Essay Seis

A) Both age and education have a positive correlation to voting. As age and education increase for an individual, so does the likelihood of voting. The one exception to this rule extreme old age. As a person gets very old, it becomes harder for them to vote due to ailments or other issues.

B) One electoral voter requirement that decreases voter turnout in most states is the voter registration that must occur well before the election. This decreases voter turnout because it requires planning well ahead. In the few states that allow registration on the day of the election, voter turnout is higher than in the states that do not.

C) One linkage institution other than voting is the mass media. The media connects people with government in many ways. It can get the public's opinion onto the political agenda by bringing issues into the minds of politicians. The media can also connect people with government by showing political adds. This helps people better understand the opinions and stances of politicians who are running. Overall, the media can link the thoughts of politicians to the people and the thoughts of the people to politicians.

Essay Cinco

A) There are many ways that a group politics in order to try to push their opinions. Litigation is one way to do this. Litigation is simply taking legal action and can be used by interest groups to change interpretations of the constitution. This can also get huge media attention and in turn get issues on the policy agenda. Giving money to a campaign is another good way to push a group's opinions. In this approach, a group gives a candidate who supports their ideas money in the hopes that they will get elected and then vote for policies that positively effect the groups interests. If a group were to use grassroots lobbying or mass mobilization they gain the advantage of public support. This puts an idea into the minds of many people which helps the idea get media attention and political consideration.

B) The primary technique used by the NRA to influence government is campaign contributions. They use campaign contributions to help elect candidates who are in favor of the NRA's beliefs (like the second amendment and less government restriction on guns/gun ownership). The NRA uses this technique over litigation because they know that it is doubtful that anything in the Constitution will change in their favor. They prefer campaign contributions to litigation on a smaller scale because in the current political situation, many people are advocating for stricter gun laws and more regulation. The NRA doesn't use grassroots lobbying or mass mobilization as much because the issue that they advocate for already has a fairly clear-cut line. The chances of grassroots lobbying making someone change their mind about guns is very low and would therefore not be nearly as effective as campaign contributions.

Wyden is Coming

Biography:  Senator Ron Wyden is a democrat from Wichita, Kansas. He was born there on May 3, 1949 but now calls Portland his hometown. Wyden is also a family man. He has a loving wife, Nancy, and 5 children: Adam, Lily, William Peter, Ava Rose, and Scarlett Willa.

After attending UC Santa Barbara to play basketball, Wyden transferred to Stanford where he earned his BA. Wyden then got his JD from U of O. He went on to teach gerontology in various Oregon schools and then found a nonprofit legal organization. Ron later joined the house and then became a senator as he is today.

Committees:
Energy and Natural Resources
Finance
Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
Budget
Select Committee on Intelligence
Special Committee on Aging
Joint Committee on Taxation

Issues: Ron Wyden is a strong supporter of seniors. He sponsored the bill, Independence at Home, which gives a small group of seniors on Medicare the ability to receive in-home medical care for their chronic illness. Usually these seniors are cared for by family or moved into a home. To avoid both of these strenuous situations seniors can get quality care from a trained professional while still staying in their homes. This hopefully lowers medical bills and hospital visits in the future.  The bill is supported under the new health care reform, Obamacare, and should be available to seniors in need soon.

On the topic of education, Wyden has made some progress for those looking to attend college. He authored the College Tuition Savings Act which eliminates taxes on college tuition savings accounts. He also is currently co-sponsoring the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act where students can see reliable, predicted income levels for the field they plan on entering so that they can plan accordingly. The goal of this bill is to make higher education a calculated investment with a higher chance of paying off after graduation.


Questions: What are your thoughts on/how do you plan to decrease the cost of tuition for college students?

You advocate for a lot of spending on seniors. Where does this money come from?

On the topic of your Student Right to Know Act, if students presumably choose career paths that cost the least in in college and have the highest expected salaries, what will happen to the numerous other professions that are necessary but may not be as desirable based on this philosophy?

Philippines Fix

Recently the Philippines was struck by a major disaster. A gigantic typhoon devastated much of the country and although they are facing many issues, one stands out above all else. The key to helping the people of the Philippines is getting them clean water and avoiding a massive cholera outbreak. They are in a similar situation to Haiti where water was contaminated and cholera ran rampant. In order to avoid this, money should be spent on solar powered water filtration machines.

These machines should be distributed through the PATH Foudation Philippines. This is the best method of distribution for many reasons. Firstly, as a nonprofit, PATH doesn't pay taxes. This means more money can go towards the filtration systems. Next, they know the area, how to distribute, and how to get to relief where it needs to go. They are based in the Philippines so they know the region well. Their goal is to promote health and sustainability in the region, which perfectly coincides with the plan to distribute solar powered water filtration systems. They are also cost effective compared to other charities because they are local. 37 cents of every dollar goes directly to relief.

These solar powered water filtration systems are the relief of the future, especially in areas like the Philippines. They have an abundance of water and sunlight. When we use this sunlight to convert undrinkable water into drinking water, we can eradicate most waterborne illness. By enacting this plan we can expedite recovery and help the country greatly.

Solar Powered Water Filter: http://www.gereports.com/solar-powered-water-purification-units-ship-to-haiti/

PATH: http://www.pfpi.org

Ford and Watergate

The Watergate Scandal changed American politics forever. Members of Richard Nixon's committee to reelect the president (CREEP) broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee to place wire taps and steal election information. When the initial bugs failed to work properly, members of CREEP broke in again.  After a security guard noticed tape on the locks, he called the police and the CREEP members were caught with very suspicious information on them. One important article of information was the phone number to a White House line.

Although it was inconclusive if Nixon was related to the break-in, he definitely played a large role in the cover-up. As History.com concludes,"[t]his was a more serious crime than the break-in: It was an abuse of presidential power and a deliberate obstruction of justice. Meanwhile, seven conspirators were indicted on charges related to the Watergate affair. At the urging of Nixon’s aides, five pleaded guilty and avoided trial; the other two were convicted in January 1973." Nixon also raised and spent money to help hush, or at least quiet down the scandal. He ended up firing a judge and getting very deep into the cover-up, which was, as stated above, even worse than the break-in itself. 


When Nixon knew he was made and could no longer function as president, he stepped down from office. This meant that he would not be impeached, but he still had the threat of being charged with his offenses. This all changed only a few weeks later when president Gerald Ford stepped into office. 

Soon after becoming president Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon of all crimes committed during his presidency. With a presidential pardon one never has to face criminal charges. This meant that Nixon was completely free from all involvement in the watergate scandal. History.com states that, "[m]illions of Americans wanted to see the disgraced former president brought to justice. Some critics charged that Ford issued the pardon as part of a pre-arranged deal to reach the Oval Office." Of course Ford disagreed with this logic. He claimed that his reasoning was to put watergate behind us. America needed to begin a "healing process" and to restore faith in government. Unfortunately Ford's presidency didn't do this. He frequently vetoed bills and struggled for support. Overall, letting Nixon come to trial may have drastically changed Gerald Ford's presidency. 

Sources: http://www.history.com/topics/gerald-r-ford

               http://www.history.com/topics/watergate

               http://www.washingtonpost.com/watergate

FURK Numero Dos

1) The constitution can be changed in many ways. Formally, only two ways have ever been used. One way to formally amend the constitution is by getting 2/3 of each house of congress to vote for it and then to have 3/4 of all state legislatures ratify it. Another, less popular route, is by getting 2/3 of each house of congress to vote for it and then have 3/4 of all state conventions to ratify it. This is rare because state conventions are rare and this is why only the twenty-first amendment followed this path.

The constitution can also be changed informally. One way that this occurs is by the process of judicial review. A prime example of judicial review came in 1896 when the supreme courts decided that racial discrimination was still legal, even though we already had the fourteenth amendment. A second informal way that the constitution changes is by technological advance. Clearly there was no internet when the founders were writing the constitution. Now that we have the internet, informal changes to the constitution have dedicated powers to regulate the internet to the federal government, even though there is no mention in the actual print of the constitution.

Informal amendments are used more often than formal amendments because informal amendments are much more practical. They don't take a lengthy process of paperwork, support, and legislative debate.

2)After the Articles of Confederation were abolished, the US went to a federal system with a strong central government. Federalism is when multiple levels of government all have power over people living in one area.

Over time, the federal government has gained power over the states. One perfect way to illustrate this is the process of giving out categorical grants. When a state accepts a categorical grant from the federal government, they must also follow the federal mandates attached to said grants. For example, if the federal government is going to give states money to help build roads, there may be a string attached to this money saying that the state must have all speed limits below 60mph.

In some ways, the states have kept or even increases their power too. When a state applies for a block grant, it is judged solely based on the application and comes with no strings attached. This means that the states have the power to write good applications and get federal money without federal mandates. A second way that states have gained power is directly form the tenth amendment. This amendment delegates all power, not given to the federal government or directly denied to states, to the states. This, obviously greatly increases the power of the states.

FURK

1)  James Madison's model for government was very concerned with the prevention of any faction gaining too much power. He made a system to safeguard against tyranny of the majority and protect minority rights. With all of these safeguards some branches of government were more loosely linked to the citizens than others. The part of the national government that was most closely related to the citizens was the house or representatives because these representatives were, and still are, directly elected by the citizens. Their short, two year, terms also make them more reactive to the people. This makes them the most closely tied with the citizens.

The constitution limited majority rule in many ways. One way that majority rule was limited by the constitution was through the appointment of judges and justices. Justices are appointed to their positions by the president instead of by a majority vote and serve for life. Another way that majority rule was limited was by the use of the electoral college in presidential elections. Because the president was voted upon by the electoral college, a candidate could have a majority and not get the presidency.

Over time America has become more and more democratic. One example of this is the increased use of primaries over caucuses. In modern times we have significantly more primaries than we used to and, by default, significantly less caucuses. This makes us more democratic because primaries are based on voting as opposed to caucuses where only a few people decide. Another area that shows our increase in democracy is the passing of the 17th amendment. This amendment changed the election system for the senate from an appointment by state legislatures to a statewide vote. This puts power into the hands of more people and is, in turn, more democratic.

2) Historically, America's voting rates have been steadily decreasing. Today the voting rate is extremely low. Luckily, Americans can participate politically in other ways besides voting. Two other forms of political participation include protesting and running for office.

One major advantage of protesting is that it gets lots of media attention. Because it gets lots of media attention, it has another distinct advantage attached to it. Protest can get issues onto the political agenda very quickly--much faster than voting. Running for office is, on the other hand, a very slow process. Luckily it has its' advantages too. Firstly, running for office lets more ideas be heard. The more people run for office, the more ideas are being discussed and debated which increases the flow of ideas and democracy. Another advantage to running for office is that it may increase voting. When more people run for office, it is more likely the average joe has a candidate that he can relate to. If he has a relatable candidate then he is much more likely to vote and participate.

Presidential Dough

In modern campaigns money is becoming an increasingly important factor. Campaign spending is on a steady rise with no end in sight. Some candidates like Bush and Kerry actually decided to not receive initial government funds that would have matched contributions they received because of government caps. Money propels almost every aspect of modern campaigning.

The government tries to regulate campaign spending but it often follows the "hydraulic theory of money and politics." This theory simply states that money, like water, will always find a way around an obstacle. One perfect example of this is the donation of soft money. After the McCain-Feingold act stopped these soft money donations, 527 groups became increasingly popular. These groups accept limitless contributions to show "political messages" that don't specifically advocate for the election of a particular candidate but do advocate for a one side of a political issue that often directly correlates with the views of one political party. As much as the government tries to limit campaign spending, PACs and other media allow for corporations, unions, or other interest groups to easily influence politics.

This government regulation is not adequate despite being very comprehensive. In my opinion, government regulation is just too slow to keep up with all of the people finding loopholes. As it takes a congress months to pass one piece of legislation regarding campaign spending, it only takes corporations minutes to start finding loopholes. In the end, the government will never be able to keep up with determined corporations and interest groups in the fight for campaign spending.

Middle America - But not Kansas

Modern America has a new political group emerging. This group is the middle. Not the middle of the country but the middle of the political spectrum. Apparently, I fit into this new middle.

This new middle America is mostly pessimistic. The middle dislikes the republicans and dislikes the democrats. Ironically, it is mostly made up of democrats or republicans who both dislike the two party system. It advocates for the abolition of the two party system. They don't trust the government and don't like its current situation. They want less government in most areas. Internationally we should stop being the global police and domestically we should regulate less. This new middle is where I belong. Most of these facts accurately describe my philosophy.

Although the new middle is not a political party, it often sides with democrats. They don't want to talk about guns. They don't want to talk about god. They definitely don't want prayer in schools.

On the topic of government participation, the center is slightly hypocritical. They think that help should be offered only to those who really need it but other than that government should stay out of there lives. Marijuana should be legal and so should abortion in the first three months according to the new middle. This new middle is made up of a lot of white people. It's not as white as the right, but still, it's white. It is also mostly middle class. They are fine with tax raises and support taxing the rich more. In their free time the new middle drinks, recycles, and watched TV.

Most importantly, the new middle is up for grabs. They disagree with both political parties in general. Neither is doing a great job according to the middle. So does this mean we need a new system? Will a third party emerge? Who knows. All we know is that there's a new philosophy in town and it's not happy.

Public Opinion Polls

Public opinion polls are a benefit to American politics. They can help us see where we stand in comparison to the rest of the country. Because of public opinion polls I can see if my opinion is held by the majority or if I'm in the minority. They can unfortunately influence what politicians campaign for and actually advocate for while in office. Critics say that this problem is widespread and that politicians base entire careers on the whims of public opinion. I agree that it happens and can be a disadvantage but I don't think that this is a major problem. On the whole public opinion polls only give a general consensus to how the public feels on one issue. Policymakers know, when passing bills, that they are complex, with many rules and regulations. They also have cost associated with them. For these reasons I think that public opinion polls can have small negative impacts but on the whole benefit American politics.

What We Know

Survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1odepB0OMCQ4pojTX6jkN4zSHkRRS3wIjpx6J1MulIPA/viewform

Hey there, I'm TK Wasserman. I play a lot of golf on my own time as well as for Summit. I also compete in speech and debate and snowboard in the winter. I work at the Woodlands golf course in Sunriver where I basically just drive golf carts around all day.