What is the future of democracy? Is it a realistic option?

One could only hope that the future of democracy gets better. Im a positive person and cant imagine anything else getting worse than it is right now because something good that is being hammered into our education system is equality. I think that future generations will continue to fight for it and with that our country will become a great democracy. Ofcourse it will take many years for that to happen but nothing happens overnight. I do think my opinion is a realisitc one because look at how far our country had become from when the first Europeans settled here. we have been through a civil war, a great depression, president assasination, terrorist attacks and now we have the first black president. Although times are hard right now I beleive, just like all the other times, americans will pull themselves together and make things great and even better again. If technology can continue to advance then so can our democracy.




but we can change this!



AMERICA (part 16) The Future of Democracy

What is the process to develop an economic policy that provides services and sustainability?

This is a very hard question to answer. I think that there is so much the United States could do to make itself better and more sustainable. I mean I think right now we are gettting away with the bare minimum and it is hard and hurting a lot of people. I think one thing our government could focus on making better is people having a job. There are lots of people in this country and I beleive that if we did all the work ourselfs instead of other countries, that more people would have a job. Yes those other countries would go down but should we go down too trying to help them? I think something else we could use more sustainablity in is education. That is key to having skilled workers and services. Look at how the education system is going down. Schools are being closed left and right because of budget cuts and that is not the costs we should be cutting. Im sorry to say but if our education starts to lack, we will end up like some of these other countries who don't have a lot of technology, money or learning resources to make them better....I dont want to become a stupid country.


There is a post going around on facebook right now about how much the president makes and other government officals and how budget cuts need to be made on their parts first before anyone else because they make more money. I agree with it and I think that if our country would start with budget cuts from those people first it would make more of an impact and I think the economic policy would be more sustainable by doing so first than anything else.

Critical question: If the United States developed a better economic policy and more jobs and other services became readily available, would we infact benifit from that or continue to be lazy and selfish making poor economic choices?


   "humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. All the kings horses and all the kings men counldn't put humpty together again". I think this riddle describes how the United States is right now. We are "falling" with all these poor economic decisions we are making and the government says they are trying to be put back together to become stable again but its not really looking like it.

How does a government facilitate comprehensive care for its constituents without sacrificing equity?

Our government has created assistance programs to those who need it and right now there are a lot of people who do need it but can't get it because their income is too high according to the government (mostly middle class is affected by that). Lets look at the most used government assitance, food stamps. This program was created to help with the cost of food when food was cheaper, ex. milk was $1, and household expenses were very little. It has stayed the same when now a days the price of food has gone up and houseing expenses have also risen, that alone is not fair and shows no sacrifise on the governments part.


We can also take a look at childcare assistance. I know first hand how people take advantage of this and are dishonest so that they can continue to use it when there are people who actually need it. And what do you think the government is doing about this to make it more fair and harder for people to lie about work.....nothing.

I could go on and on about how the government says that they are helping people and are making sacrifices but they aren't. People are just using them to be lazy and I think it should be harder to get on any assistance, not by making the income guidelines higher but more checking up on people with drug tests and in person checking in as opposed to all the letters that are sent through the mail.

This counrty is turning into a lazy, poor, dishonest, selfish country and the government is letting that happen when they could be doing something about it.

Critical Question: In light of the current situation of the government shutdown, do you think that they will make harsher guidlines for government assistance to help save some money for other needed things?
 
 

 
 
 

How should a nation-state develop its foreign policy in accordance to its values and in connection to the development of its domestic policy?

Well first of all lets break this question down. A nation state is a state inside a nation which can both have their own policies abide by both but the nation has a more powerful say. For the nation state to develop its foreign policy it needs to look at both the nation and states individual policies because both have a say in what is happening. However a country that wants to make some sort of trade and agreement among other countries need to look at their policies and respect the policies of the other country when coming to an agreement.




Now what I have to say about our nation-state in dealing with foreign policy and our domestic policy is.....we suck. We have pushed our way in and try to control the other country thinking that we know whats best, but really we don't. Our Nation-state does not allow other countries to push their way in and get what ever they want from us, so why should other countries allow us to walk all over them. I think our Nation-state has a lot to work on in trading and keeping us safe.

Critical question: Do you think we have have more allies if we didn't take advantage of every country we could get into?

Most Muslims like American values but strongly dislike American foreign ...

I think this video is a good example and goes along with what I said.

What role do judges and the judicial system play in supporting freedom?

First off I would like to say that it cannot be easy being a judge. You have to know the laws VERY well and you have to be able to make choices for other people and those choices have to be the best.


Judges put all their faith in the justice system and they are kind of obligated to do so because who wants a judge that does not believe in justice and how the court system works? Nobody! Judges are there to help us with our freedom by obeying the laws that are set in front of us for a reason. They are there to help us with our freedom when others decide to disobey the laws. They also support our freedom by allowing people to vote them into the judicial system (if that state requires it).



Critical question: Do you think that a judge's bias comes into play anyhow when it comes to sentencing?
 

Supporting a Strong International Justice System

How does the U.S. Congress, as it exists in its current structure, support and/or limit authentic representation?

Personally I think congress limits most authentic representation because everything heard or said almost always comes from another person or party. Think about it, when you write to your congressmen who do you think opens those letters or emails first? The congressmen assistant that is highly trained. If you want to speak in front of congress to address an issue then you better have a legal trial on your hands. I mean I know they are busy...or so they say.....but people want to address their issues to the congress not their assistant. Personally I think they should have planned time out of their day to look at the letters themselves. They only way congress supports authentic representaion is through the peoples votes, but even those can be tampered with.




 
Here is a video that I like, I think the guy is trying to be funny but I cant really tell, except at the end when he says to fire half of congress. I liked this video and if more people payed attention to their rights maybe congress would too.
http://www.thehopeforamerica.com/play.php?id=1630
 
Critical Question: Do you think more/less bills would pass if these letters that the people sent in were taken more seriously?
 
 
bibliography
 
Ettinger, Yoram. "Congress - Yes, We Can! - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews." Israel News: Ynetnews. 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4034927,00.html.
 
Huckabee, Mike. "Huckabee: Does Congress Know They Work For Us?" The Hope For America : Conservative Videos Online. 3 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. .

Congress - Yes, We Can! - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews

Congress - Yes, We Can! - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews




I think this was a good article that reafirms my faith that congress does do something for representation.
Having paragraphs starting with "once again congress demonstrated....". It was a good eye catcher.

In what ways does the U.S Presidency support and limit the formation of an ideal democracy?

They support it by implementing a voting system which is ideal to get the people involved in laws and rights. They limit that by age qualification for voting, not being able to vote till your 18. However with this support and limitation the Presidency still has the higher power and control over the so called democracy.





Also I found a video on youtube that explains how the voting process works and which votes are counted for who wins the election- popular vs. electorial. This is another way on how the U.S Presidency limits an ideal democracy because only the elector votes count, when ideally it should be the popular votes because that is what the people want.
 
Critical question: If we counted the popular votes and not the elector votes, would the U.S have had the same Presidents and would counting popular votes get more people involved in voting?
 
 

 
 
 

Electing a US President in Plain English

How do individuals and groups of people influence the political process?



I thought this was a good letter that shows how people want to know more about what is going on.


Both individuals and groups of people influence the political process by getting involved, making their voice heard and their opinions count. Voting is what individuals and groups can both participate in. However, groups are better heard in a crowd with a protest or other involvement and can easily influence the individual. Any individual cannot do the same as easy.

Just think about it, all it takes is just one person to speak up, one person to make others turn heads. This one person can start a group to rally and join forces in what they believe. Individuals make the groups and they can in turn combine their powers to influence above all other voices and that would truely help the united states people.

Here is the citation for an article I read about how it takes one person.
Dorn, William. "Join Forces with ONE to Fight Extreme Poverty." GreenvilleOnline.com. 27 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .



Critical Question: If we only had the opportunity to be a part of a whole group, democrates vs. republicans, how would that change our individual influence of the political process?
 

 
 
 
 

How to Become a Lobbyist: Politics & Voting | eHow.com

How to Become a Lobbyist: Politics & Voting eHow.com

Here we go, this is a good start for individuals!

In what ways does public opinion influence the formation of a democratic society?

A democratic society allows the people to rule themselves. Therefore their public opinion runs the democratic society and if that did not happen then there would be no democratic society. This happens because of voting. This creates the public opinion because it is getting people involved.....which is GOOD! The people express their opinion through that and it forms a democratic society.





Do for your country what your country would do for you.

Fairness and equality will help create a democratic society and will make this country run in a circle.

 
Critical Question: Switch the question around a little bit- How does the private sector influence the formation of a democratic society, or does it influence capitalist better?
 
 
There is an article that I read parts of that interested me about the ways our democratic society was organized. Talking mostly about propaganda, which honestly I think is funny and true at the same time because it's all about business and making it but how you do make it. This article talks about the public opinion and compares it to a private opinion. Here is the citation:
Bernays, Edward. "Propaganda." History Is A Weapon. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.    http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/bernprop.html.



 
Here is a website to a SNL video that I found that mocks the public opinion. It has Will Ferrell and Alec Baldwin in it. Its a good laugh about politics!
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/public-opinion/1018683/

How do government and the private sector intersect?



check out this interesting graph that I found at blog.american.com



The main thing that intersects the government and the private sector is the economy. I think that it is because of this why big corporations are succeding in paying the ones on top so much money and little businesses are struggling to survive. In a way I think it is fair but in another way I don't think it gives everyne an equal chance. Then here is the government who say we all need to work together to have a good economy and they say that more businesses are putting more jobs out there, but I really can't see it. It looks to me that its all just talk so that people will continue to vote for who ever is in the government.

If you look at the video that I posted, I think that is a good example on how the government is trying to take over everything....the government says its all for the better and they said its going to change and that the people will still have control over it but I see the opposite. Even more funny, on the video title "lie of the year", I could not have put a better name on it!
Pfeiffer, Tracy. "YouTube - 'Lie Of The Year': Government Takeover Of Healthcare." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Newsyvideos, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoYbktOuFCA.




I also read this article that pertained a little bit to what we are talking about and I think it would be a good thing for you to read. There is one paragraph that really stood out to me that I think is really messed up but can believe it. It says, "the report shows that desipte all the public pleas for the federal governement to play a reduced role in private businesses, many fortune 500 companies are using the federal government as their personal ATM's and have made no moves to get off the dole".
Curry, George. "Democrates and Republicans Should End Corporate Welfare." The Wilmington Journal. 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. http://www.wilmingtonjournal.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=107402&sID=34&ItemSource=L.

Critical Question:  If the government didn't intersect like that, do you think the economy would be better??
I think there is a good chance.

'Lie Of The Year': Government Takeover Of Healthcare

What role does power play in government, economy, and politics?

Power plays a huge role in government, politics and the economy because those three things is what our counrty is based around. Take a look at anyone who is in a higher position. They have power and if you think about it, they didn't get to where they are without having power. Just think about the definition of what power is; power is having the ability to control and to change what is around you. The government has the power to put laws into effect. The government is made f political leaders who have power to raise new issues that need to change. Political runners have power to persuade citizens to vote their way because they are better and can utlize their power more efficently. The economy is a little bit tougher because people are really the ones who control that. If you are spending, then you aren't gaining thus causing loss and the economy goes down. But it can go up if people are spending and profit is gained. Without power, people would run wild because there would be no order no "higher power" to answer to. Power is our gift but also our consequence both to and from the government, politics and economy. Some people abuse it but others do good with it.

Critical question: If every person had an equal opportunity and our government really did operate as a democracy,what do you think would happen with government, economy and politics?

Here is how I think of it: if people had more power maybe they wouldn't complain so much when things didn't go their way....wouldn't that be nice!

I also found an interesting article that you guys can check out. Here is the citation,
Meyerson, Harold. "Harold Meyerson - What's Holding Back the U.S. Economy?" Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 06 Feb. 2011.
.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/02/AR2011020205040.html

The Purpose and role of Government

Democracy Over 'Capitalism' in Moore's Eyes

Critical question: What are the opportunities and challenges of a democracy?

I think having a democracy would be good if the American people were more involved in the right

way to vote. We have two main parties, Democrats and Republicans and that is what people are

focused on. I take my mom for example. She is a republican and though she may see some good

points on the democratic side, she still continues to say that she will never choose that side

because of their values......well not every single person has the same values, it doesn’t matter

what side you are on. With that said, I think right now creating a democracy; the American

people would not know how to handle it. We need to learn to get along better and take negative

criticism and turn it into something positive that could be a fun and yet rewarding challenge for all

people. I know it is said that the United States is operated under a democracy, but the people

who have power are really all for themselves......isn't that capitalism? Those who have power only

care about getting to the top. They don't care how it happens, as long as they are at the top.

The ones at the top are the ones who have attended the finest schools and have had any and all

great opportunities in their path in life. The beginning of the first chapter gives an excellent

example of the Titanic. The first and third class passengers were seperated. The third class

passengers did not have the same food, entertainment and experience as the first class

passengers because of the differences in life styles. But don't you think that if each person really

did have the same opportunites in life, that our democracy really would be a democracy and not

have a question about being a form of capitalism? I do, but I think the "first class" citizens would

be put at a disadvantage because there are more "third class" citizens.

Critical Question: Can Democracy and Capitalism coexist?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Katznelson, Ira, Mark Kesselman and Alan Draper. The Politics of Power. 5th ed, United States: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.

here it is

hey fellow classmates! I am excited to start this blog part of the class becaue I have never blogged before but have been thinking that I want to. If any of you know how I can make this blog look fun and decorate it let me know because I havent got the slightest clue!
Happy blogging!