I.  1. What are the 3 branches of our government?__Judicial_, ___Executive__________, ___Legislative___________.

2. The _Legislative_________ Branch of our government makes the laws.

3. The _______Executive_______ Branch of our government enforces our laws.

4. What are the two parts of our Congress? ___House of Representatives_________ and ___the Senate__________.

5. There are __http://www.lrs.state.al.us/publications/recompiled_constitution/constitution/pages/constitutionp70.htm.100 Senators.

6. The ___President___________ is elected by eligible United States citizens who vote and by the Electoral College system.

7. ___Senators________ and ___Representatives____________ are elected by voters in their states.

8. __Justices_____________ study laws to see if they are correct according to the Constitution.

9. Where do the major branches of our federal government meet and work?

__________Washington DC_______________________________________

10. The__President_____________ is the leader of the Executive Branch of our government.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_lessons/3branches/3.htm

II.   READhow one writer uses the idea of checks and balances to analyze several  recent issues in the U.S. and in her state. WRITE a paragraph summarizing what you learned about checks on the Executive branch.

The blog on the checks of the Executive branch was pretty surprising with how much the president could get way with. The Executive branch is remaining unchecked by the other branches of government. There also making sure others are being put into office that they know will not do any checks on the Executive branch.  The President gets to pick the people in the courts system, and he knows the ones he picks will not keep an eye on everything he does, so he can work almost secrecy.

IV. Anwer these questions:

 1. What happens to a law after it is passed by both houses in Congress?

It goes to the conference committee.

2. What kind of a majority must Congress have to reverse a veto?

2/3, and it can become a law without the presidents signature.

3. Are most presidential vetoes reversed by Congress?

No

4. What is advise and consent?

Where the Senate gives advice to the President about treaties or other negotiations.

5. Which of the three branches of government have the power to declare war?

Executive branch

Week 8 Essay: Checks, Balances, and the Unitary Executive

If you did the previous assignment, you now know a great deal about checks and balances in U. S. government.

Now the next step.

Your independent study: Research and read about the unitary executive.

Use google — and try using not only google’s “web” search, but also “news.” I would also suggest — especially for visual learners — that you try clicking on google “image” to see if there aare diagrams, charts, pictures — even cartoons — that help you get the idea of this 9or any) research topic.

Essay Topic: Why is the checks and balances system important for America, and how would a unitary executive impact the system and America?

In your essay compare and contrast the two systems.

Monday, October 23, 8:00AM

Here is how your essay will be graded. This rubric is listed as “Social Sudies Rubric” in the PAGES section of this blog.

• This essay needs to be long enough to cover the principles and ideas discussed, to compare and contrast them, and to fulfill the expectations in the rubric.
• You must have a thesis statement, and it should be in bold face font.
• Include quotes and links. ALL quotes must be linked to the original source.

REMEMBER: “Compare and Contrast” is a particular style of essay. 

Basic example of Compare & Contrast:

But ALSO remember — a comare and contrast esssay is more than just a couple of lists of facts.

Once you have your facts and understand them, you still need a THESIS STATEMENT.

Most essays will look something like this:

• This diagram will work for the compare and contrast part, but in this one, you also need to form a conclusion as to the effects of a “unitary executive” on our system of checks and balances and what impact that could have on our country. 

• Keep that in mind as you organize your essay. Your conclusion will influence both your thesis statement and your concluding paragraph.

Here are some other sites that will help you with your essay. If you find them helpful, add them to the LINKS section on your blog so that you can refer to them on future essay assignments.

http://www.studygs.net/writing/topics.htm

http://www.studygs.net/5paragraph_edit.htm

http://mrtushistory.homestead.com/files/How_to_Write_a_Historical_Essay.html

A terrific page with everything in the world (and then some) on writing, particularly writing for Social Studies: http://home.comcast.net/~mruland/Skills/skills.htm

Before you write, I would suggest you print out this template and use it to organize your ideas and information: http://www.biologycorner.com/resources/graphic_compare_contrast.gif

The unitary executive and the system of checks and blances are two completely diiferent subjects; checks and balances helps to make sure no one of the branches become too powerful, while a unitary executive will most likely lead to something of a dictatorship.  Check and balances was designed to keep the executive, legislative, and judical branch with limited powers over eachother, so either branch could control the other. So far the system has worked.

The checks and balances and the unitary executive are very different, but since they both have to do with government, they are also slightly similar. The unitary executive has to do with the Pesident and the excutive branch, and the checks and balance system also has to deal with the President. The unitary executive is mainly concerning the executive branch, which needs the most checking on. The unitary executive is just like if the President was a king with advisors. The President can choose to listen to the other branches or not. This is where the checks and balance system comes in, their not supposed to let that sort of thing happen. Thats how they’re so different, because they clash together like two trains heading straight for eachother. A source stated: “He may look at the law, but he is not required to follow it” (http://patriot.net/~bmcgin/unitaryexecutivetheory.html).

The President has even started to use this power. “The Bush administration has been using an extreme version of an obscure doctrine called the Unitary Executive Theory to justify executive actions that far exceed past presidents’ power…” (http://rawstory.com/news/2005/CanExecutive_Branch_Decide_0923.html). This action could lead the United States into a dictatorship since the President could have the power to choose weather he listens to the other branchs or not. He has tried to overule the Judicial branch by saying that a terroist didn’t deserve a trial, but in the United States EVERYONE deserves a fair trial. See http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_12/issue_20/opinion_03.html for more info. WIth President Bush exceeding his powers as a President maybe he’s really trying to see how far he could push the United States citizens.  

There has recently been another scandal at Capitol Hill. It involves Mark Foley, a former Republican. He has been sending explicit e-mails to an underage male House page. A Congressional page is a teenager who lives at Capitol Hill and goes to school while they intern in the House and Senate. “ Six-term Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) resigned yesterday amid reports that he had sent sexually explicit Internet messages to at least one underage male former page”. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574.html Tony Snow stated “I hate to tell you, but it’s not always pretty up there on Capitol Hill. And there have been other scandals, as you know, that have been more than simply naughty e-mails.” http://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2006/10/02/tony-snow-theyre-just-naughty-emails/ There has been other incidents with the Congessional pages, so the changed the age to enroll from 14 to 16. The have been two other scandals with them that the society knows about. Tony Snow was speaking on CNN to a newswoman named O’Brien, when he said that quote. He was trying to do some damage control being the White House Press Secretary.  http://tailrank.com/618052/they-re-just-naughty-emails. He. He was trying to make people a little more smpathetic to Mark Foley and make it seem like the boy did something wrong too, and said that they needed to explore both sides of the story. The quote was pretty accurate, because there was a scandal with Representatives Daniel B. Crane, Republican of Illinois, and Gerry E. Studds, Democrat of Massachusetts. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103×238085. However, the part that Mr. Snow said afterward was not accurate at all. He was saying that they needed to explore the boys story, but they already knew the story and how he had said nothing wrong.

All the URLs used:

http://tailrank.com/618052/they-re-just-naughty-emails

http://tailrank.com/618052/they-re-just-naughty-emails

http://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2006/10/02/tony-snow-theyre-just-naughty-emails/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103×238085

http://www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2006/10/02/News/Foleys.Creepy.EMails.No.Surprise.Tufts.Student.Says-2319102.shtml?norewrite200610102105&sourcedomain=www.tuftsdaily.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574.html

http://tailrank.com/610919/GOP-House-leadership-and-Mark-Foley

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061008/ap_on_go_co/democrats_foley

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/02/greenfield.foley/index.html

Here is another writer’s take on the Twenty-four Strengths This assignment goes in your blog:

===============

You have probably already seen the movies Spiderman and Spiderman 2.

If not, tell Mom you have to watch one or both

(”It’s homework, Mom — the teacher is making us watch Spiderman… I swear!”)

• Chose four strengths that you think would be in Spiderman’s Top Five. Write three or four sentences about each of the four, convincing me that Spiderman had outstanding strength in those areas. Each strength should include an example from one of the movies. (Note: I am not convinced by “He had kindness like with Aunt May.” A second-grader could say that. Show me that you understand the strength you’re writing about and understand how it is a demonstrated strength of Spiderman / Peter Parker’s personality/character.)

• Now think of a strength in which Spidey is — well — weak.
• Think of it this way: “Spiderman’s life would be happier and more fulfilling if he had more _______________.” Write a paragraph convincing me.

• In case you need a reminder of the twenty-four strengths:

Wisdom and Knowledge – strengths in the acquisition and use of knowledge Creativity [originality, ingenuity]: Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it Curiosity [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience]: Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering Open-mindedness [judgment, critical thinking]: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly Love of learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally; obviously related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows Perspective [wisdom]: Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people Courage – emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition or one’s own fears Bravery [valor]: Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if they are unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it Persistence [perseverance, industriousness]: Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks Integrity [authenticity, honesty]: Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions Vitality [zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy]: Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated Humanity - interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others Love: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people Kindness [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”]: Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them Social intelligence [emotional intelligence, personal intelligence]: Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick Justice - civic strengths that underlie healthy community life Citizenship [social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork]: Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance. Leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the time maintain time good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen. Temperance – strengths that protect against excess Forgiveness and mercy: Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful Humility/Modesty: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted Self-regulation [self-control]: Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions Transcendence - strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning to life Appreciation of beauty and excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks Hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation]: Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future can be created Humor [playfulness]: Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose]: Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort and meaning.

       Wisdom and Knowledge- When Spiderman went on the field trip in the first one he got bit by the spider and figured out that it was the spider bite that was giving him all of the extra strengths. He especially noticed his eyesight had changed, he no longer needed to wear glasses. His curiosity of his new powers led him to find out that he could create spider webs out of his hands. His open-mindedness led him to the costume.

Courage- Spiderman was always brave enough to go up against the bad guy. Even though he didn’t know what he was up against.  He also didn’t beat the Green Goblin the first time it took him several times to fully defeat him. Spiderman’s life was a big adventure he swung from building to building everyday protecting the people.

Justice- Spiderman always worked to capture the bad guy and help out the police. He was always loyal to the police even though they didn’t believe he was the good guy all the time. As much as he loved Mary Jane he put his feelings aside and saved the little kid that was in more danger than Mary Jane. After he saved the little kid he saved Mary Jane. 

 Humanity- Spiderman loved his grandparents and Mary Jane. He Wanted to protect them the most out of any of the citizens needing protecting. Peter Parker used to take the garbage out for his grandparents all the time. Another favor that he did for everyone was to save their lives when they came into harms way.  

  Are you a Democrat? A Conservative? A Libertarian? A Republican? A Progressive?You hear people talk about Red states and Blue states. Is California Red or Blue?

What are you?

You are not alone in the beliefs and values you have about society and politics. Your values and beliefs make you part of a much larger group.

But which group?

=============

  GOV. / AM. HIST. ASSIGNMENT:

• Go to this website.

You will see a series of 25 opposing opinions (Statement 1 and Statement2).

• On each issue, decide which side you agree with, and how strongly you agree.

Try to answer as many questions as possible. If you are confused by the question, come back to it later.

At the end of the test, they will ask what political party you consider yourself part of. Answer if you can, but if you have no idea, leave it blank. Same with the Liberal / Moderate / Conservative question.

• Click CALCULATE MY RESULTS

You will get a Results Page that describes the group you are part of.

Group Titles include:

Enterprisers
Social Conservatives
Pro-Government Conservatives
Upbeats
Disaffecteds
Conservative Democrats
Disadvantaged Democrats
Liberals
Bystanders

• Copy the full group description into your blog. (Not the part where it just repeats your test responses.)

• To find out what your group thinks on various political issues, go to this page.

• Write in your blog about your reaction to the description. Is it accurate? How are you similar to or different from your Typological Group. What issues are most important to you, and are issues you would consider in voting for a candidate or on a law?

  

Liberal

Based on your answers to the questionnaire, you most closely resemble survey respondents within the Liberal typology group. This does not mean that you necessarily fit every group characteristic or agree with the group on all issues.

Liberals represent 17 percent of the American public, and 19 percent of registered voters.

Basic Description
This group has nearly doubled in proportion since 1999, Liberals now comprise the largest share of Democrats and is the single largest of the nine Typology groups. They are the most opposed to an assertive foreign policy, the most secular, and take the most liberal views on social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, and censorship. They differ from other Democratic groups in that they are strongly pro-environment and pro-immigration, issues which are more controversial among Conservative and Disadvantaged Democrats.

Defining Values
Strongest preference for diplomacy over use of military force. Pro-choice, supportive of gay marriage and strongly favor environmental protection. Low participation in religious activities. Most sympathetic of any group to immigrants as well as labor unions, and most opposed to the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.

Who They Are
Most (62%) identify themselves as liberal. Predominantly white (83%), most highly educated group (49% have a college degree or more), and youngest group after Bystanders. Least religious group in typology: 43% report they seldom or never attend religious services; nearly a quarter (22%) are seculars. More than one-third never married (36%). Largest group residing in urban areas (42%) and in the western half the country (34%). Wealthiest Democratic group (41% earn at least $75,000).

Lifestyle Notes
Largest group to have been born (or whose parents were born) outside of the U.S. or Canada (20%). Least likely to report having a gun at home (23%) or attending bible study or prayer group meetings (13%).

2004 Election
Bush 2%, Kerry 81%

Party ID
59% Democrat; 40% Independent/No Preference, 1% Republican (92% Dem/Lean Dem)

Media Use
Liberals are second only to Enterprisers in following news about government and public affairs most of the time (60%). Liberals’ use of the internet to get news is the highest among all groups (37%). 

I think this political party is like me. I strongly disagree with the war in Iraq like the other Liberals. The results say im very enviromental which is also true, I like animals and hate to see things torn down for a mall or shopping center.

Re-read “Precious and Her Hair.” This time, read it in terms of Positive Psychology.

• Consider each of the significant characters in the story (not just Precious) –
• What were their core strengths? Give examples to support your ideas.
• What strengths were they NOT using? Did NOT using the strengths make their lives less happy or satisfying? Explain and, as always, give examples.
• Did any characters change in the course of the story, perhaps improving in one of their strengths? Maybe a strength they were weak in became much stronger.
• Which characters were living for which kinds of happiness? (pleasure, flow, meaning)
• If you were a counselor using your knowlege of Positive Psychology, what would you have told Precious?
• How are your strengths similar to and different from Precious’s?
• What else do you see in the story that relates to Positive Psychology?

Write a 300 - 350 word essay exploring these questions and ideas. State your ideas clearly, use examples and quotes from the story and from Positive Psychology sites on the Internet.

NOTE: 350 word essays are not 80 words long.

Each of the two main characters used some signature strengths and some core strengths. It would’ve helped if they used all the signature strengths but unfortunately Precious could’ve used them, but didn’t. Precious and her mother Lucille had very different core strengths that why Lucille could see her boy crazy daughter getting disappointed in the end.

Precious’s core strengths were Ingenuity, and valor. The problem was that she did not have any self-control. She wanted better hair to impress a boy she liked and it showed that she had no self control and she also had Ingenuity; because she wanted to reach a goal and she should’ve controlled herself from doing something completely for a boy. As she stated “You have to help, Pauline, said Precious. I want long hair and I need it fast!” (Pg. 144). She used two of the three signature strengths, not using the one of them made her life a little less fulfilling. She didn’t have any meaning to her life, she didn’t do anything that used anything of her core strengths. Although, she did use the engagement and pleasure signature strengths. Precious wanted to have gorgeous hair to absorb the attention and interest from others which shows she wanted engagement. She also indulged in the little pleasures of life, for example she loved to go to the beach. To have authentic happiness she needed to use all three signature strengths.

Lucille, Precious’s mother, used a lot of her core strengths, but it was hard to tell in the story if she had authentic happiness since she only helped Precious to be true to herself. Lucille had good judgement, emotional intelligence, perspective, self-control, and prudence. Lucille has good judgement since she already could tell that Neville Campbell was not the boy for her. Lucille said to Precious “Can’t you see he’s not paying you one bit of mind? A sweet-boy like him, only have time for fool-fool, flighty-flighty girls. Not a decent child like you.” (Pg. 144). Lucille also knew what Precious was going through with her emotions for boys and to be what everyone wanted. Precious’s mother stated “You see where vanity lead you?” (Pg. 145). When Lucille used her core strengths it made her a better person and a lot wiser.