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.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, December 2, 2013
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?
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?
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