Meth Bibliography

"Big Pharma And Meth Cooks Agree: Keep Cold Meds Over The Counter." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

This radio show/ article explains and analyzes the meth outbreak of the last 20 years. NPR analyzes the production of meth and the danger in it. Much of the information in this article is on underground meth cooks cooking in their own kitchens using the shake and bake method and the how these methods are affecting America. I believe this is a credible site because NPR, National Public Radio, is a well known reliable educational source. This source was very helpful to my research and I plan to use it again.

Byker, Carl. "The Meth Epidemic." PBS Frontline. Ed. Andrew Metz. WGBH

    Educational Foundation, 17 May 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

    <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/>. This video was an

    hour long informative video on the effects of meth use on the human body,

    families and our nation. Frontline tracks the spread of meth across the

    United States beginning in Oregon and spreading across the Mississippi and

    finally gaining recognition from Congress. After many years of issues in

    the west lawmakers were finally able to put amphetamine behind the counter

    and slow the meth making process in America. PBS Frontline is a highly

    qualified source whose goal is to inform the public on important issues and

    policy. Frontline videos analyze issues and inform. These videos are meant

    to be understood by the general public. I found this video very helpful and

    explanatory and plan to use this source again.

Hall, Katy. "The Methiest States In The U.S. (INFOGRAPHIC)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

This article describes how to make meth, and meth incidences and popularity in U.S. today. Thousands of meth labs around the country are still prevalent today. The shake and bake method has spread from the west and is now most popular in the Midwest, Missouri outranks the rest of the states with 1,825 meth lab busts and seizures. Pharmaceutical companies have been resisting the regulation of pseudophedrine for years. Only Oregon and Mississippi have succeeded in passing a law on it. I believe this is a credible source and will not hesitate to use it again. The visuals were great on this site.

Government distrust

Trust and confidence in government has declined in recent decades. This may be partially attributed to our divided government. Because we have one party controlling the executive office and another controlling one or both sections of congress there is distrust and strife in the government. Citizens tend to trust the government less when it is divided because moderates are frozen out and extremes drive legislation and the fighting between parties leads to little or no actual passing of bills and making things happen. Increased cost of election campaigns has also driven up government distrust. This is because people worry that elitism will take over when candidates need money for campaigns. The wealthy and large incorporations will be the ones contributing and people worry that will give big money too much in into the government. Decline in government trust has lead to greater protest and cynicism toward all government action it has also lead to decline in voting and more people claiming to be moderate or independent to avoid affiliation.


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. 

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

Reelection of Incumbents

       The graph below shows incumbency reelection rates in the House and Senate. The graph displays many patterns. Two of them are, the tendency for Senate incumbency reelection rates to fluctuate much more than in the House and the tendency for Senate reelection rates to go up when House rates go down and vise versa. Two factors that contribute to incumbency advantage are the fact that citizens are afraid of change and as an incumbent you have greater access to the media and name recognition. People like things that they already know. The fact that your congressman hasn't done anything that really bothers you, even if the other guy's opinions are closer to yours, will usually lead you to choose the one that is already in office because it feels safer. Incumbency advantage is an issue for American politics because it makes congress less representative of the people. If we were electing new legislators every couple of years we would know that they are up to date and are educated on current issues and what the people want.

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









(2001_2) 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

Interest Groups vs. Political Parties

The fundamental goal of interest groups in the political process is to influence public policy. Where as the fundamental goal of political parties is to gain majority in the government and therefor gain control. Interest groups support the fundamental goal of political parties by contributing to political campaigns and gaining support for candidates. Contributing money to campaigns helps interest groups achieve their ultimate goal of influencing public policy because if the candidate wins they may feel indebted to the interest group and make decisions that benefit them. Or at least get them in contact with policy makers.

Media and Policy Agenda

2009-4 A policy agenda is a set of issues, problems or subjects in which people inside and out of the government are paying serious attention to. The media is an important part of policy agenda because it raises awareness of issues to citizens and policy makers. The media also provides information and explains issues with policies, and consequences for policies not made or changed, to people. The president gets more media attention then congress because the president is one person where as congress is composed of many members. Also the president is the face of our country, he has greater power, and represents all people where each person in congress represents an area. Citizens who pay most attention to national news are older. Young people are less interested in government issues and policy agenda. There are implications for the president using the media to promote their agenda however. Some of these issues include the age of the audience of nightly news and decreased news viewing. The lack of young people watching the news means less awareness of what is going on from the generation that needs to hear it.

The Past and Future of North Korea

 

        Since World War II North Korea has been through a lot. After Japan evacuated Korea the Soviet Union entered North Korea and the U.S. entered South Korea to protect them from the north. In 1943 the Peoples Republic of Korea was declared and the Soviets left. However the peace didn't last because the south declared independence and North Korea invaded South Korea. Led by, Soviet trained, Kim Il-sung. After the loss of two million lives, an armistice ended the war in 1953 and from then on North Korea hid from the rest of the world.
        In the early 1990's North and South Korea agreed to join the United Nations but North Korea refuses to allow access to suspected nucular weapon facilities. In 1994 Kim Il-sung died and was succeeded by his son Kim Jung-il. Kim Jung-il agreed to freeze nucular programs in exchange for fuel and two nucular reacters, which the US provided. In 1996 great famine hit North Korea and the UN aided the wounded nation. Thousands of people starved or died of disease.
         Today, North Korea is under the rein of Kim Jung-il's son Kim Jung-un. The country's economy and people are still hurting from the famine. Orphaned children live on the streets freezing or starving to death. Piles of garbage lie everywhere and the cities are filthy. Department stores have merchandise but it is all for show and none of it is for sale. It is just used to show on TV to convince their people that they live in a country of plenty. Kim Jung-un is a less respected leader than his predecessors and because of this more people are willing to participate in illegal actions.
         Change is stirring in North Korea. More and more people are willing to break the law and buy illegal items like thumb drives with American movies on them. These movies show North Koreans what it is like to live in a world where people are happy and free. Because of these movies and other things I believe a revolution is coming. The people are going to take over the government or just flee the country. People in North Korea have seen what the outside world is like and they are no longer with their situation. I think change is coming fast for North Korea.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15278612
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2010/02/a_nation_of_racist_dwarfs.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/secret-state-of-north-korea/