What is the future of democracy? Is it a realistic option?

Democracy is a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy is all about government by the people. I think that this form of government can minimize power because the people are so involved. The future of democracy is really in the hands of the people…Democracy represents the people of the United States I believe there is both good and bad to this.. it seems like the perfect form of govt. but ideally not everyone in America will agree upon the same things and same ideas.. therefore it could fail!

Pretty much when I’m faced with the question whether I think democracy is good or bad or about the future it holds I find myself playing devil’s advocate. Democracy sounds good and is not bad in theory, but when you think about it a form of government where the rulers are the people being ruled sounds kind of bad. When you think of it this way telling the people to make up rules for themselves is like letting a 5 year old take care of itself. Children need parents to show them the way, just as society needs a strong ruler… democracy may not be the realistic form of government.

What is the process to develop an economic policy that provides services and sustainability?

I would imagine to develop an economic policy that provides services and sustainability would be a difficult thing to master. Sustainability is the goal of any nation to keep the people happy. Sustainability is keeping the peoples deficit high and their jobs low.

An economic policy as discussed previously in this course refers to the actions that governments take in the economic field. Economic policy includes things such as interest rates, government budget, national ownership, and many other areas of government interventions into the economy. Some types of economic policies include trade policy, tariffs and trade agreements; regulations and anti-trust. The process for making our economic policy is mostly handled in the executive branch of government. Also the people involved in developing our policy is president Obama, the National Security Council, intelligence agencies and departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security.

I think the reason economic policy is failing us thus far is the policy is going towards worthless spending; if the money is spent on the important things rather than waseful spending this will make for sustainability. I think that thinking of the long term, rather than right now is the best way to have an economy that provides sustainability!!

What do you think would be the best thing the government could do to improve economic policy?

How does a government facilitate comprehensive care for its constituents without sacrificing equity?

In my opinion the givernment cannot care for its constituents without sacrificing equity...
For the government to facilitate comprehensive care for its constituents they must spend money. By spending money the governemnt is providing the needs of the people like healthcare, pensions, social security... ect

Many Americans look to the government for aid, they want the governemnt to help them in a time of need. When people are laid off they look to the governemnt for unemployment.... there is also food stamps for families who cant afford food for family. There is also welfare and social security for elders. Families are looking to the government for financial help, receiving it, and then taking advantage of it.. I personally know people who are taking advantage and living off their unemployment for two years.. When people are getting everything they need from the governemtn why would they try to do it for themselves.

The government has all of these programs to help the people in need... there are limits on these programs but unfortunantly they are still being taken advantage of... I think it needs to be monitored at a higher level.

The government should, not only give these people "temporary" solutions, but rather permanent ones. Like, give them livelihood, or a job, so that they will learn to fend for themselves and not rely on the government or non-governmental organizations that help them.

 

types of aid include: welfare, social security, food stamps, financial/student aid, affordable living, unemployeement

How should a nation-state develop its foreign policy in accordance to its values and in connection to the development of its domestic policy?

A foreign policy refers to the ways a government advances its intrests in world politics. Foreign policy consists of self interests strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations. Creating the foreign policy is usually the job of the head of the government. During the formation of a foreign policy the president is the main person, surrounded by the executive branch.

A domestic policy is the set of laws and regulations that a government establishes within a nations’ borders. Domestic policy covers a wide range of areas, including businesses, education, energy, health care, natural resources’….ect.

            A Domestic policy is formed and implemented based on a nations form of government. In a authoritarian government a ruling group may pursue its domestic policy goals without and input of the people. In a democratic society people have more of a say in this policy. In a democracy the domestic policy is lead by the elected leaders, lawmaking bodies and government agencies, but also the people. The voters is one example. The media, activist group, lobbyists also influence the policy.

            Foreign and domestic policy is still a tricky subject for me.. From what I understand the development of our foreign policy is the outcome of the needs of our nation and the people in it. Also how the policy interacts with other countries around the world. I think that for our nation to stay strong and powerful we need to develop the foreign policy from the interests of the nation, and not based on how other nations see us, or what they want. It should be what is best for our nation!

            After reading some other post and gaining knowledge about this subject from my peers I have learned that foreign policy is a very tricky subject and something that people need to take precaution to when developing. I have learned that we need to make sure that we are picking the right countries to make a policy with. A foreign policy must be beneficial to us as well as the other side.

How is a foreign policy formed step by step?

What role do judges and the judicial system play in supporting freedom?

What role do judges and the judicial system play in supporting freedom?

The United States is known for having one of the most sophisticaeted judicial systems in the world. Thousands of people partake in the judicial system daily; these include law enforment officers, lawyers, judges, gov official, accused criminals. One of the main reasons the system is successful is a balanced and carefully ordered hierarchy.

A judge is a person who presides over a court of law. The judges of the supreme court of the US are called justices or judges of peace. The judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the parties, then determines the credibility, and makes a final judgment. In the courtroom there are many rules that exists regarding how evidence and testimony is presented, these rules are to insure fairness to each side.

Judges and the judicial system have a huge effect in supporting freedom. They work to insure equality and fairness to the people. The judicial system is set up to enforce the laws of the constitution. Like I said before they work to make sure there is fairness amongst the people. The Supreme Court is in charge of the state and district courts and the supreme court make sure the America is getting what they want.

what do you think the most important thing the judge does to insure fairness and freedom?

How does the U.S. Congress, as it exists in its current structure, support and/or limit authentic representation?

How does the U.S. Congress, as it exists in its current structure, support and/or limit authentic representation?

The U.S Congress consists of the senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election. The structure of the US Congress is bicameral, it is made up of two houses or branches the house and senate

So there is a senate and the house of representatives; we elect them and they represent each state, and that states beliefes and wants. In the beginning of chapter seven page 169 the author stated that Woodrow Wilson believed “that, unquestionable, the predominant and controlling force, the center and source of all motive and regulative power, id Congress. Also later in this chapter the author states “what happens inside congress is not simply a function of outside forces brought to bear on it in the form of lobbying, campaign contributitions, and election results.

As it states in the book the most important aspects of congres’s structure is its division into two parts.. the senate and the house of representatives. These two parts are then divided into chambers of congresswhich each represent different kinds of constitencies. Senate represents state(each state has 2 members to the senante; the house of representatives represents districts within states based on population. Senators serve 6 years and reps serve 2 years

this is the giv structure broken down..

Congress is said to be decentralized, its structure makes it difficult for congress to articulate a broad program and provide leadership to the government

Do you think congress reflects the larger society?

In what ways does the U.S. Presidency support and limit the formation of an ideal democracy?

First, to start I want to describe and ideal democracy. An Ideal democracy has effective participation, equality in voting, informed electorate, ect. An ideal democracy also has an Ideal leader who chooses the right things to better the people. Democracy is all about the people, the voice of the people.

1. ·  Effective Participation - Citizens must have adequate and equal opportunities to form their preference and place questions on the public agenda and express reasons for one outcome over the other.
2. ·  Voting Equality at the Decisive Stage - Each citizen must be assured his or her judgements will be counted as equal in weights to the judgements of others.
3. ·  Enlightened Understanding - Citizens must enjoy ample and equal opportunities for discovering and affirming what choice would best serve their interests.
4. ·  Control of the Agenda - Demos or people must have the opportunity to decide what political matters actually are and what should be brought up for deliberation.
5. ·  Inclusiveness - Equality must extend to all citizens within the state. Everyone has legitimate stake within the political process

There is a book called Bad for Democracy that relates a lot to this topic. In this book the author Nelson argues that the United States presidency has become too powerful and that all citizens seem to do is vote for president every four years and not much else. The president supports the formation of an ideal democracy the president is elected through the people. The president elected represents the peoples values and ideas and what they want in government. Once the president is put in position they then get a lot of power. They get to choose his cabinet, and legislation. If the president does try to hold to much power there is always check and balances

Presidency supports the formation of an ideal democracy because….

-         decisions must be approved by congress and state

-         elected in by the people

Presidency limits the formation of an ideal democracy because

-         president can veto bills he see unfit for society

-         president has lat say on bill

what do you think the the first step towards a more ideal democracy is and why?

How do individuals and groups of people influence the political process?

Individuals and groups of people influence the political process a lot. One of the biggest ways an individual can influence the political process is through their vote. The power of a vote is enormous! Through your single vote you can put your word in of who you want to represent you… and your values and beliefs.

Campaigns, rallies, protest, donations, voting…. These are all ways people influence the political process

The political process is all about public opinion. The opinion of the public is what makes up the majority of the political process(rallies,voting, ect.)

One of the main groups that influence the political process is the media. In my opinion this is a bad thing. The media always seems to take the little information they have and drag it out into a long story full of lies… The media is portraying politics, and politic leaders in the wrong ways. A lot of Americans rely on the information they receive from these media informatives. Some Americans are very knowledgable about the political world around them, but there are also many that don’t know much so they will believe the skewed data from the media.

Interest groups are any organization of people with policy goals who work within the political process to promote such goals. Groups attempt to influence policy in various ways including:

• Lobbying government. Organized interests hire representatives to advocate on behalf of the group's interests. Lobbying activities include contacting members of Congress and the executive branch to disseminate information about the positive or adverse effects of proposed legislation.
• Engaging in election activities. Interests may attempt to influence elections in order to help get people who support their issues elected or reelected. Electioneering techniques include giving money to candidates, endorsing candidates or issues, and conducting grassroots activities such as get-out-the-vote drives.
• Educating various publics. Interest groups work hard to educate the public at large, government officials, their own members, and potential interest group members.
• Mobilizing various publics. To influence policy-making, many groups rely on the efforts of people who are motivated to act on behalf of their issues and causes. So-called grassroots activities might include writing letters, making phone calls, contacting policy-makers, and demonstrating.

 What method do you think is the most effective towards influence on politics?

In what ways does public opinion influence the formation of a democratic society?

         In a democratic society public opinion matters; In a democracy such as the U.S the public is expected to have a role in governmental decision making. How much say is a debatable topic? Democracy is defined as “rule by the people.”

          Public opinion is “voice of the people”, the results in public poll. Public opinion refers to opinions on governmental and policy matters rather than on private matters. Each individual has a different opinion based on his/hers values and beliefs. Some people have more influence over the formation and expression of peoples opinions. For example leaders of labor unions have influence on their members and also present their members views to the government policy makers for them. Public opinion is assed by polls and voting.

          I also believe that the media has a huge culture and social impact on the public’s idea of something. If we see something everyday and watch the same thing everyday and it is telling us one thing is right and one thing is wrong… you tend to start believing it. The media is able to shift the publics eye and opinion on governmental issues.

In all public opinion does influence the democratic formation; the public has a huge part of government. We are able to cast our views by voting, protesting, and free to have our own opinions. Public opinion plays a huge role in the elections, and many other political matters. The media is a large part of this also because they have the power to alter the publics view on certain political issues.

           

How do government and the private sector intersect? How should it?

The government and private sector intersect a lot. They work together to receive a positive outcome. Government is in charge of establishing the rules and regulation that set the boundaries of how businesses operate so they can not do whatever they want! When there are no boundaries businesses feel they can run their business as they wish which ends with poor working condition, workers not fit for job, low wages… there has to be some boundaries for a good economy… The private sector is part of the economy that is in charge of privately owned business; they are in charge of how the employees and people are treated in the workforce(i.e. equality, wages, taxes….) Some of the main types of businesses in the private sector are sole trader, partnership, private and public limited company. The private sector is not run by state. The private sector encompasses all for-profit businesses that are not owned or operated by the government.

http://govleaders.org/matrix.htm

more to come...

Power: Government, Economy, and Politics

What role does power play in government, economy, and politics?

Power plays a big role in government, economy, and politics. In general the party with more power wins; when you have more power you have more ability to persuade voters your way. We, the general public gives the power to the leaders. Government has a lot of power! The government has even been accused of abusing this power by restrictions on travel to Cuba, illegal surveillance and wiretapping, also US military aggression in central American and Iraq…….power is a huge factor in government, economy, and politics.

Power plays a role in all three Government, Economy, and Politics...

Power is a very powerful thing. Power is usually defined as a persn or nation having great influence or control over others. At the beginning of Chapter 2 the author mentions that corporate policies have profound consequences for all citizens, that anything that the government does is going to affect people's lives and their communities. In this chapter is discussed that Capitalism distributes money,wealth, and economic power unequally. It is obvious that the people who own and control the means of production have control over employees. Capitalism is a economic system in which means of prouction are privately owned and operated for a private profit. Capitalism i considered a form of private government. As the book states this is "private in the sense that those who own and control capital(financial resources, machines, offices...) are not elected by the public through democrativ procedures."(19) In a capitalist economie a small portion of people live off the income they receive from owning a business, most people earn their livings by working for others. In this case management holds all power over employees...(breaks, vacation time, wages, benefits)

They then decide whether to invest, what to invest in and where to invest it. These corporate decisions affect the entire society. On oage 27 Charles Linblom an economists says "because public functions in the market system rests in the hands of bussinessmen, it follows that jobs, prices, production, growth and economic security of everyone all rests in there hands." That is Power!

MONEY=POWER

What do you think is the most powerful thing in the government, economy and politics???

What are the opportunities and challenges of democracy?

Democracy is seen as one of the ultimate ideals that modern civilizations strive to create, or preserve. Democracy is suppose to allow extensive representation and inclusiveness of as many people and views as possible to feed into a fair and just society. The ideals of democracy are so appealing to citizens around the world, many people sacrifice a lot for it. This idea od democracy come with many opportunities and challenges….

The opportunities
- Freedom- everyone has a say in government
- free to feel, speak and elect
- choose who runs for gov.
- impeachment
- we get information about gov
- knowledge of gov and other countries gov
- citizens have more control they are better informed and become more politically sophisticated
-public can express own views rather than the politicians
-rule is legitimate as the people agree

The Challenges
- class division
- money
- In a democracy regular elections are a huge cost on the electorate
- More money more influence
- The true challenge is reaching a true fair democracy.

In todays society the true challenge is reaching a true, fair democracy; as well as making sure everyone is involved and keeping up with their government. The public needs to be more knowledgable about the government!

Critical question
What do you believe a true/fair democracy is or looks like?