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