Amendment Make Up

Constitutional Amendment #13
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Summary- Slavery is illegal unless it is as a punishment for a serious crime, such as forced labor in prison.

This is very important because it ended the enslavement of African Americans in the United States and furthered our economic and human rights growth.

Country Health Care Notes

United Kingdom:
- socialized medicine
- spend 8.3% GDP
- government run National Health Service
- citizens pay health care taxes
- more choices and becoming more competitive
- youth and elderly exempt from drug co-pays

Japan:
- social insurance model
- 8% GDP
- ave. family premium $280.00/month employers usually pay ~1/2
- co-pay 30% procedure cost capped based on income
- assistance for poor
- can go to any specialist as often as they like
- gov negotiates prices with physicians
- spends too little on health care many hospitals don't make enough
- Japan spends the least, has the healthiest people, and has the most technology

Germany:
- social insurance model
- 10.7% GDP
- ave. family premium $750.00/month capped by income
- co-pay 10 euro/ 3 months, pregnant exempt
- birthplace of social insurance, similar to Japan
- can buy their insurance from one ore more of 200~ non-profit "sickness funds"
- poor receive assistance
- can not deny coverage b/c of preexisting conditions
- "sickness funds" bargain with doctors as a group
- compete for members
- single payment system, leaves some doctors underpaid
- rich can opt out for U.S. style profit insurance

Taiwan: 
- National Health Insurance
- 6.3% GDP
- $650/yr family of 4
- all citizens have insurance through one gov insurer
- co-pay 20 percent of the cost of drugs up to $6.50; up to $7 for outpatient care; $1.80 for dental and
traditional Chinese medicine exemptions for major diseases, childbirth, preventive services, and for
 the poor, veterans, and children
- working people pay premiums 1/2 from employers, non working pay flat rates with gov help
- similar to Canada's
- can see any doctor w/out referal
- lowest administrative costs in the world
- not taking enough money to cover what it provides

Switzerland:
- Social insurance
- 11.6% GDP
- $750.00/month for families, gov subsidies for poor
- co-pay 10% of the cost
- required that you are part of the nation's social insurance
- universal coverage
- no favoritism in the system
- capitalist competitive system
- no gate keeper doctors
- drug prices slightly higher

All of the countries have pretty much the same life expectancy rate at birth but Japan has the highest.


 

Groups and Bureaucracy

1.a)  Freedom of speech and press protect individuals who want to have their voice heard. The
government may not restrict anyone from saying or writing what they want. However, if  something
extremely crude or violating others safety is written or said they may be punished, but not prevented.

b) Interest groups may take many routes in an effort to influence public policy through grass roots mobilization, lobbying and litigation. They may influence policy through grass roots mobilization by organizing citizens to try to speak out and try to make a difference. They do so through lobbying by directly contacting policy makers and offering information while trying to convince them to support policy in their favor. Litigation can be used to get your way by using cases and amicus curiae briefs.

c) One specific federal regulation on interest groups are campaign finance laws and prohibition of bribery.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_us_govt_politics_q1.pdf

2.a) The merit system is a way if hiring based on ability and experience.

b). The structure of the bureaucracy contributes to bureaucratic independence because it is hard to control such a large, specialized system. The complexity of public policy problems also contribute to their independence because they are so specialized and they have discretionary authority.

c)   Congress can check the bureaucracy using appropriations, if you are not doing a good job you don't get the money.  The courts can regulate by judicial review. Interest groups can check them using freedom of speech and other provisions in the first amendment.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_us_govt_politics_q2.pdf

Annotated Bibilography, Earthday

Kitchell, Mark. "Watch Film: A Fierce Green Fire." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

"A Fierce Green Fire" is an educational video on the movements that lead up to the origin of earth day. This video was produced by Frontline, PBS's educational video source. The video goes through three stories of environmental issues. One is about a woman who lived in an area called Love Canal. Love Canal was seriously polluted by industrial waste that was buried years before in the area and started seeping up through the soil. Almost all of the babies born that year had birth defects and many people were seriously ill. One woman took a stand against this and got the entire community involved in getting the government to get the area cleaned up. This is a reliable source and I plan to use it again on future research.

"Earth Day: The History of A Movement." Earth Day Network Main. Earth Day Network, n.d. Web. 03 May 2014. <http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement>.

This short educational article explains the origin of earth day and the event surrounding it. It takes a lot to create a movement but with all the commotion surrounding the Vietnam war, the Hippie movement, and the change in industrial standards environmentalists had grounds to stand on to start a revolution. The Vietnam War created distrust in the government and people rose up to stop the slaughter and create a healthier America. America's youth saw the pollution and issues and decided to make a change. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring brought every ones attention to chemical pollution and its likely outcome. In 1970 earth day capitalized on America's new conscious. Its creator Gaylord Nelson came up with the idea after 20 million Americans took to the streets to protest April 22. I believe this is a reliable source because it is a .org website and it follows all of the information I have heard previously.

 "American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

This source has provided a timeline of the environmental movement for the last 60 years beginning in 1948 with the Water Pollution Control Act. Following that act was the first U.S. conference on air pollution as a reaction to 20 deaths due to sulfur dioxide emissions from a steel wire plant. Other noted events were 170-260 New Yorkers killed by smog in 1953.  President Eisenhower's State of the Union address on air pollution in '55 and an amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948. In 1960 CO2 emissions climbed above 300ppm and in '62 "Silent Spring" was published bringing widespread awareness of chemical pollution. '63 the Clean Air Act passed and in '66 the first legislation on endangered species went through. April 22, 1970 was the first Earth Day. Today, we are doing our best to improve emissions and 76% of Americans consider themselves environmentalists.

Interest Groups

(1999_2)National interest groups often target national-level policy making institutions to achieve their policy objectives.

Select one of the following national interest groups.
- AARP
- AMA (Medical Association
- NAACP
- NAM (national assoc. of Manufacturers)

For the group you selected do each of the following.
- a identify one major national-level policy making institution that this group targets.
- b describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen and explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a)
- c describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen and explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).

 a) The AARP targets Congress do get their policies and legislation passed.
b) The AARP tries to pass legislation benefiting retirees such as medicare congress can help them by writing legislation and getting it passed.
c) Congress is made up of older people. So many of them pass the legislation because it is mutually beneficial for older people.

 http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/govpol_us_99.pdf

presidential election campaigns

(1999_1)In the 1990’s presidential election campaigns have become more candidate centered and less focused on issues and party labels. The change has been attributed both to how the media cover presidential campaigns and to how candidates use the media.
1) Identify and explain two ways in which the media have contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns.
2) Identify and explain two ways in which presidential candidates’ use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns.

Your answer should not include a discussion of presidential primary elections.

1) Two ways in which the media has contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns are image centered coverage/ personality coverage and coverage of the backgrounds of candidate's. Image centered coverage has become more important since elections have become televised. The more attractive candidate tends to be more well liked. It has also become important for voters to know who the candidates are for likability purposes.

2) Two ways in which presidential candidates’ use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns. Presidents have historically used the media to make themselves look good one way in which they do that is by pre scripting their interviews and only taking interviews they can control.  They also use the media to show the good work they do, to gain support.
    


http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/sg_gov_pol_us_99.up_7047.pdf

Bureaucratic systems

a) One key characteristic of the merit system is hiring based on merit and testing rather than favoritism.

b) The structure of the federal bureaucracy contributes to bureaucratic independence by being large, specialized and merit based. Because the bureaucratic agencies are so specialized there is not much intervention by the state. The complexity of public policy problems also contribute because agencies are delegated authority —because Congress and the president cannot handle everything, they delegate authority to the bureaucracy. 

c) Congress, The Courts and Interest Groups can check the bureaucracy based on constitutional provision. Congress can do so by rejecting presidential appointments to the bureaucracy. The courts can judicially review and declare bureaucratic actions unconstitutional. Interest groups can use the first amendment to protest and lobby against the bureaucracy.  

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_us_govt_politics_q2.pdf