comprehensive work 7

This is the statue of liberty, our countries symbol for freedom and opportunity. However, to go along with my political cartoon, there is a disclaimer to people that don’t fit the status quo. In other words, the U.S. is a free place for “normal” people.

graded work 7

            When an issue is presented to the Supreme Court, it is often times highly controversial and important in relation to our Country.  One can cite several different examples, however the one that I will focus on is the Defense of Marriage act. This act, drawn up under President Bill Clinton, is the outline by the federal government as to what defines legal marriage. According to the act, a marriage as recognized by the federal government is a union between a man and a woman. While this seems on the surface to be unnecessary, the recent development of homosexual marriage as sparked a controversy to this act.

The problem lies in that while the federal government has a valid definition of what marriage is, the act also officially declares that the individual states have the right to make their own legal implications for gay marriage.  In addition to this, it also states that the other states can ignore a homosexual marriage based at its own discretion. The whole question then lies to the legality and constitutionality of the act. If I was an acting member of the Supreme Court, I would most certainty have a difficult time making a decision about this. In my personal belief, I will defiantly state that I feel very strongly against the legality of homosexual marriage because I think it’s wrongful according to my religious beliefs. However, if I were in the position such as a Supreme Court justice, I would have to put my beliefs behind me when looking at the legality of this act. It is clearly states in the fabric of our founding documents that all men our created equal.

I also believe very strongly in the separation of state and religion. As such, I would have to rule that this act is unconstitutional because it very clearly restricts a group of people from having equal rights. This in my opinion violates the constitution and everything that our country stands for. That being said, I would not rule that the states have to honor the other states decisions for the marriage because I don’t think that the Supreme Court should have the authority to undermine the individual states and their right to make the decision to recognize homosexual marriage. I think judicial restraint is important because activism would cause more problems than it would solve. There are many areas that are still extremely against homosexual marriage.

So for the federal government to make a decision to force the states to recognize other state’s decisions will cause hostile reactions from many states.  I think to back my opinion on the right to marriage is supported by precedents such as Laurence v Texas, which ruled that sexual acts between two individuals are acceptable between consenting adults of age regardless of sexual orientation. This lends to the fact that restrictions put on a group of people based on their sexual orientation is essentially unconstitutional. If this situation is not legal by the constitution, then restrictions on marriage should fall in the same category.

Our country has always had momentous events that have marked our history for civil rights.  Gay marriage, while on the surface is very different from other past civil rights issues; it demands similar respect and attention from the federal government. Whenever a group of people don’t have the same rights as everybody else because of a restriction set by the government it violates the constitution. It is the supreme courts’ role to declare things that are unconstitutional. As the scenario was presented to me, I as a Supreme Court justice would have to lend my legal opinion on the constitutionality of the marriage act. As is stands, it violates human rights and thus should be eliminated, however, the policy of letting the states set their own laws for marriage should be upheld. This will ensure that people will not be forced to accept something they disagree with.

political cartoon

This represents the congress building being bombarded by signals by the internet. As evidenced by my graded assignment, I learned that with the internet people have the ability to send thoughts to their representatives in the government. This comic represents that. I think this is very important so that issues are able to reach the government and our needs are heard.

Letter to Congressman and state Senator and report.

Representative Trey Gowdy

Hi, as a student and citizen of S.C. living in your district, I felt compelled to contact you on an issue in which I feel there is a dire need. Unemployment is something that I feel is at the root of many of the problems that can be seen in today's economy. The bill listed in the subject is just one example of a bill I feel is a step in the right direction for our state. It is an effort to improve training for people so that they will be better prepared for different jobs. Industries such as BMW manufacturing have made incredible strides in our area in terms of the employment. As such, the area has experienced quite a boom. While this particular bill may not be one where there is a great need, I trust you are more aware than I, there should be some effort in my opinion made to help stimulate even more jobs in this area. When there are people working, it spirals all the way down to many other aspects of life. For example, since the arrival of BMW, many of the local schools have experienced a phenomenon where they are exponentially improving. People who have work are more willing to spend money, thus it also improves the local economy as well. It seems like there are so many roundabout ways that are being made to help stimulate the economy. Fortunately, I feel that the simple effort of creating work in the area can help stimulate the economy and help it reach unparalleled levels.  

This first bill is an effort by the federal government to send aid to states for programs designed to help people learn skill to help foster the work force. This is crucial in helping stimulate the economy.

Senator Jim Demint

Hi, as a citizen of S.C. I felt I should contact you on the recent issue of unemployment. As a student in college, I have seen and dwelt with the struggles many college level kids deal with when it comes to work. I know many others who have experienced this problem of a "lack" of jobs in the upstate S.C. While the situation has improved to some degree, I still feel there hasn't been much effort of the part of the government in helping stimulate more jobs. For example, where I live BMW manufacturing has helped stimulate the economy on many different levels. I know there are efforts being made such as the legislation S. 782, which deals with several provisions that are set up to help the economy in the long run. Understandable many of these will take time and effort to bring forth any benefit; However, I feel eventually these types of legislation can help our state in a positive way. I think other types of Legislation should be passed that are aimed at the younger generation who are struggling with the lack of jobs for college level kids. This will greatly help people my age who are trying to get through college without piling up tons of debt from student loans. Thank you for your consideration.

This assignment was probably to me the most important in terms of helping me understand the government. I think many people my age are slightly intimidated by the government. It has become such a large entity that many shy away from making any effort to contact our representatives. The word representative is important because the very meaning of that word is someone who stands in place of another, in this case us. That means that they are supposed to do what is in the best interest of us. Without contacting them, there is little chance that they can satisfy everybody needs. This ability to contact and let them know about personal issues is to me a remarkable thing and I’m glad to know about it now.

Comprehensive Assignment 5

Graded assignment 5

The presidential election is one of the most popular events that take place in the United States. During the process, the potential candidates have to spend a large sum of money in order to be considered for President of the United States. Campaigns require things like campaign materials, commercials, and the hiring of people who help you along the way.  To help pay for the expenses, a federal program has been developed to assists in the costs of an election. The program, known as public funding, first requires that the individual meet certain qualifications. This helps ensure that the funds are not being wasted on someone who isn’t qualified to be President. The money is taken from the federal treasury, which is from money that is voluntarily checked off by taxpayers. The tax neither increases nor decreases because of its voluntary status. Another type is known as Primary Matching funds, where the government matches the amount given by an individual.  This can go up to 250 per individual.  A public grant for 20 million can also be received in exchange that certain rules are followed such as not accepting private contributions except in special situations. There are also regulations that prevent the political groups from spending on certain things. One such example is the convention funding, where they are limited to 4 million.  The organization responsible for the regulation of all this is the FEC, or the Federal Election Commission. People can contribute money to political groups; however, there are several regulations on what can be given. This is also regulated and determined by the FEC. All this is set up to ensure the fairness of the our countries election process.

Pew Research Study

The pew research study found interesting results when it looked into people’s knowledge regarding current events. Based off the results from several different groups divided among their preference for obtaining the news, an almost comical conclusion can be drawn. People, whose main source of news comes from comedy shows such as the daily show, showed higher levels of knowledge in relation to current events. This is both comical and alarming. For a comedy show to provide the best source of news leads one to realize how far the United States news outlets have fallen. In all honestly, the most likely reason for this is that the major outlets, such as cable television channels like fox, are too focused on providing biased news. On the flipside, this result could be because people who are watching shows such as the Daily show are better adept at deciphering “good” news. Nevertheless, this study clearly shows a trend that should make major news providers queasy.