Every child deserves not only the best education that we as a nation can provide but they also deserve an equal opportunity education and that can be achieved through facilitating a national curriculum.    

chapter 2

1.)    The Articles of the Confederation were the first initial governing authority of the United States which gave Congress limited basic powers such as disputes between states, coin money, and establish post offices. The Article’s united the thirteen separate states and established the United States of America. Most powers lied within State Legislature. The primary disadvantage was the limited power that Congress held over the states that led to each state selfishly looking out for themselves which often affected the majority vote within Congress and thus making other states suffer greatly.  The switch to the Constitution made governing much easier and gave majority power to congress to make over all decisions that affected everyone. The Constitution established separation of powers, checks and balances, and further added a judiciary system to help ensure self-interest or dishonesty were not issues.

2.)    The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the constitution which provide our basic political rights.  Without the Bill of Rights, we as citizens would be voiceless, powerless, and have no say in today’s government and law making. Also, many citizens’ ideas, beliefs, and religion in today’s America would be suppressed.  We would be unable to voice our opinions on political issues and the right to protest or petition laws and politics that we as individuals believe to be unfair or unconstitutional would not be possible. In order to protect our rights, I believe that the Bill of Rights is extremely crucial in the type of national government that we now have. These ten amendments give us freedom, give us a voice, and also protect us from unjust legal proceedings. Without the Bill of Rights the United Sates would undoubtedly be in an extreme state of unrest and revolt may possibly occur - just as it did when our founders fought for independence against the suppression of Great Britain.

3.)    Is capital punishment constitutional? I personally do agree with the death penalty and sometimes feel that the judicial system is somewhat lenient with the sentences that are given to people convicted of heinous crimes, such as murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a child. If a person is so cruel that they can commit these senseless crimes, unless proven beyond a doubt to have a mental disease that caused this behavior, I do think that the option of the death penalty as punishment should be visited. I do not believe that federal government should make a law requiring all states to hand down capital punishments; this should be determined by state legislature, as it is now.  When a person is tried for a crime, they are tried by a jury of their peers. If capital punishment is legal in that state, I do agree that the jury made of the defendants peers should be the ones to recommend or decide the punishment whether it be life imprisonment or the death penalty.  Ultimately the matter of capital punishment boils down to personal conviction, and in my personal conviction I do believe the death penalty is constitutional.

me, myself, and I

Hi! My name is Jesse Griffith, I go by Jesse or JesseRhae. I am 18 years old, and I live in a very small community called Pioneer which is located in Scott County, TN. I reside at home with my mom and brother. Although I am a small town girl, I have big dreams. In my spare time I like to sing and play the piano. I attend Roane State Community College, and my major is Rad Tech. I hope to work at Children’s Hospital someday in the future. From this class I hope to gain knowledge to establish my political views, and I also want to understand the structure of the United States Government.