Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
J1
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/opinion/keller-the-conscience-of-a-corporation.html
This article discusses the new mandate under ObamaCare that requires all businesses with over 50 employees to provide healthcare to their employees, including coverage for birth control. There are exemptions to this birth control requirement for religious organizations such as churches and non-profit organizations that are associated with religions such as universities and hospitals. There is also now a legal movement to exempt corporations that incorporate religious principles into their business from the birth control mandate as well.
What are the constitutional grounds for exempting religious and religiously-affiliated organizations from the ObamaCare mandate requiring birth control to be covered under health insurance?
This article discusses the new mandate under ObamaCare that requires all businesses with over 50 employees to provide healthcare to their employees, including coverage for birth control. There are exemptions to this birth control requirement for religious organizations such as churches and non-profit organizations that are associated with religions such as universities and hospitals. There is also now a legal movement to exempt corporations that incorporate religious principles into their business from the birth control mandate as well.
What are the constitutional grounds for exempting religious and religiously-affiliated organizations from the ObamaCare mandate requiring birth control to be covered under health insurance?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
H6
a) Judicial review is the ability of the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of laws.
b) Judicial review is a form of checks and balances because it allows the Supreme Court to make legislative or executive actions irrelevant or to alter them by declaring laws, executive orders, or other actions unconstitutional and therefore no longer applicable.
c) A writ of certiorari is a decision by the supreme court to hear an appeal from a lower court. In order to grant this writ, four Supreme Court Justices must agree to hear the case.
d) Stare decisis is the principle that judges must rule in accordance with the precedent set by judges in previous cases. This means that Justices must use the precedent set by former Justices in making their decision regardless of their personal feelings on the case. Judicial activism, on the other hand, is the idea that Justices sometimes make rulings based on their personal opinions or feelings about a case rather than based on existing law. Judicial activism may affect a Justice's decision as he or she considers the effects his or her choice may have in the long term and the ramifications of their decisions in terms of setting a future precedent.
b) Judicial review is a form of checks and balances because it allows the Supreme Court to make legislative or executive actions irrelevant or to alter them by declaring laws, executive orders, or other actions unconstitutional and therefore no longer applicable.
c) A writ of certiorari is a decision by the supreme court to hear an appeal from a lower court. In order to grant this writ, four Supreme Court Justices must agree to hear the case.
d) Stare decisis is the principle that judges must rule in accordance with the precedent set by judges in previous cases. This means that Justices must use the precedent set by former Justices in making their decision regardless of their personal feelings on the case. Judicial activism, on the other hand, is the idea that Justices sometimes make rulings based on their personal opinions or feelings about a case rather than based on existing law. Judicial activism may affect a Justice's decision as he or she considers the effects his or her choice may have in the long term and the ramifications of their decisions in terms of setting a future precedent.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
H3
a) Three factors that influence Supreme Court nominations are political ideology, race and/or gender, and age.
b) Presidents almost always nominate justices who share their political beliefs so that their interests will be supported in the Supreme Court. In addition, Presidents often want a more diverse court in order to better represent the American people at large and so choose justices who come from a variety of backgrounds, and are different races and genders. Finally, Presidents want the justice they appoint to have influence for as long as possible and so sometimes appoint younger justices that will remain on the Supreme Court long after the President has left office.
c) Justice Kagan fits all of these characteristics. She is left-leaning, which is in line with President Obama's political ideology. She is a woman, which gives her a different perspective from the usual old white men of the Supreme Court and she is the youngest member of the court which ensures her lasting influence.
a) Interest groups can attempt Supreme Court appointments through providing information to the American public and by lobbying members of Congress.
b) Providing information about Justice nominees to the public can convince constituents to either support or to not support a nominee. These constituents can then put pressure on their Congressmen to either confirm or deny that nominee. The representative will most likely follow the wishes of his constituents as he probably wishes to be reelected. Interest groups can also cut out the middle man by lobbying members of Congress directly. Interest groups often have considerable sway in government and they can put this power to use by offering incentives or convincing representatives to support their interests when voting on whether or not to confirm a Justice nominee.
c) Interest groups exerted their influence in the confirmation process for Kagan. NARAL Pro Choice America appealed to American citizens as they pushed a pro-women agenda in association with Kagan's appointment leading to the highest number of women ever to be on the Supreme Court. Conservative groups such as Americans United for Life are raising money to stop Kagan from being confirmed as they see her as a threat to their anti-abortion stand.
b) Presidents almost always nominate justices who share their political beliefs so that their interests will be supported in the Supreme Court. In addition, Presidents often want a more diverse court in order to better represent the American people at large and so choose justices who come from a variety of backgrounds, and are different races and genders. Finally, Presidents want the justice they appoint to have influence for as long as possible and so sometimes appoint younger justices that will remain on the Supreme Court long after the President has left office.
c) Justice Kagan fits all of these characteristics. She is left-leaning, which is in line with President Obama's political ideology. She is a woman, which gives her a different perspective from the usual old white men of the Supreme Court and she is the youngest member of the court which ensures her lasting influence.
a) Interest groups can attempt Supreme Court appointments through providing information to the American public and by lobbying members of Congress.
b) Providing information about Justice nominees to the public can convince constituents to either support or to not support a nominee. These constituents can then put pressure on their Congressmen to either confirm or deny that nominee. The representative will most likely follow the wishes of his constituents as he probably wishes to be reelected. Interest groups can also cut out the middle man by lobbying members of Congress directly. Interest groups often have considerable sway in government and they can put this power to use by offering incentives or convincing representatives to support their interests when voting on whether or not to confirm a Justice nominee.
c) Interest groups exerted their influence in the confirmation process for Kagan. NARAL Pro Choice America appealed to American citizens as they pushed a pro-women agenda in association with Kagan's appointment leading to the highest number of women ever to be on the Supreme Court. Conservative groups such as Americans United for Life are raising money to stop Kagan from being confirmed as they see her as a threat to their anti-abortion stand.
Monday, March 4, 2013
H1
Justice Anthony Kennedy and Abortion
Justice Kennedy ruled with the support of the Pro-Choice movement and continued the ban on D&X, or partial birth abortions.
Partial birth abortions are used to abort a pregnancy, by fully removing the intact fetus, after the first trimester.
Some argue that this decision goes against the precedent set in Roe v. Wade.
In 2000 0.17% of all abortions were done by D&X procedure.
Some pro-choice supporters want to allow abortion because of the countless health complications that can arise from illegal and botched abortions.
Much of the pro-life movement stems from churches and religious communities, the author points out the Catholic Church and Protestant evangelicals.
Gonzales vs. Carhart, according to the author, undermines women's rights and takes U.S. law back to a view of women as mothers and wives first and foremost.
Justice Kennedy ruled with the support of the Pro-Choice movement and continued the ban on D&X, or partial birth abortions.
Partial birth abortions are used to abort a pregnancy, by fully removing the intact fetus, after the first trimester.
Some argue that this decision goes against the precedent set in Roe v. Wade.
In 2000 0.17% of all abortions were done by D&X procedure.
Some pro-choice supporters want to allow abortion because of the countless health complications that can arise from illegal and botched abortions.
Much of the pro-life movement stems from churches and religious communities, the author points out the Catholic Church and Protestant evangelicals.
Gonzales vs. Carhart, according to the author, undermines women's rights and takes U.S. law back to a view of women as mothers and wives first and foremost.
Monday, February 18, 2013
G15
a) A balanced budget is a budget in which revenue is equal to expenditure. There is neither a deficit nor a surplus.
b) Federal entitlements are benefits provided by national government programs for people who meet eligibility requirements.
c) Social security is a large entitlement. It acts as a barrier to a balanced budget because it requires the government to pay out large amounts of money. Retired Americans are paying less in taxes now that they have a smaller income and are receiving more from the government in the form of benefits. As the retired population grows, the national government must pay out more and more money.
d) Large budget deficits require the government to borrow money and become indebted to banks and other nations. It can also lower the esteem of the country and cause a government to lose international respect and its sense of reliability and strength.
e) The projected revenue for 2012 was $2.6 trillion. Expenditures were $2.6 trillion and the deficit was $1.1 trillion.
http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/federal_budget_fy12
f) The total national debt is $16.53 trillion
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
b) Federal entitlements are benefits provided by national government programs for people who meet eligibility requirements.
c) Social security is a large entitlement. It acts as a barrier to a balanced budget because it requires the government to pay out large amounts of money. Retired Americans are paying less in taxes now that they have a smaller income and are receiving more from the government in the form of benefits. As the retired population grows, the national government must pay out more and more money.
d) Large budget deficits require the government to borrow money and become indebted to banks and other nations. It can also lower the esteem of the country and cause a government to lose international respect and its sense of reliability and strength.
e) The projected revenue for 2012 was $2.6 trillion. Expenditures were $2.6 trillion and the deficit was $1.1 trillion.
http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/federal_budget_fy12
f) The total national debt is $16.53 trillion
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
G12
Substance:
President Obama focuses on assisting the majority, not the wealthy minority at the top of America. He also discusses the potential negative effects of sequestration. Obama also talks about health care reform, especially for the elderly. It seems that most of his arguments, whether economic or social, focus on asking the wealthiest Americans to contribute more and on helping to support middle class families and people hoping to climb into the middle class. Obama speaks about climate change and the environmental crisis, but environmental reform is something that has been sadly lacking in his administration. He often brings it up in speeches because it is something people like to hear about but he hasn't taken much action on one of the most monumental issues the world is facing. President Obama spent a lot of time discussing changes in the American education system. This is something Bush worked on, Obama is simply taking a different approach to the reform. Obama also introduces a commission to improve elections and voting experiences in the U.S. He focuses less on gun reform than I expected, he leaves it to the end. He discusses why we need gun reform more than the actual reforms he wants to see enacted. He is looking to impassion rather than to propose specific changes.
Style:
Obama begins very positively, citing the end of the war and a recovering economy. He gets right down to business stating, "the state of our union is strong." He is direct and to the point. The President keeps his speech fairly simple. He doesn't fill his points with big words and convoluted sentences. Obama makes his thoughts accessible to everyone, not just highly educated Americans. President Obama is diplomatic but he is focusing on more partisan and controversial issues than he did in his first term. He doesn't want to alienate anyone but he also isn't pandering to the Republicans. Obama gives direct instructions to Congress several times. He asks them to make changes to their education bill, to send him an immigration bill, and urges the House of Representatives to pass the Violence against Women Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. The President pairs something controversial like gay marriage and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell with something solidly supported like support of military families. President Obama was on fire as he closed his address. He was uplifting and inspirational as he highlighted the heroes present in the audience and called for American unity and solidarity.
Response:
Joe Biden seems slightly disengaged for the beginning of Obama's speech. It is incredible how much the audience's reactions run along party lines. It seems to me that politicians should focus in public interest rather then partisan support. This is something the American political system needs to improve on within both liberal and conservative parties. The applause is almost entirely from Democrats, while many Republicans stay seated. While Obama discusses education reform the media found probably one of the few children in the room to zoom in on. Vice President Biden immediately stood upon Obama's mention of immigration reform, indicating his strong support of this often emotionally charged topic. There is more universal report when Obama makes it clear that he finds the fact that families earning minimum wage live below the poverty line. This is an idea that most people can get behind. The same is true for Obama's stated support of American troops.
President Obama focuses on assisting the majority, not the wealthy minority at the top of America. He also discusses the potential negative effects of sequestration. Obama also talks about health care reform, especially for the elderly. It seems that most of his arguments, whether economic or social, focus on asking the wealthiest Americans to contribute more and on helping to support middle class families and people hoping to climb into the middle class. Obama speaks about climate change and the environmental crisis, but environmental reform is something that has been sadly lacking in his administration. He often brings it up in speeches because it is something people like to hear about but he hasn't taken much action on one of the most monumental issues the world is facing. President Obama spent a lot of time discussing changes in the American education system. This is something Bush worked on, Obama is simply taking a different approach to the reform. Obama also introduces a commission to improve elections and voting experiences in the U.S. He focuses less on gun reform than I expected, he leaves it to the end. He discusses why we need gun reform more than the actual reforms he wants to see enacted. He is looking to impassion rather than to propose specific changes.
Style:
Obama begins very positively, citing the end of the war and a recovering economy. He gets right down to business stating, "the state of our union is strong." He is direct and to the point. The President keeps his speech fairly simple. He doesn't fill his points with big words and convoluted sentences. Obama makes his thoughts accessible to everyone, not just highly educated Americans. President Obama is diplomatic but he is focusing on more partisan and controversial issues than he did in his first term. He doesn't want to alienate anyone but he also isn't pandering to the Republicans. Obama gives direct instructions to Congress several times. He asks them to make changes to their education bill, to send him an immigration bill, and urges the House of Representatives to pass the Violence against Women Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. The President pairs something controversial like gay marriage and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell with something solidly supported like support of military families. President Obama was on fire as he closed his address. He was uplifting and inspirational as he highlighted the heroes present in the audience and called for American unity and solidarity.
Response:
Joe Biden seems slightly disengaged for the beginning of Obama's speech. It is incredible how much the audience's reactions run along party lines. It seems to me that politicians should focus in public interest rather then partisan support. This is something the American political system needs to improve on within both liberal and conservative parties. The applause is almost entirely from Democrats, while many Republicans stay seated. While Obama discusses education reform the media found probably one of the few children in the room to zoom in on. Vice President Biden immediately stood upon Obama's mention of immigration reform, indicating his strong support of this often emotionally charged topic. There is more universal report when Obama makes it clear that he finds the fact that families earning minimum wage live below the poverty line. This is an idea that most people can get behind. The same is true for Obama's stated support of American troops.
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