The Federal Courts

As we prepare for the last 2 weeks of class and a crash course on our federal court system, I thought this article was appropriate for several reasons.
1. It stands a good chance to end up in a federal court.
2. It gets us thinking and talking again about the US Constitution (which will be a focus for us again as we look at Landmark Supreme Court cases).
3. The law that this community passed is pretty amazing.

Check it out!

Mr. Thompson

Manassas Defends New Rule On Who Can Live Together

Article 6

As excited as many of you got while we studied the Federal Budget, I am sure this short article will get those emotions right back to the surface. What are the ramifications for Americans if "Congress can't pay its bills" by the middle of March as the article suggests?

Enjoy as we get ready to "raise the roof"! (I mean ceiling!)

Mr. Thompson

Congress is Asked to Raise the Debt Limit

Those Darn Polls

Kudos Eric Bernau for doing your homework. In response to my Article 1 posting note the following exerpt citing a recent poll conducted by the Washington Post/ABC.

President Bush's approval rating has surged in recent weeks, reversing what had been an extended period of decline, with Americans now expressing renewed optimism about the future of democracy in Iraq, the campaign against terrorism and the U.S. economy, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News Poll.
Bush's overall approval rating rose to 47 percent, from 39 percent in early November, with 52 percent saying they disapprove of how he is handling his job. His approval rating on Iraq jumped 10 percentage points since early November, to 46 percent, while his rating on the economy rose 11 points, to 47 percent. A clear majority, 56 percent, said they approve of the way Bush is handling the fight against terrorism -- a traditional strong point in his reputation that nonetheless had flagged to 48 percent in the November poll.

If you want the whole article Bush's Support Jumps after Long Decline

Why the sudden surge in approval with all the criticism of the current administration?

Mr. Thompson

"Turn it in" Digital paper submission

APLG
Turn it in Training

Below is how major papers will be turned in to Mr. Decker this semester.

1. Go to www.turnitin.com
2. Create a user profile (as a student)

CLASS ID: 1427731
CLASS PASS: aplgrox


3. email tip – this doesn’t need to be your real email address – any will do. If you use your real one, digital receipts will also be mailed to you.

4. Write down your password somewhere you can keep it handy (pg 32 in planner)!

5. end wizard and login with the newly created profile.

To turn in assignments:
6. Once in your class, select the assignment to turn in. You can either upload a file or cut and paste it in.

7. Print your digital receipt – this is what you will submit to me for credit.



ASSIGNMENT – 5 points.

Complete the process above, to the assignment folder, “SAMPLE DIGITAL SUBMISSION.” What to actually turn in? Simply write me a note saying your favorite lesson from APLG this year. Print the digital receipt and turn it in for credit.

Article 5

Renewal of Patriot Act Blocked in Senate

Mr. Thompson

Article 4

Tentative Agreement on Budget Reached

Mr. Thompson

Article 3

Bush Fumbles Spur New Talk of Oversight on the Hill

Mr. Thompson

Article 2

Pushing The Limits of Wartime Powers

Mr. Thompson

Article 1

Don't be Folled by Bush Polls, Democratic Council Warns

Mr. Thompson

Opportuntiy you can't refuse!

Here's an opportunity you can't pass up - Easy credit in Honors Government!
I am going to post several articles that deal with topics concerning mainly the Executive Branch but in some instances reference other units of study we have tackled. Your job is to respond to one of them for sure. You should make reference to something specific in the article, make your point and support your point as best you can (ie link or other reference). Also feel free to piggyback off a classmate's response. Your first response is worth 10 points and a subsequent response to a different article is for extra credit. I will accept responses up until midnight on Jan. 2nd (we reconvene on the 3rd). Please keep your responses as ACADEMIC as possible since this is an assignment.

You may resond to any article I post between now and the Jan. 2nd. I am only going to post the website and I will post them all separately so I more easily read and digest your responses.

Thank you and have a great holiday season!
Mr. Thompson

Powers of the President

Here's an excellent example of how the powers of the president are limited and not unending. In the article Congress checks the power of the Excutive Branch by eliminating the threat of a presidential veto by the overwhelming support for an override of a veto.

President Relents, Backs Torture Ban

On an AP test, your free responses will bring two or more units together and force you to respond a bit differently than we typically do in class. Eg. Essays on Constitution, or Congress, or President. Here you have a contemporary example of checks and balances (Constitutional), powers of Congress (Legislative) and powers of the President (Executive). When you are asked to provide support,the more current of an example you can provide the better. I'm not saying this would be on the AP test (I'm sure the test is already written) but this would be a great example of info you'd be expected to be able to provide.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for the 12 presentations today.
Mr. Thompson

Beware of Who's Watching

For those of you motivated by Mr. Decker's question about your experiences with non-violent civil disobedience who want to run out and particpate in an act of N-VCD, here's something you may want to read.

Pentagon Will Review Database on US Citizens

For those of you experienced in N-VCD, I'd be curious to see if you have cracked the database.

Beware!!!!! Mr. Thompson

Non-violent Civil Disobedience

Rosa Parks. 'nuf said.

Cindy Sheehan. Here's her blog entry describing her civil disobedience and arrest on October 26th, 2006. The Huffington Post is less than six months old, and worth your time learning what it is and who blogs there, as this is part of the new media of the digital age.

A Minnesota woman, in today's LA Times, is an example of pacifist activism, but what laws does she break? If none, then not NVCD.

What are other contemporary examples on non-violent civil disobedience?

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back???

I had to post this for 2 reasons:
1) Very interesting coming off our discussions of Congress, the budget, and our deficit.
2) Direct response to the 2 brave souls who commented on the previous articles about the President and tax cuts (Thank you Becky and Eric!).

Enjoy!!! "House Passes 3 Tax Cuts, Plans a 4th"

Have a great day and look forward to your Inaugural Addresses tomorrow.
Mr. Thompson

Welcome to the Executive Branch

Good Day from Mr. Thompson!

President Bush recently spoke to a group of factory workers in NC about the economy. He has also asked Congress to extent his tax cuts and make them permanent. As president he is charged with being responsible for our nation's economic well-being. Below are some exerpts from his speech and a link to the article about his proposal regarding tax cuts.

Bush Renews Push for Extending Tax Cuts

Exerpts from his speech Dec. 5th in Kernersville NC:

"Now some of those people up in Washington said the tax cuts wouldn't work. In the spring of 2003, one Democrat leader called tax relief a "tragedy," and said it would not create jobs or grow the economy. Another Democratic leader said the tax cuts "are ruining our economy and costing us jobs." All comes with the job, by the way -- doing what you think is right, and people laying out the criticism. But I want to remind people of the facts: Since those words were spoken, our economy has added nearly four and a half million new jobs. (Applause.)
Just this past Friday, the latest figures show our economy added 215,000 jobs in the month of November alone. Our unemployment rate is down to five percent. That's lower than the average of the 1970s, the 1980s and 1990s. The latest numbers also show the economy grew at 4.3 percent last quarter. (Applause.) And it has been growing at near that average for more than two years. This economy of ours is on the move. People are being able to find work, and that's what's important to me. I want Americans working. I want anybody who wants a job to be able to find work -- good paying, steady work -- and that's what's happening in America. (Applause.)
Americans are buying homes, and that's good news for this country. We hit an all-time high in October, in terms of home buying. More Americans now own their homes than any time in our nation's history. Minority ownership -- home ownership is at an all-time high in the United States of America. (Applause.) Real disposable income is up; our consumers are confident. New orders for durable goods, like machinery, have risen sharply, and shipments of manufactured goods are up, as well. Business activity in our manufacturing sector reported its 30th straight month of growth. In the past five years, productivity has grown at some of the fastest rates since the 1960s. Our small businesses are thriving. Fortunately, I didn't listen to the pessimists about tax cuts. The tax cuts are working. (Applause.)
We've been wise with your money, as well. Each year I've been in office, we've cut the rate of growth in non-security discretionary spending. We're on track to reach our goal of cutting the budget deficit in half by 2009. Thanks to tax relief, and spending restraint, and pro-growth economic policies, this economy is strong, businesses are booming, and the people in this country are working. (Applause.) See, we can't take this growth for granted. So we're moving forward with a comprehensive agenda that's going to keep the economy growing to make sure people have got a hopeful future. Keeping this economy growing begins with a commitment to keeping your taxes low, and at the same time being wise about how we spend your money."

Gerrymandering: Alive and Well!

An article to whet your appetite for those of you who like to live on the edge of what the rules allow.

Justice Staff Saw Texas Districting as Illegal