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)