Essay 14: presidential influence

     A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

 
     Through the Constitution, the president is granted certain enumerated powers. These powers include vetoing, and calling congressional sessions. Vetoing can include pocket vetoes, regular vetoes, and other legislative acts. Calling congressional sessions gives the president time to lobby for his own requests at almost any time he would like. 

     Party polarization and mandatory spending each limit the president's ability to influence domestic policy making in Congress. Party polarization increases interparty differences, which can lead to gridlock in getting ideas and needs to the form of a bill.

      If the president is in favor of a party with disagreements, not much legislation is going to be passed. Mandatory spending limits the president by the budget can prevent measures from being passed. It is also difficult to pass laws when budgets are having to be set too low.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_us_gopo_q2.pdf

2008-2)A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

-The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy.

-Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policy making in Congress.

*Mandatory spending

*Party polarization

*Lame-duck period

Essay 13: reapportionment and redistricting

     Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is defined as, 'manipulating the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.'

     Congressional reapportionment is the reallocation of the number of representatives each state has in the House of Representatives. The is important for the states because it can affect the representation and influence a state receives. Congressional redistricting is the process of redrawing district boundaries when a state has more representatives than districts.  It is done through either the cracking or packing method. This, and reapportionment, occur every ten years because they must re-balance representation and electoral votes to the states after a new census has been taken.

     Politicians have many goals when gerrymandering during a redistricting. One goal is to either increase or decrease minority representation, depending on the needs of the group at the time. Another goal is to protect incumbents and to keep challengers from gaining the incumbents spots in Congress. When redistricting takes place, the Supreme Court has limits it has to stay between which include equally dividing populations and protecting communities of interest. Populations must stay equal because it keeps elections fair with large enough populations to keep representation fair. Communities of interest must be protected in order to keep interest groups and other linkage institutions content with policymaking.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_us_gopo_q1.pdf

2008-1) Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.
(a) Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is important to states.
(b) Define congressional redistricting.
(c) Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting.
(d) Describe two limits that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.

Essay 11: Incumbents

     There are many interesting trends in the election results in the House and Senate of the U.S. Government. Many trends are produced by elections where incumbents run. Incumbents are people already in office that are attempting to be reelected.
     One trend seen in the graph is that incumbents tend to be reelected. This is shown by the high percentage of reelection, about 80 %, which is consistent throughout the time period of the graph. Another pattern is that incumbents win reelection more so in the House than the Senate. This is especially seen in the period of 1974 to 1982.

     Factors that contribute to incumbency advantages are campaign contributions and name recognition. Campaign contributions are helped by PACs by helping to find elections. More money means more TV time and ads. Name recognition is a huge advantage because the more popular name is the one more often chosen. The majority will pick the popular name. However, one consequence of incumbency advantage is that congress becomes stagnant because of little to no turn over and no new ideas.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/sg_govpol_us_01_7046.pdf

the graph above shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate. From this information and your knowledge of of the US politics, perform the following 
tasks. (Fig 12.1)
a) identify two patterns displayed in the graph
b) identify 2 factors that contribute to incumbency advantage. Explain how each factor contributes to incumbency advantage.
c) Discuss one consequence of incumbency advantage for the US political process

Essay 12: Confidence in Government

     Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades. Divided government is defined as a situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress, thus leading to Congressional gridlock. Congressional gridlock leads to decline in trust and confidence in the overall government because when nothing gets done, it tends to cause worry.

     People who are opposed of the party in power will not participate as much in government, which leads to less trust and confidence in government. The increased cost of election campaigns also contribute to the decline of trust because instead of an election based on merit values and other characteristics, it has become a money-ridden popularity contest. This does not give an actual representation of government as it has in the past when money wasn't as key a factor as it is now.

     Two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior are lower voter turnout and petitioning and protesting the government. Lower voter turnout doesn't allow the government to get an actual representation of government through elections because less people vote. Petitioning and protesting lead to higher tensions that can grow throughout the mass of voters, which can lead to less trust and confidence in our overall government.



http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/ap04_sg_gopo_us_37090.pdf

3) Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
(a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response
(b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
(c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.

Frontline: Oil Spills

Frontline Summary:     BP has been pummeled with disasters within the past decade. After cutting costs by skipping crucial procedures involving safety precautions, disaster struck in March of 2005 at the Texas City Refinery. Due to the decision not to upgrade equipment, including blowdown drums, one of the drums exploded and killed fifteen oil workers, injuring over 170 others. Earlier that year, a presenter had stated that "Texas City is not a Safe Place to Work". Before the accident, a survey had been taking and found that most of the people working there felt unsafe and worried about dying and death at the refinery. The refinery needed to upgrade the antiquated blowdown drums and had sent requests to headquarters. Unfortunately, BP decided against it, saying its capital expenditures were tight and they couldn't afford the upgrades. Interestingly enough, after the accident checks were written to the families of those who had died, asking for those who accepted the compensation to not speak to the press about the incident.
     Another accident occurred, this one in 2002 at Alaska's Prudhoe Bay oil field. While inspecting equipment, Don Shugak was caught in an explosion that left him in a coma and severely injured with broken bones and burns for six weeks. The cause of the accident was due to a blockage in one of the pipes, which caused it to burst. Shugak was confronted by BP and received an undisclosed sum of money and in return he agreed not to speak to the media. In 2006, 260,000 gallons of oil leaked from one of the Alaska pipelines; one of the worst spill on the North Slope.
    Probably one of the most well known incidents occurring in 2005 was the Thunder Horse Rig toppled over during a Hurricane Dennis; however, the storm wasn't to blame in the situation. It happened, that BP engineers incorrectly installed valves, that instead of shedding water, took on water and half-capsized the vessel.
     The Deepwater Horizon Spill, occurring in 2010, created the worst environmental disaster ever seen in the U.S. The cause was mostly human error and one mechanical error. The aftermath of the disaster continues to be difficult on residents of the Gulf Coast. Health issues are still present, including respiratory problems, and possible causes of cancer and mental health issues. BP has set up a 20 billion dollar claims service.

60 Minutes Summary:
     Chief electronics technician Mike Williams was aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig when it exploded in 2010. He began by explaining that the rig was behind schedule for drilling oil, which caused a speed up in production but actually caused a split in the equipment. This split cost BP millions of dollars and even more time while the rig moved to a different location and began drilling again. During the shift, it was noticed by Williams that a crucial piece of equipment was not functioning properly. The annular which is a safety precaution, failed to perform properly during a test. Ironically, on a celebratory night on the rig for seven years without injury, the explosion occurred. Williams recalls having thoughts of his current state on the rig would be where he would die. In the panic of the incident, safety procedures previously put in place were abandoned, leaving Williams, the captain, and many others aboard the exploding rig.
     Williams jumped off the rig, which was crucial for his survival. An investigation afterwards discovered that because the annular was broken, the pressure readings were incorrect. The readings were falsely informing the crew that the pressure was not at a dangerous level.

NY Times Summary:
     New York Times researched the effects on wildlife after the oil spill in 2010. They concluded that brown pelicans as well as other seabirds become coated in oil after diving into it thinking the water is calmer. Once they are coated, birds cannot regulate their temperature which can lead to hyperthermia. Sea turtles common in the gulf are now either threatened or endangered, and with the already low numbers, it is going to be a challenge to rebuild the turtle population. Fish larvae are at risk as well because they are spawning near the spill. This is an issue because the gulf and only one other area are home to bluefin tuna in the world. 
     

Citations:
Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster. Dir. 60 Minutes. Perf. Scott Pelly. 16 May 2010. 60 Minutes. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blowout-the-deepwater-horizon-disaster-16-05-2010/>.

The Spill. Dir. Frontline and Pro Publica. 6 Oct. 2010. Frontline. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-spill/>.

Park, Haeyoun, et al. "The Oil Spill’s Effects on Wildlife." New York Times. 16 Aug. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/28/us/20100428-spill-map.html>.

Meth Frontline Response

Frontline Summary:

Starting in California and Oregon, but spreading to the Midwest, the Meth epidemic has become a nationwide problem. Journalists at the Oregonian suggest that the epidemic has fallen and risen in the same pattern as the purity of Methanphetamines available. A new method of baking, called the shake and bake, allows almost anyone, including addicts, to create the drug. 

Meth impacts the brain of the user. It targets the levels of dopamine in the brain. Taking Methanphetamines produces an euphoric rush that is almost impossible to recreate. This is the reason addiction occurs almost instantaneously. 

NPR Summary:

Journalist Jonah Engle investigated the dangers and methods of cooking Meth. The most popular, and easiest way, is called "Shake and bake". Using ingredients found in cold medicines and a few other chemicals, the basis of the process is shaking the ingredients to produce a crystallized form. The danger in this method is not only because of the unreliability of the chemical reaction, but also in the people who are created it. Meth addicts usually produce meth. The addicts who haven't slept in days and are most likely going through withdrawals, are tampering with dangerous, almost lethal chemicals. Overall, the dangers are great when using this "simple" method and is in no way safer than any other methods.

Citations:

The Meth Epidemic. Dir. Frontline. 14 Feb. 2006. Frontline. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/etc/synopsis.html>.

"Big Pharma and Meth a Cooks: Keep Cold Meds Over the Counter ." NPR. 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/2013/09/26/226476602/big-pharma-and-meth-cooks-agree-keep-cold-meds-over-the-counter>.
 
"DrugFacts: Methamphetamine." National Institue on Drug Abuse. Jan. 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.