We have spent significant time analyzing six democratic principles that were established in our founding documents and examining how they are evident in a modern-day issue. To reflect on and use what you have learned, please consider other current issues or challenges that our country is facing and discuss how one of the six democratic principles (popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, equal protection, or federalism) applies to that issue.
In responding to this post, you must (in paragraph form):
1. Explain a present day issue in our country.
2. Reference a specific current event article that you have used to better understand the issue you have chosen. The article should come from one of the news sites listed to the left under "News Links." Be sure to provide a link to your article so others can read it if they want to learn more.
3. Explain how one of the democratic principles is demonstrated in the example you have chosen. (Please pick a principle that is different than the one you focused on in class.)
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE BY FRIDAY AT 10:30 AM.
A current problem in our country is that voting is a chaotic process that makes it difficult for some people to choose our leaders and laws. For example, people who were convicted of crimes but served their sentence were still unable to vote. This article explains how people of who were but no longer are criminals could not vote in the recent November elections. Specifically there was a woman from Minnesota who was accused of possession of marijuana but was never convicted. This lady was denied the right to vote even though she was not supposed to be. The Minnesota supreme court ruled that she should have been able to vote, for she was not yet a criminal. The courts notified election and corrections officials of the voting regulations. This relates to the popular sovereignty American principle of democracy which states that the citizens who are governed vote to decide who governs them. The Minnesota supreme courts fought for popular sovereignty in their state and hopefully the rest of the country will follow.
ReplyDeleteArticle Source: The New York Times
Article URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/opinion/sunday/voting-rights-former-felons.html?_r=0
A current problem in our country is the, what some are calling racist, name of the National Football League team, the "Washington Red Skins". The term "redskins" is viewed as an offensive slur that is offensive to Native Americans. In this Washington Post article, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Indians is going to hold a symposium on this topic, and give reasons as to why the name should be changed. Most likely it will be changed to "Warriors". Of the three thousand sports teams with racial Native American titles, over two thirds have been changed, but still some are opposed to it. A large number of citizens in the D.C area are not Native American, and therefore see no reason to change the name. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American Indians is using equal protection to depict how they are being treated unequally as a people, and that they should receive the same treatment as any group under their circumstances.
ReplyDeleteArticle Source: The Washington Post
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/drop-redskins-name-time-to-take-a-stand/2013/02/06/f87462d2-709f-11e2-a050-b83a7b35c4b5_story.html?hpid=z4
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/world/europe/britain-gay-marriage-vote.html?ref=world&_r=0
ReplyDeleteAn issue our world faces is that gay rights and gay marriage are not accepted. We have discussed this is class, and it is know that it is not something many people want to happen. In this article from the New York Times, we see that it was voted on in Britain. The article tells us, “After a six-hour debate, the Commons vote was 400 to 175 for the bill. The legislation, which applies to England and Wales, would permit civil marriage between same-sex couples...” So the higher vote allowed gay marriage to be legal in Britain. This shows Popular Sovereignty. It talked about how the House of Lords had to vote on it as well, which shows how it had to be an equal vote, and the decision was made due to a higher vote allowing gay marriage in Britain. In the end, the people’s votes mattered. Even though many officials opposed it.
An present day issue in our country is gun control. The issue is balancing the right to bear arms under the second amendment with controlling public safety. Obama says that people should listen and acknowledge what gun owners have to say about the issue. This issue is related to popular sovereignty because guns give people the ability to defend themselves if the government oversteps their authority.
ReplyDeleteArticle Source: The New York Times
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/us/politics/obama-says-gun-control-advocates-should-listen-to-owners.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/02/03/us/20130203-ORGANIC.html
ReplyDeleteOne issue in today's society is oil drilling. People cannot decide what do do with it because it is not environmentally safe, especially if it is near a town. This is the current issue in Paonia, a small town located in North Fork Valley Colorado. The government has bought many area's around and in this town designed for oil and gas drilling. This is the largest energy lease sale in Colorado since President Obama took office. The towns people believe the government has over-stepped their boundary. The government says they are aloud to do this because of a 90 year old law that was passed saying that companies or people can nominate their land for drilling, and the government must take inspect the land and auction it off to the drilling companies. This law under the constitution in Colorado is out-dated, and to make things worse, the government is using a 30 year old resource plan/nomination. This relates to our discussion in class because the people feel like their government is not giving them a say in what they want. They are citizens of the U.S. and the government is using what people wanted 30 years ago. The people feel like the government should stop and listen to what they have to say because it is not what they want any more.
An issue that we face today is whether or not to gay marriage is legal. We are already educated about this front what we have studied in class from proposition 8, but could this problem because a national law? In the New York Times article I read, they made an argument that president Obama could “…make a case for a more national approach…” on gay marriage. Proposition 8, a topic found in the article I read, has influenced several other debates throughout the country, which are set to take place in March of this year. This article is an example of equal protections because it involves the protection of human rights. It is also an example of federalism because the federal government could very soon be taking over the rule of state governments by making gay marriage nationally recognized as legal.
ReplyDeleteArticle URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/us/politics/solicitor-generals-predicament-on-gay-marriage.html?ref=politics
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/us/millionaires-consider-leaving-california-over-taxes.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThe current event issue that I chose was about a tax rise for the wealthy in California. California currently has the highest tax rate in the nation. Wealthy people living in California do not want to pay the tax are moving to places like Florida with no personal income tax. Governor of Texas is encourages people living in California to come and move to Texas and trying to persuade them by saying they have lox tax rates. Cristobal Young, an assistant professor of sociology with the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Stanford,said that millionaires are going to find ways to avoid paying their taxes. They would avoid them by income avoidance or reducing their work. Young also said that accounts are very busy this year and that moving companies may not be busy. Congress agreed on increasing federal income tax $400,000 a year. But the tax rate for average tax payers is much lower. The new tax increase is making people question whether if millionaires will move of the state to a state without high taxes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/health/psychiatric-hospitals-alter-rules-on-patient-smoking.html?ref=health&_r=0
ReplyDeleteA small issue occurring today in the health issue of psychiatrist hospitals banning smoking from hospitals. It was stated that "smoking by people with mental illness was supported and even encouraged" which of course is appalling considering the modern day knowledge that we all now understand that smoking in bad for health, and may be even more damaging to patients in mental hospitals. Just recently, Louisiana law decided to require the accommodation of smokers in psychiatric hospitals. This in a example of federalism, as the same people and land is governed equally under state and federal law, this law that has been put into place by Louisiana expresses the ability the states are allowed to do separately from the government.
An issue our country faces, as we have discussed in class already, is the controversy of gay rights and whether or not it is accepted in society. This goes against Equal Protection, because everyone has the right to their own opinions, thoughts, and even sexuality. In this article from the New York Times, it tells us that at Boy Scouts in the summer, openly gay people were not aloud in the area. This caused a huge problem and people said it was a hugely disappointing decision, but the organization has had very clear opinions in the past.
ReplyDeleteArticle: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/us/boy-scouts-postpone-decision-on-gays.html?ref=us
I read an article about President Obama and how he feels towards gun distributions and the process one must go through to buy one. I feel that this article shows Popular Sovereignty. Even though gun control is a huge issue and controversy due to the safety of others, it is still a constitutional right for people to bear arms in the United States. This is a right given to all people if they deserve it. By that I mean people that do not have criminal records. This to me shows Popular Sovereignty because no matter how any one person in the government feels about gun control, they will never be able to fully take away that right from us.
ReplyDeleteSource: New York Times
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/us/politics/obama-says-gun-control-advocates-should-listen-to-owners.html?_r=0
I read the article about the CEO of Whole Foods who wants to demolish the ideas of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. He wants to limit the power of the state and make the USA more of a free market. While he would not say so in the interview for fear of upsetting his customers, however he did state this in an earlier interview. as he mention multiple times, Mackey wants the government to shrink to less than ten percent of what it is today. This would destroy the market and allow for companies to take over and the government would be powerless because of the reduction of power from the people.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=3592
As discussed this past week in class, the issues of the rights of the LGBT community have been evident lately. Most recently, this issue has been tested in questioning the ability for a prisoner in the federal courts to receive a sex-change operation. In Massachusetts, prisoner Michelle L. Kosilek was accused of murdering her wife in 1990. At the time, Michelle was living as a male, due to her gender identity disorder. Throughout this trial, doctors have testified that the only way to cure this disorder is to grant Kosilek the gender reassignment surgery. On the other hand though, the Corrections officers stated that granting Kosilek this surgery would provide other security issues in the prison. This ruling relates to the principle of checks and balances. In this case, the legislative branch is checking the executive branch. The legislative branch, or the federal government, ruled that the executive branch, or the prison, was violating Koslik’s Eighth Amendment rights. Federal Judge Wolf ruled that prohibiting the surgery would fall under cruel and unusual punishment, which Koslik is protected from in the Constitution.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/us/massachusetts-sex-change-is-ordered-for-inmate.html
I read an article about the Tucson School District and its struggle for equality in there schools. Over the course of four decades, there has been a lawsuit for the desegregation of Tucson. Rubin Salter, the lawyer representing black plaintiffs, says that the black students in this district are the most likely to be suspended and put into special-education programs. The schools are mostly made up of Latino students who are also performing badly. Back in the 1970s, there was mostly white students but they are leaving because in Arizona, children are free to go to school wherever they like. So white students are leaving due to the poor school system. The plan to help these students includes better training for teachers and more dual language programs. This article discuses how there is not equal education in this school district and that black and Latino students are performing badly. This article addresses equal protection and the desegregation of the students. The lawyers defending the blacks and Latinos are fighting for equal education programs so that these students don't drop out or perform badly. They also want to bring back white students back to the district. All these students have a right to equal education and this article shows that the fight for that is still going on.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/education/tucson-school-district-struggles-for-equality.html?ref=us
I believe that discrimination is still a big problem in today's America. For some reason America always feels the need to single out one group of people, to make them feel like they are lesser than the rest of the population. Decades ago it was the African American population, today its the Gay and Lesbian community. This is a hot topic in America today, whether to recognize their marriage, and whether or not they can join the Boy Scouts. As people are beginning to see how wrong it is to discriminate against this group of people, their support group is rising in numbers, more and more states are recognizing their marriages, and the Boy Scouts are considering lifting the ban on openly gay members. The Boy Scouts have been very open with their policy of not allowing gay members or troop leaders but in recent news they have begun to consider lifting that policy. The Boy Scouts say that if the policy is lifted it will become the local chapter's decision on whether they would except gay members. The Boy Scouts believe the change in policy will strengthen the organization's "core principles of fairness and respect". Personally I hope they lift the ban, so people can see that discrimination is wrong. No matter the group of people making someone feel different bad about themselves for any reason is wrong. The children that are being denied the oppurtunity to join the Boy Scouts based on their sexual orientation are basically being told that who they are is bad. If we are telling CHILDREN who they are and who they have chosen to be is bad, we are only perpetuation the cycle of hate in America, hate for others and hate for ourselves.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/us/boy-scouts-consider-lifting-ban-on-gay-leaders.html?_r=0
ReplyDeleteIn America today discrimination is still seen against groups with values not viewed as the norms. This is seen largely in people's views against gays and lesbians. The article I read was about the Violent Crimes Against Women Act which is currently going through the Senate to be reauthorized. This act funded the inspection and prosecution of violent crimes committed against women from 1994 until it expired in 2011. Currently the debate is between the republicans viewing the act as only protecting women who are straight legal citizens. The act does not protect gays, Native Americans, or illegal immigrants which goes against equal protection. This democratic principle is important in this issue because all women in the United States aren't receiving equal protection under arguable which is an infringement of their rights. Any women who is violently abused or bias a crime committed against should be protected the same as any other women even if she is a lesbian. Your values doesn't change the fact that you've been harmed and need protection which is why this act is being processed through the Senate. Since equal protection under the law is a guarantee in America this act must be rewritten so ALL women have equal rights and protection which is what I agree with.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-senate-violence-against-women-act-20130207,0,1089932.story