Political Party Research

Political Party Research. :Democrats 
1. The Democratic National Committee plans the Party’s quadrennial presidential nominating convention.
2. Its views are mostly socially liberal and progressive. Thus, center-left in the U.S political spectrum.
3. One of the oldest political parties in the world.
4. 51 Seats in the Senate currently.
5. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the chairman.
6. 192  Seats in the House
7. Democratic Party currently holds a minority of seats in the House of Representatives
8. The most common mascot symbol for the party is the donkey, although the party never officially adopted this symbol.
9. The Democratic Party supports the death penalty far less than the Republican Party.
10. Democrats call for "affordable and quality health care,"
11. The death penalty is used far lass in Federal courts with the Democrats opposed to the Republicans.
12.) The "Kicking Donkey" party logo is still a well-known symbol for the Democratic Party, despite no longer being the official logo of the party.
13.) The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is responsible for promoting Democratic campaign activities.
14.) Historically, the party has favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, and religious and ethnic minorities; it has opposed unregulated business and finance, and favored progressive income taxes.
15.) In recent decades, the party has adopted a centrist economic and socially progressive agenda, with the voter base having shifted considerably. Today, Democrats advocate more social freedoms, affirmative action, balanced budget, and a free enterprise system tempered by government intervention (mixed economy).

Issue of the Week. < National Debt >

1. Is their any plan in the making or in affect that will lower our debt? 
THE DEBT CEILING - The deal would authorise an increase in the debt limit by at least $2.1tn. A senior administration official said that the level  was enough to last until 2013, meaning it will not require action in 2012 - a presidential election year.

FIRST ROUND OF SPENDING CUTS - Immediately authorises spending cuts of more than $900bn to take place over the next decade. A White House official said the figure would be between $900bn and $1tn, while House Speaker John Boehner's office gave the figure of $917bn.

The White House said the cuts would be in the form of caps on discretionary spending - funding that is authorised at will by congress - and not from entitlements such as Social Security and the Medicare health programme for the elderly.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/08/2011815169437290.html


2.  At what rate is the debt increasing?


The Office of Management and Budget at the White House predicts the "Gross Federal Debt" for the next few years. At the end of the fiscal year 2005, (Sept. 30 2005) they list the debt at $8,031.4 billion. They predict it will be $676 billion higher at the end of the next fiscal year. That is the average rate of increase per year assumed by the clock.
http://www.federalbudget.com/
3. Is the U.S debt clock accurate?


Q: How accurate is your Debt Clock?

A: As accurate as I can make it! Every business day, the U.S. Treasury department releases new Debt figures for the previous day. I periodically get these figures and use them to adjust the Debt Clock's value so it remains accurate.I, or rather the CGI code I wrote for the Debt Clock, then calculate the current value of the Debt by a simple linear extrapolation between the recent date's value and the value for the debt about a year previously.I also get up to date population figures from the Census Department's Population Clock and use this to calculate each person's share of the total debt.

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/faq.html

Terry Gross Interview - Interpreting the constitution in the digital Era

Facts:

1. The Supreme Court is currently dealing with a case on the legality of the Police force placing a GPS tracking device on a car without a warrant. 
2. The biggest question is what is the difference of tracking for 10 to 100 miles compared to tracking for a month.
3. Jeff Rosen believes that there is a necessity for translation of the Constitution.
4.  In his essay, in Constitution 3.0, he shows a story of a world at the time of 2025, where people have the ability to know what you are doing and where you are 24/7, via security camera and things like such.
5. Google Maps became controversial when it started taking 'street view' picture, because it is a possible invasion of privacy.
6.  In Germany the decided that they would not let Google because of their strict laws on data gathering.
7.  It would be possible for Facebook and Google to team up and stream every surveillance camera in the world in the future.
8.  Some countries have recognized a "right to oblivion" that allows people to take down pictures of themselves that they don't want off the Internet.
9.  Criminals are using brain scans showing overactive amygdalas as proof that they cannot control themselves. 
10. The lines regarding privacy, adhering or breaking, are very different between American and Europe, as the two have very different policies on data gathering.

Q's:

1. Where is the line in invasion of privacy?
2. If Police GPS tracking is unconstitutional, is radar detector constitutional?
3. How can the supreme court react?
4. What is the general view of the citizens?
5. Is the government taking it too far?

Electoral College Reform

Facts:

1. Reformation of the Electoral College would mean that in essence the grip of federalism would be loosened
2. The people would vote as citizens of the United States, not a a citizen of one state or another, but all under common ground and for one, larger, purpose.
3. The author believes its time to reform and readjust the Constitution for our changing times.
4. By arguing against the Electoral College, Al Gore, would change the campaign process. Campaigners would now consider every last vote, from anywhere and everywhere that they could possible obtain.
5. Those who argue in favor of the electoral college, claim that the devices for the 2000 election were the reasons for the unrealistic/unrealiable factor for the election.
6.  Critics say that the electoral college at it's "worst" can shift the outcome of an election.
7. Around 700 amendments have been proposed that would reform or abolish the Electoral College.
8. Abolishing the Electoral College would allow citizens to "reshape political institutions."
9. Dan Lazare argues that less power is given to the people by electoral college.
10.  Dan Lazare states that it should be abolished and that it is an undemocratic system which should by-pass in future elections.

Q's:

1. Is abolishing the electoral college unconstitutional?
2. What are the chances of it being abolished?
3. What is the view of the general population on the electoral college?
4. Could the new president possibly reform it?
5. what are some influential pros and cons?

Thoughts: 

I believe that the electoral college should definitely be reformed and improved. I think is it undemocratic because the citizens can not vote for the president directly. It is embarrassing because America is a "model" for democracy. Additionally, there are too many errors currently in the process and it is in a desperate state in need of improvements. 

Classmates Pending Bills

Mike Kane- 10 Million Dollar Solar Roofs Act of 2011

• 1. It directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a program that provides competitive grants to local communities.
• 2. Fund for training for solar power system establishment
• 3..Its main goal is to create solar energy system ( no less than 10 million properties) 
• 4.The bill allows the grants to be used for the development of solar energy projects and programs for the use of new strategies
• 5. Provide solar powered energy systems with efficient and less expensive funding. 

2. H.R. 1002: Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2011-Christina Ngo

• Congress finds it is appropriate to exercise congressional enforcement authority of the commerce clause, section 5 under the 14th Amendment in order to ensure that States do not discriminate against providers and consumers of mobile services by imposing new selective and excessive taxes on such providers and consumers.
• The federal legislature finds congressional action is necessary to prohibit imposing new discriminatory 
• taxes on providers and consumers of mobile services.
• The term ‘mobile service’ means commercial mobile radio service, as such term is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, or any other service that is intended for receipt on, transmission from, or use with a mobile telephone or other mobile device, including, but not limited to, the receipt of a digital good.
• The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study, throughout the 5-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, to determine how and to what extent taxes imposed by local and State governments on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile property, impact the costs consumers pay for mobile services.

S. 1500, the bill to provide greater health care coverage for children, is still in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. No change. (Eli Pollock)

•  Permits a health insurance issuer that is licensed to offer child-only health insurance coverage in one state to also offer such coverage to eligible residents of other states.
•   Involves the job of the Secretary of Health and Human Services
•  One provision is for the application of a uniform annual enrollment period for coverage.
•  Another provision is to create regulations that provide protections to enrollees and ensure the solvency of health insurance issuers.
•  It also aims to clarify the procedures that would apply when an enrollee has a complaint concerning their coverage.

I choose S. 1500

Political Cartoon #3

1. What is the stance of the author on Obama's policies?
2. Why was Charlie Brown chosen?
3. Is Obama's proposals and bills not effective or irrational?

New York Times Budget Puzzle

I saved $418 billion dollars and year 2015, and will be saving $1,345 billion dollars in 2030. I recieved 56% from tax increases and 44% from spending cuts. 
It was easy to cut military spending because I thought that our defense right now is more than enough and cutting social security was very difficult because it is concerning the general welfare of the people. It will be very slow and inefficient in the task of the congress. I wish that budget cut was as simple as this so the government can react efficiently and quickly to the needs of the citizens.