Succession

Ken Salazar is the Secretary of Interior. His job is to look after federal land and natural resources. This department is also called "the department of everything else." Because the duties of the Secretary of Interior is so broad. Ken was originally from Colorado and graduated from college with a Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science. Many people have given him grief, because he is of Mexican decent. I wish these racist people would just get over themselves.

Janet Napolitano is the Secretary of Homeland Security. Janet was married to the dean of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She is half-Italian and she  went to college in Santa Clara, California. She is responsible for the "enhanced  pat downs" at airports where they may touch people in inappropriate areas to check for bombs. Her job is to protect the citizens of America and the homeland in general.

Role of Presidency

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4683

This link describes the duties that a President must perform such as: inviting foreign diplomats the White House, signing bills, traveling to other countries to meet with other foreign leaders, and being an icon of the nation.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-misunderstands-role-presidency

This article is stating that Obama is playing the role of presidency incorrectly. Showing that he is not acting as the President he had campaigned himself to be, but is showing himself in a completely combative stance opposed to the country healing self he marketed himself as in the beginning.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-misunderstands-role-presidency

It is important for all students to be well educated on the role of the presidency, because if we don't know what the President job really is than how do we know they are doing it right.

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/government/national/president.html

The President has several very important jobs that must be performed in order to keep our country running. Without the Presidents planning all things that we need to keep our country going strong would fall apart. The only thing that must be made sure to be done is that we vote for the correct man to do the job.

New Bills

They are proposing that we ban hazing and initiations from being used. This is a very difficult bill to administer rules on due to the fact that people will probably still bully regardless of the fact that they are told not to. Many people in general break laws every day, because they feel that certain one may not pertain to them or is nonsensical. When in all reality all bills are made for a reason.

They are also discussing a bill that will make it so people will have to take a breathalizer before they are allowed to start their cars. I think this is a brilliant idea, because it will cause issue to drunks thinking they can make it home themselves from trying to do so, and force them to find alternative transportation. But like all good ideas their is always a loop hole. This drunks could find alternate ways of putting air into the breathalizers like using a sober person to take the test for them. I hope that the sober people wouldn't allow this kind of conduct though. I certainly think this bill is worth looking into further.

1. Tax Cuts
Barack Obama voted to have a bill passed that will extend the bush-era tax cuts and extend unemployment coverage for 13 months. This bill was created to help the American families recover from the recession that has wracked the people of America with much strife. This bill is one of the ways Barack is working to help America regain it's strength.

2.Pork Filled Spending Bill
There is an arguement that they should pass a spending bill to fund the government. The bill that has been previously been funding them is going to expire soon, so they are doing there best to get another bill passed to fund them.

3.The Senate's War Over Christmas
The Republican's and Democrat's were blaming each other for being Grinch-like. They were saying that the other was planning on staying in session over there Christmas break period. The whole situation was very cat fight-like. They were just playing a very pointless blame game.

4.Tax Cut Deal
Many other government officials will be voting on the bush-era tax cuts and unemployment money bill soon. This will include many politicians in all the states.

Blog Test

1.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 1:
The factor of extending voter suffrage. Many of the people at the time when voting originally was developed only wealthy, white males could vote. Causing women, poor people, and people of different ethnicities to not get to vote for things that effect their life too.


2.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 2:
The factor of citizenship is a big deal. I, myself, have a friend of around 38 years of age from out of the country who has lived here on work Visa for about eight years, and she is not allowed to vote, but still has to pay taxes. It confuses me that someone would have absolutely no say in what is going on around them, but has to deal with all of the effects of what is being voted upon.


3.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 3:
The Amendments to the Acts helped  the vote expand to the minorities. It made the voting ballot become printed in both English and the language of the minority that was present in that state. This brought the opinion out in numerous other races in the country, because America is settled by a diversity of people who should all have a choice to choose how there surrounding environment is taken care of.


4.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 4:
The group of people that choose not to vote is enormous. Many people in the United States choose to not exercise their right to vote, because they believe that the democracy is corrupted in some way or form. Many of these people who don't vote believe that no one will do it right so their ignorance towards learning the facts and making a choice on who to elect probably changes the results in polls dramatically.


5. Explain voter apathy and what can be done to help it:
Voter apathy is the outcome of many people in American society who simply choose not to vote. The citizens have began to believe that their just one vote won't be missed, but if many people don't vote then the loss of votes will start counting. A possibility of fixing the sitiuation would be to enstill in high school students the fact that voting is important and a necessary part of life, and hopefully they will discover the importance.


6. Explain the qualifications for registering to vote:

The voter must register their name, age, place of birth, present address, length of residence, and similar facts. The information is logged by a local official. A voter remains registered unless they die, move states, commit a dangerous crime, or are placed in a mental facility.

National News

Obama is inviting both the Democratic and Republican representitives to the white house the 18th of November. They are meeting up for "Not a photo op." as Barack put it, but a chance to discuss the ending of the Bush-era tax cuts. There are many disagreements on whether they should continue these tax cuts or find a new solution.

I am hoping that these meeting is sucessful, and that the Democratic and Republican parties are able to find a compromise that will be the best for our country. I forsee there being much arguement at this meeting, but hopefully they will be capable of putting a side their differences in order to make some decisions for the better.

.  What does Federalism mean by definition and what does Federalism mean to you?
The distribution of power in a federation between the central authority and the constituent units (as states) involving espepically the allocation of significant lawmaking powers to those constituent units. - by definition
To me, fedarlism is what holds our country together. The governemnt would not be what it is without this.

2.  List and describe the three powers of the National Government.
The three branches of power are legislative, judicial, and executive. The legislative branch has the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The judicial branch applies the power of the law. The executive branch has sole authority and responsibility for the daily adminstration.

3.  Explain the division of powers and why it is important?
It is important that we divide the power, because it is not good for any one branch to have all the power. In America, we spread out the power so it is all more equal.

4.  What is the Supremacy Clause and what is its function?
This clause explains the federal laws made in the Constitution dealing with foreign relations and treaties and various other parts of American government. It's function is to help keep the order we already have in our government.