Everyone's availability this week for bio/geology

So everyone from the bio/geology class for the project can just type their availability here so that we can figure something out. I'm available Wednesday after 4, Thurs after 3 I'll have to check what my availability is on Friday and the weekends later on in the week.

Trying Out my Own Workout

So I decided I'm sick of being lazy and weak and being a little fat and I wanna get fit. So I decided to mix two different exercise programs to see if I can get the results I want. I'm combining taebo with the onehundredpushups.com program to see if I can gain the strength and lose the weight. I need to start the initial test for the onehundredpushups.com program so I'll start that then in a couple days I will begin on my road to hopefully a fit body. I won't update until after I finish the initial test.

Government Answers

Hey everyone who is doing the government questions in my group I have most of the answers here. I got them from http://www.duncanstheman.zoomshare.com. I just put the answers in order for you guys. By the way the ones that are missing are #'s 5,7,8,12-17, and 20. Good Luck! And if you can try to post up the missing answers as comments for this post. Thank You.

1) The Founding Fathers believe that it is in our human nature to pursue our own self-interest. What safeguards were written into the Constitution to safeguard against these abuses stemming from our natures?

One of the main reasons the Constitution was written, was to safeguard America from anarchy. Also, to create a more perfect union. The purpose of the government is to promote order & freedom. Four political principles the Constitution is based on are: republicanism, federalism, separation of powers and checks & balances. These four principles, especially those of checks & balances, help protect America against selfish interests.

2) What are the formal methods for amending the Constitution? What are some informal ways that the meaning of the Constitution can be changed?

In the proposal stage, two-thirds vote of members present in both houses of Congress at request of two-thirds of state legislators must take place.

3) List advantages and disadvantages of having a system of federalism. Give an example of each.

With federalism, citizens are subject to two different bodies of law. One body is a loose union of power and the other is a confederation. This is an advantage since the powers vested in the national and state governments come from the people, and the people have the power to preserve liberty.

4) Outline the history of federalism ...........

When the delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787, they not only wrote a new constitution, but also invented federal government (combined features of a confederacy with features of unitary government in essence.) McCulloh v. Maryland was one of the most important court cases dealing with federalism-the Court was asked to decide whether Congress could establish a national bank & then if the states could tax that bank. An important policy that dealt with federalism (specifically dual federalism) was states' rights.

6) List as many advantages as possible that incumbents have over their challengers.

Since the incumbent is defined as the current officeholder, that would be their number one advantage. Running for office again would be to their advantage since the people know what his/her policies and leanings will be like and they also will be aware as to whether that individual is capable of holding that office. Plus, the reelection rate is very high.

9) List as many factors as you can as you can for why political parties have become weaker since the 1970's.

There is an absence of centralized power in political parties that has sent them to an even bigger decline. In fact, American political parties have been described as organizationally diffuse.

10) List as many effects as you can of having weaker parties. Give examples.

Minor parties express some voters’ discontent with choices offered by the major parties and work for their own objectives in the electoral system. This is their major function. It is simply for others voters who do not classify themselves in the other two major parties. Third parties never really win elections because of their specific direction. An example would be the Green party which focuses on environmental and liberal views. Another effect of weaker parties is that they can greatly take away from a major party enough to make a difference in whether they win or lose. If all the democratic-like voters are voting for the Green Party then the Republicans have a greater chance of winning.

11)Since the 1960s, the process of selecting presidential candidates has been altered by the changing role of presidential primaries and national party conventions. What are those changes? List as many effects of this change as you can.

With the new technology we have today, possible candidates for the major parties have an easier time getting their views out and heard and recruiting voters. Because of the great competition now between candidates, electibility has also become more of a factor in selecting presidential candidates. One of the reasons that John Kerry was chosen as the Democratic candidate this year was because he had a greater chance of gaining votes against Bush than the other candidates.

18)List all the points in the legislative process where a bill can be delayed or killed.

In the House: subcommittee, committee, full house, president

In the Senate: subcommittee, committee, full senate president

19)What are the underlying reasons that explain why Congress moves slowly and inefficiently? What are the results of the ways that Congress operates this way?

Gridlocks between the congressional chambers and the White House and the protracted process of creating a bill add to the slowness of Congress. Also, supporters of the term-limit debate believe that members of congress who are elected over and over again stop listening to their constituents. Congress is also criticized for its log-rolling and pork-barrel legislation.

21) Why did the Founding Fathers create the Electoral College. List as many flaws as you can with the Electoral College. List reasons to maintain the Electoral College.

The reason that the Electoral College was founded was because the Founding Fathers distrusted the people’s judgment and also feared that a popular election would arouse public passions. The Electoral College also was a away for the small states to get more of a say in the election. The major flaw of the Electoral College is that a candidate could win more popular votes than electoral votes which is not exactly expressing the people’s true will. The major reason to maintain it is because it gives more representation to small states.

22) List as many strengths and weaknesses of the presidency that you can. Give an example for each one.

Strengths of the Presidency:

· Military power - The president is commander in chief of the armed services. The intention of the founders was to keep control of the military in the hands of a civilian, avoiding a military tyranny. In Madison's words (Federalist No. 51), "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition." As commander in chief, the president has probably exercised more authority than in any other role. Although Congress has the sole power to declare war, the president can send the armed forces into a country in situations that are the equivalent of war. Congress has not officially declared war since December 8, 1941 (one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor), yet the Country has fought wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East. Congress attempted to control such military activities when it passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973, requiring the president to consult with Congress when activating military troops. The president must report to Congress within forty-eight hours of deploying troops, and unless Congress approves the use of troops within sixty days or extends the sixty-day time limit, the forces must be withdrawn. Even so, the president’s powers as commander in chief are more extensive today than they have ever been before.

• Diplomatic power -The president makes treaties with foreign nations, but only with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. Two-thirds of the Senate must approve a treaty; a president's signature is not enough to make it binding. This provision is a check of the executive by the legislature. However, presidents have gotten around this provision by using executive agreements made between the president and other heads of state. Such agreements do not require Senate approval, although Congress may withhold funding to implement them. Whereas treaties are binding on future presidents, executive agreements are not. The Constitution also gives the president the power of diplomatic recognition, or the power to recognize foreign governments. When twentieth century presidents have withheld this recognition, it has often served as a powerful comment on the legitimacy of governments. For example, the U.S. did not recognize the U.S.S.R. government created in 1917 until the 1930s, nor did the president recognize the People’s Republic of China (created in 1949) until the early 1970s.

• Appointment power - The president appoints ambassadors, other public officers, and judges of the Supreme Court, but again, only with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. Two-thirds must confirm the appointments. The president may appoint many lower positions without Senate approval, but those positions are created and defined by Congress. The appointment power is generally limited to cabinet and subcabinet jobs, federal judgeships, agency heads, and about two thousand less jobs. Most government positions are filled by civil service employees, who compete for jobs through a merit system, so presidents have little say over them. Presidents generally have the power to remove executives from power, with a 1926 Supreme Court decision affirming the president’s ability to fire those executive-branch officials whom he appointed with Senate approval. Judges may be removed only through the impeachment process, so presidents have little power over them once they have been appointed.

• Veto power - A president can veto a legislative bill by returning it, along with a veto message or explanation, within ten days to the house in which it originated. Congress in turn may override the veto by a two-thirds vote. The president may also exercise the pocket veto. If the president does not sign the bill within ten days and Congress has adjourned within that time, the bill will not become law. Of course, the pocket veto can only be used just before the term of a given Congress ends.

Weaknesses:

· The President must get everything approved by Congress, which can be difficult, especially in a gridlock

· Presidents can be impeached

The President must share power with two other branches of government

23) What difficulties does the president have in making federal judicial appointments? What methods can he use to overcome those difficulties?

The president’s judicial nominations must be approved by the Senate. Presidents must also worry about senatorial courtesy and the Senate Judiciary Committee. The President can use his influence and his powers of persuasion to get his nominations confirmed in the Senate.

24) List methods that Interest Groups use to influence public policy. Give an example for each.

Interest groups sometimes may best influence policy making by carefully cultivating their public image. Labor interests may want Americans to see them as hard-working men and women, the backbone of the country. Farmers may favor an image that represents old-fashioned values of working close to the earth in order to feed everyone else. Groups that suffer adverse publicity, like meat and egg producers whose products have been criticized for their high cholesterol and fat content, often advertise to defend their products. Their goal may be not only to promote business and sell their products, but to keep a favorable position among lobby groups in Washington. Because these ads do not directly affect the lobbying process, it is difficult to tell just how successful they are, but more and more groups are turning to high-profile ad campaigns.

25) List as many reasons as you can for reasons why it is hard to enact new policies. Give examples for each.

When people are used to a policy, it can take many small changes to get it to what the government wants without upsetting the public. Also, there are five long steps policy must go through:

1. Recognizing the problem/agenda setting - Almost no policy is made unless and until a need is recognized. Many different groups and people may bring a problem or issue to the government’s attention through interest group activities or court cases. People within the government itself have their own agendas that they push, including the president, bureaucratic agencies, and members of Congress. Of course, these sources do not agree on which issues are most important, so getting the government to set an agenda that prioritizes problems is quite a challenge.

2. Formulating the policy – If enough people agree that government needs to act, then a plan of action must be formulated. At this stage, generally several alternative plans from various political groups are formed. For example, if the issue is gun control, interest groups from both sides will push for different solutions, and reaching a solution almost always involves compromise all around.

3. Adopting the policy - In this third stage, the policy becomes an official action by the government. It may take the form of legislation, an executive or bureaucratic order, or a court decision. Policy is often built in a series of small steps passed over time, so this stage may be quite complex.

4. Implementing the policy – For an adopted policy to be effective, government must see that it is applied to real situations. For example, if new gun control laws are set in place, government officials must make sure that the general public knows about them. They must also put enforcement in place and see that violators are punished appropriately.

5. Evaluating the policy – Evaluation of the good or the harm created by a policy usually takes place over an extended period of time. Policies that may seem sound at the start may have unforeseen negative consequences or unexpected costs. Inevitably, some will call for changes and/or corrections, and others will disagree. The whole process occurs again, starting with recognition – or re-recognition – of the problem. As a result, policymaking is a continuous process, and government at any given time is at various stages with numerous issues.

26(Kind of)) What are the arguments in favor of judicial activism? What are the arguments in favor of judicial restraint? Try to give an example for each point you make.

Many favor a policy of judicial restraint, in which judges play minimal policy-making roles, leaving policy decisions to the other two branches. Supporters of judicial restraint believe that because the judicial branch is the least democratic, judges are not qualified to make policy decisions. According to judicial restraint, the other branches should take the lead because they are more closely connected to the people. According to Justice Antonin Scalia, “The Constitution is not an empty bottle…it is like a statute, and the meaning doesn’t change.”

On the other side are supporters of judicial activism, in which judges make policy decisions and interpret the Constitution in new ways. Judicial activists believe that the federal courts must correct injustices that the other branches do not. For example, minority rights have often been ignored, partly because majorities impose their will on legislators. Prayers in public schools support the beliefs of the majority, but ignore the rights of the minority. The Constitution, then must be loosely interpreted to meet the issues of the present. In the words of former Justice Charles Evans Hughes: “We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is.”

27) What controls does the Congress have if it does not like a decision of the Court? Give an example for each one.

Court decisions carry legal authority, but courts have no police officers to enforce them. They must rely on the other branches, or state officials, to enforce their decisions. Judicial implementation, then, refers to the translation of court decisions into actual policy that affects the behavior of others.

Although Congress or a President may ignore or side-step a Supreme Court ruling, decisions whose enforcement requires only the action of a central governmental agency usually become effective immediately. Implementation is more difficult if a decision requires the cooperation of a large number of officials. For example, when the Court ruled required prayers in public schools unconstitutional, some school boards continued their previous practices. Also, despite the fact that the Court ruled segregated schools unconstitutional in 1954, public schools remained largely segregated for more than ten years after the first ruling.