S. 174: Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention America Act
-Emily
H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011
- Abby
S. 1500: Ensure Children Have Health Care Act
- Eli
I have chosen to use Ensure Children Have Health Care Act for my constituent letter.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Interpreting the Constitution in the Digital Era
facts:
1. None of the existing amendments give clear answers to the most basic questions people have today.
2. We can't only rely on judges enforcing the existing Constitution to protect the values that the Framers took for granted.
3. We can be permanently tarred for one mistake we made on the Internet.
4. There's a bill pending in Congress right now that is a bipartisan geolocational privacy bill.
5. There is no expectation of privacy on the street in the US.
6. The United States v. Jones Supreme Court case is considering whether or not policemen need a warrant from a judge before attaching a secret GPS monitor to a car to track a suspect around the clock.
7. An argument is the 4th Amendment only bans searches without warrants in private spaces and the GPS is an extension of human surveillance.
8. Rosen believes the GPS case has the potential to be the most important privacy case of the decade.
9. Google has been under pressure from the US government to remove terrorist videos from Youtube.
10. Twitter was pressured to remove pro-Taliban tweets
Questions:
1. Will the internet ever be completely censored by the government?
2. Will this negatively or positively affect social networking sites?
3. Is anything protected when you put it up on the internet?
4. Who watches the public monitors?
5. Should it be a violation to monitor people in public?
1. None of the existing amendments give clear answers to the most basic questions people have today.
2. We can't only rely on judges enforcing the existing Constitution to protect the values that the Framers took for granted.
3. We can be permanently tarred for one mistake we made on the Internet.
4. There's a bill pending in Congress right now that is a bipartisan geolocational privacy bill.
5. There is no expectation of privacy on the street in the US.
6. The United States v. Jones Supreme Court case is considering whether or not policemen need a warrant from a judge before attaching a secret GPS monitor to a car to track a suspect around the clock.
7. An argument is the 4th Amendment only bans searches without warrants in private spaces and the GPS is an extension of human surveillance.
8. Rosen believes the GPS case has the potential to be the most important privacy case of the decade.
9. Google has been under pressure from the US government to remove terrorist videos from Youtube.
10. Twitter was pressured to remove pro-Taliban tweets
Questions:
1. Will the internet ever be completely censored by the government?
2. Will this negatively or positively affect social networking sites?
3. Is anything protected when you put it up on the internet?
4. Who watches the public monitors?
5. Should it be a violation to monitor people in public?
Issue of the Week: National Debt
1. How much has the debt increased in the past few years
- The national debt is currently approximately $15 trillion and is continuing to increase. Each year it increases more and more. In 2008 national debt was $10 trillion and in 2004 it was $7 trillion.
2. How much of the blame can actually be put on the presidents that we have had during the rescission?
- People can blame the president because his actions factored into our debt. For example, Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq. That requires a lot of funding for troops and weapons. The presidents aren't the only ones at fault, but they definitely contributed to the problem.
3. How does our debt compare to other countries with debt?
-The US has the most National debt, which is $15 trillion that is still increasing. But other countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany also have a lot of debt like $9 trillion and $5 trillion.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2079.html
http://theweek.com/article/index/217524/what-caused-the-national-debt-6-culprits
- The national debt is currently approximately $15 trillion and is continuing to increase. Each year it increases more and more. In 2008 national debt was $10 trillion and in 2004 it was $7 trillion.
2. How much of the blame can actually be put on the presidents that we have had during the rescission?
- People can blame the president because his actions factored into our debt. For example, Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq. That requires a lot of funding for troops and weapons. The presidents aren't the only ones at fault, but they definitely contributed to the problem.
3. How does our debt compare to other countries with debt?
-The US has the most National debt, which is $15 trillion that is still increasing. But other countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany also have a lot of debt like $9 trillion and $5 trillion.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2079.html
http://theweek.com/article/index/217524/what-caused-the-national-debt-6-culprits
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Political Cartoon 5
1. Is getting an education viewed as not worth it anymore?
2. Are many people joining the army because they doubt they can get jobs?
3. How many people have given up on an education so they can join the army instead?
Electoral College Reform
Facts:
1. As of the year 2000, 10 states account for 54% of the US population
2. The law can't prevent a candidate from voluntarily withdrawing from the race
3. Electoral college meets every 4 years
4. George W. Bush was the first Southern conservative since before the Civil War
5. The existence of the electoral college is bad for the third parties because they are very unlikely to win electoral votes
6. There are a total of 580 electoral votes
7. Only a vote of 270 is needed for an election
8. The smallest number of electoral votes in a state is 3
9. The electoral college is not a college and it never meets as a single entity
10. The electoral college greatly influences the character of the parties, the nominating process, and the outcome of an election.
Questions:
1. Why did we decide to use the electoral college in the first place?
2. Are many people for it or against it?
3. How does it negatively affect elections?
4. How does it positively affect elections?
5. Do many people want to get rid of the electoral college and just go by the popular vote?
In my opinion, the system would be more fair without the electoral college. It doesn't seem right that the electoral college votes are the one's that determine the presidency. If a candidate wins the popular vote, that basically means he is favored by a majority of the American's who voted. Therefore, that person should become president.
9. The electoral college is not a college and it never meets as a single entity
10. The electoral college greatly influences the character of the parties, the nominating process, and the outcome of an election.
Questions:
1. Why did we decide to use the electoral college in the first place?
2. Are many people for it or against it?
3. How does it negatively affect elections?
4. How does it positively affect elections?
5. Do many people want to get rid of the electoral college and just go by the popular vote?
In my opinion, the system would be more fair without the electoral college. It doesn't seem right that the electoral college votes are the one's that determine the presidency. If a candidate wins the popular vote, that basically means he is favored by a majority of the American's who voted. Therefore, that person should become president.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
New York Times Budget Puzzle
-How much did you save?
In 2015- $363 Billion
In 2030- $719 Billion
-What percent came from tax increases? 62%
-What percent came from spending cuts? 38%
Reflection:
Most of the decisions I made were very simple. I easily decided to cut military costs by reducing the amount of funding there would be for weapons. What I had a difficult time with, however, was deciding on changes for social security and medicare. In my opinion, those are both huge and important and deserve funding.
In 2015- $363 Billion
In 2030- $719 Billion
-What percent came from tax increases? 62%
-What percent came from spending cuts? 38%
Reflection:
Most of the decisions I made were very simple. I easily decided to cut military costs by reducing the amount of funding there would be for weapons. What I had a difficult time with, however, was deciding on changes for social security and medicare. In my opinion, those are both huge and important and deserve funding.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thomas Jefferson Lessons Learned
http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/tjefferson.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson
http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/brief-biography-thomas-jefferson
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/jefferson.htm
1. It helps to be acquainted with the military
2. Always do what's best for the country
3. Associate yourself with people who you can easily communicate with
4. Always continue to fight for what you believe in
5. Education is important for success
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Political Cartoon 4
1. Are too many Americans not compelled to vote?
2. Are more Americans concerned with television and the internet than they are with politics?
3. What can be done to ensure that more Americans focus on the real issues in our country?
Campaign Ad Analysis
1) The ad tries to frighten voters about the opposing candidate so they don't want to vote for them. http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1964. I don't think this is very effective because it doesn't say why they should vote for anyone it just says why they shouldn't vote for the other person, but it doesn't make the other person seem that great.
2. Discussing beneficial education and the future of Children because most families really care about those issues. http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1996 I thought this was effective because the future of children is an issue that many people care about. Many families are more compelled to vote for someone who will help their family.
3.) The ad uses facts and statistics to support the candidate’s policies http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/issue/taxes
It's not very effective because the statistics could be made up and it's not very persuasive.
4. The ad insults the candidate’s opponent to convince voters not to vote for the opponent- http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/curator
Not effective because some people do not believe these ads and it will just make the other candidate fight back with an insulting ad.
2. Discussing beneficial education and the future of Children because most families really care about those issues. http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1996 I thought this was effective because the future of children is an issue that many people care about. Many families are more compelled to vote for someone who will help their family.
3.) The ad uses facts and statistics to support the candidate’s policies http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/issue/taxes
It's not very effective because the statistics could be made up and it's not very persuasive.
4. The ad insults the candidate’s opponent to convince voters not to vote for the opponent- http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/curator
Not effective because some people do not believe these ads and it will just make the other candidate fight back with an insulting ad.
5. The ad makes uses cartoons to demonstrate the ideas. http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952
This is effective because it really captures everyone's attention and makes every really listen.
6. Comparing the difference between the candidate's policies
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1984This was effective because it informed viewers about the candidate's ideas so they would be better informed to vote. It's very effective because it's all true and viewers know that the information wasn't made up. Assertions:
1. When advertisements really inform viewers they are effective
2. If advertisements are extreme and sound made up people will not listen to them
3. Advertisements can be very persuasive when done right
Electoral College
Facts:
1. Bush received 50.5 million votes in the 2000 election
2. Gore received 50.5 million votes in the 2000 election
3. Each state gets 2 Electoral College votes
4. There are laws requiring electors to vote for candidate who chose them
5. There have only been 10 electors that have violated their pledges to a candidate
6. The Electoral College is undemocratic
7. Federal judges are not elected
8. Electors are determined by popular vote
9. The 2 party system does not work for the Electoral College
10. Electors are required to vote for the candidate that selected them.
Questions:
1. Is the Electoral College a fair system?
2. Are there any plans to get rid of this system?
3. Would it positively affect the Electoral College if there were more than 2 parties?
4. Are many people in favor of the system the way it is now?
5. How can we improve this system?
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
2 Articles
http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?action=issues&proj_id=4832&category=National Security&type=Project
1. 1/6 of the $200 billion spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was lost to waste
2. Supplemental and Cost of War Execution Reports are documents that break down the cost of the war on terrorism
3. On June 6, 2002, President George W. Bush unveiled his plan for a new Cabinet-level agency that would consolidate responsibilities and funding for nine different departments
4. The defense budget has more than doubled.
5. DHS is the Department of Homeland Security
http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?category=&type=Project&proj_id=4984&action=Headlines%20By%20TCS
1. Since 1789, the federal government has provided tax subsidies to domestic coal suppliers in order to ensure the competitiveness of the industry
2. In the past 60 years, the coal industry has received more than $70 billion in subsidies and tax breaks
3. Coal prices have steadily increased since 2002
4. Prices of coal bought by electric utilities rose 38.6% from 2004-2009
5. Alpha Natural Resources has become the second largest coal supplier in the United States
1. 1/6 of the $200 billion spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was lost to waste
2. Supplemental and Cost of War Execution Reports are documents that break down the cost of the war on terrorism
3. On June 6, 2002, President George W. Bush unveiled his plan for a new Cabinet-level agency that would consolidate responsibilities and funding for nine different departments
4. The defense budget has more than doubled.
5. DHS is the Department of Homeland Security
http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?category=&type=Project&proj_id=4984&action=Headlines%20By%20TCS
1. Since 1789, the federal government has provided tax subsidies to domestic coal suppliers in order to ensure the competitiveness of the industry
2. In the past 60 years, the coal industry has received more than $70 billion in subsidies and tax breaks
3. Coal prices have steadily increased since 2002
4. Prices of coal bought by electric utilities rose 38.6% from 2004-2009
5. Alpha Natural Resources has become the second largest coal supplier in the United States
Monday, December 5, 2011
Issue of the Week: Death Penalty
1. How much does the death penalty cost?
- The cost is different depending on which state you are in. In some states it is more expensive than in others, but it is pretty expensive no matter what state you are in. In general, it costs more for the death penalty than it does to put someone in jail.
2. How many states have banned the death penalty?
- About 139 countries have banned the death penalty, but by 2010, only one country had banned it for every crime. For awhile, only 9 countries had banned it for ordinary crimes.
3. How many people were killed that were actually innocent?
- There is no exact number of innocent people who were put to death. However, I found that over 130 people have been found innocent and released from death row in the last 35 years.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777460.html
- The cost is different depending on which state you are in. In some states it is more expensive than in others, but it is pretty expensive no matter what state you are in. In general, it costs more for the death penalty than it does to put someone in jail.
2. How many states have banned the death penalty?
- About 139 countries have banned the death penalty, but by 2010, only one country had banned it for every crime. For awhile, only 9 countries had banned it for ordinary crimes.
3. How many people were killed that were actually innocent?
- There is no exact number of innocent people who were put to death. However, I found that over 130 people have been found innocent and released from death row in the last 35 years.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777460.html
Pending Bills
1. HR 1895: Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011- The purpose is to extend provisions relating to the disclosure of personal information of children and also to establish other protection in order to protect the personal information of minors. Status: just introduced.
2. HR 2865: 9/11 Memorial Cross National Monument Establishment Act of 2011- Purpose is to erect a cross memorial at the National 9/11 Memorial Museum. Status: the bill has been referred to a Committee.
3. S 1722: Early Learning Proficiency Act- The purpose is to improve early education. Status: first step in the legislative process
Examine Further: S 1722: Early Learning Proficiency Act
details:
1. This bill is in the first step of the Legislative process
2. It is a bill to improve early education
3. No later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education will issue guidance to local educational agencies
4. This bill was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
5. This bill was introduced in the Senate
questions:
1. Are there any negative aspects that would come with passing this bill?
2. How many States would this affect?
3. How much would this be helping the local educational agencies?
2. HR 2865: 9/11 Memorial Cross National Monument Establishment Act of 2011- Purpose is to erect a cross memorial at the National 9/11 Memorial Museum. Status: the bill has been referred to a Committee.
3. S 1722: Early Learning Proficiency Act- The purpose is to improve early education. Status: first step in the legislative process
Examine Further: S 1722: Early Learning Proficiency Act
details:
1. This bill is in the first step of the Legislative process
2. It is a bill to improve early education
3. No later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education will issue guidance to local educational agencies
4. This bill was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
5. This bill was introduced in the Senate
questions:
1. Are there any negative aspects that would come with passing this bill?
2. How many States would this affect?
3. How much would this be helping the local educational agencies?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Political Cartoon 3
1. Do you think there is any hope in getting jobs within the next few years?
2. How many people are unemployed this year as opposed to how many there were a few years ago?
3. Are there any parts of the country in which unemployment rates aren't that bad?
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