Do guns keep people safe?

Here is a story about a gun owner protecting himself from a criminal: the blaze

Is Gay Marriage a Civil War or a Culture War?

Should the Supreme Court, 5 individuals, appointed for life terms with no accountability to voters strike down Proposition 8 in California?

Proposition 8 keeps marriage between a man and woman in that state. The majority of California's voters support it. When prominent republicans sign a brief in support of gay marriage what does that say?
How many people voted for prop 8?

Yes: 7,001,084 votes; 52.3%

No: 6,401,482 votes; 47.7%

The official margin: Yes prevailed by 599,602 votes

“As Dick Cheney said years ago, ‘Freedom means freedom for everybody.’ ”

Does it mean gay people aren't free if  they don't have gay marriage? What is freedom then?

So it all comes down to a handful of justices on the Supreme Court?

 Tom Goldstein, publisher of Scotusblog, a Web site that analyzes Supreme Court cases, said the amicus filing “has the potential to break through and make a real difference.”

He added: “The person who is going to decide this case, if it’s going to be close, is going to be a conservative justice who respects traditional marriage but nonetheless is sympathetic to the claims that this is just another form of hatred. If you’re trying to persuade someone like that, you can’t persuade them from the perspective of gay rights advocacy.” 

Homework for the week of 2/21/13

If you missed class then you need to make up the following work:

1. Read chapter 7 on Political Parties. Create a timeline of the 10 most influential important events that shaped the political parties

2. Read chapter 13 on The Courts.
Assignment: “John Marshall and Early Supreme Court Politics” from p 457 of your ebook.
Define:
Vocabulary:                                  Terms:
infer Judicial Review
precedence Federalists
invalidate anti-Federalists/ Democratic-Republicans
judicial commission Election of 1800
original jurisdiction Judiciary Act of 1789
writ of mandamus
lame duck senate

Who was John Marshall, why was he important?
Who were the Federalists?
What happened during the election of 1800? What was the effect?
Who was William Marbury? Why did he bring a lawsuit to the Supreme Court? What was it for?
What was the constitutional crisis that Marshall wanted to avoid?
What was John Marshall’s ruling in the court case Marshall v. Madison?
What political objectives did Marshall accomplish?

3. News summary.

Sequestration

Boehner's Op ed in the Wall Street Journal

What is all this talk about sequestration? According to Speaker of the House John Boehner, it is a " product of the president's own failed leadership."

 "$85 billion in across-the-board cuts will occur this year, with another $1.1 trillion coming over the next decade. "

"By law, the sequester focuses on the narrow portion of the budget that funds the operating accounts for federal agencies and departments, including the Department of Defense. Exempt is most entitlement spending—the large portion of the budget that is driving the nation's looming debt crisis."

The military will lose funding, but not entitlement programs.

Two summers ago the congress agreed to raise the debt ceiling, but in order to come to that agreement they passed the Budget Control Act. This meant 2 things: first, immediate caps on discretionary spending. Second, the formation of a committee to find a way to cut spending.

Obama, a few months later came up with the sequester in stead of raising the debt limit during his campaign.

"Both parties today have a responsibility to find a bipartisan solution to the sequester. Turning it off and erasing its deficit reduction isn't an option. What Congress should do is replace it with other spending cuts that put America on the path to a balanced budget in 10 years, without threatening national security."

Midterm and Presentations Due for 2/7/13

The Midterm is due next week:

Seidman's article: Let's Give up on the Constitution

Midterm:

Professor Louis Seidman has recently argued that adherence to the Constitution, “with all its idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions” is the reason why America’s system of government is broken. He argues that the Constitution has given us  “a dysfunctional political system”.  Seidman is not the only critic of the Constitution, Charles Beard is a historian who “provided the most controversial historical interpretation of the origin of American national government in his landmark book, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913).He argued that the founders benefitted financially from the Constitution.

You will find a summary of Beard’s book on page 69 in your ebook in  Conflicting View: An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution.

Write a three-page essay (12pt Times New Roman, 1 inch margins) analyzing arguments from Seidman and Beard and answering the question, “Should we give up on the Constitution?” To support your analysis briefly define what Seidman means by Constitutional disobedience. Demonstrate in depth understanding of his article as well as Beard’s view that the framers economically benefited from the Constitution. You will need to discuss what Beard, Seidman, and the founders of the Constitution expected from a government, and asses Beard’s and Seidman's arguments based on the circumstances of the Constitution. In your essay do not simply summarize Seidman and Beard, your role is to analyze and evaluate their assertions as well as include viewpoints of those who oppose their ideas from class lectures and reading. For full credit you need to demonstrate clear understanding of Seidman’s article.

50 points
due: February 7th

Presentations are due next week too! 

Presentations should be between 3 to 5 minutes long. You will not be turning anything in to me. You will be graded on:

1. Nonverbal skills: eye contact, posture
2..Verbal Skills: Clear, loud voice, correct pronunciation, positive about topic
3.Organization: Logical sequence of information
4. Visual Aids: Readable, clear, professional
5. Correct & Complete: Correct facts, audience learns

25 points
 



 

For Class 1/31/13

Utah Lands Map

What percentage of Utah Land does the federal government own?

Does the Constitution allow the federal government to withhold states' lands?

udiciary Hearing: Mie Lee Gns