Gerrymandering - Assignment Example

Gerrymandering Gerrymandering refers to the practice, which attempts to form a political advantage for a given party or a particular group by manipulating the boundaries of a given districts to create districts that favor partisans (Papp, John and Loch 105). Gerrymandering has an implication that it can create groups with special interest whose main intention is to block any bill whether it is general good. Q 2 The House of Representative currently has four hundred and thirty-five members. The position of speaker is the most senior in the house of representative. House majority leader is the second most-senior official in the house. Position of house majority whip has the responsibility of persuading members to support the conference position on votes. Other leadership positions in the house of representative are house republican conference chair, vice-chair, and secretary, house republican policy committee chairperson and national republican congressional committee chairperson. Q 3 Filibuster refers to any attempt by a member to obstruct or delay the senate action on a bill or other issues by debating it for long or providing procedural motions or by any other means of delaying or obstructing the actions. Filibuster blocks the senate from making consideration for ideas that can help solve major problems faced by the United States. Q 4 Members of Congress, the executive and other outside groups can draft the bill. Next step is introducing the drafted bill into the House by a representative who must be a member of the House. The speaker of the House then submits the drafted bill to a committee, which may table, amend or vote the bill and then pass it to the rules committee. Rules committee makes a decision on the rules for debating the bill. The floor of the house then debates on the bill and may add some amendments, and it goes to the senate only if majority vote in favor of the bill. After the senate action, the president may sign (approve) the bill or veto (reject) it. The bill becomes law if the president approves it. Q 5 Vesting clause implies a clause that gives authority. Its inclusion in the constitution is to authorize key divisions of the government such as the legislative, the president, the executive and the judiciary (Maidment and John 86). Vesting clause grants the president executive authorities, and consequently, the president may have a control to the execution of federal laws by directing and removing officers. It also accords foreign affairs authorities to the president. Q 6 The United States constitution grants Congress the power to declare war as provided in Article 1, Section 8, of Clause 11. However, the president derives the power to direct military after a congressional declaration of war, which Section two of Article II stipulates. Article II names the president as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Therefore, these provisions require cooperation between the president and the Congress about military affairs. Q 7 As chief diplomat, the president appoints all the ambassadors to several foreign countries and to the United Nations. Furthermore, the president appoints the secretary of the state, who travels mostly to meet with foreign diplomats under the direction of the president (Papp, John and Loch 72). Holding of summit meetings and negotiating treaties with foreign heads are other roles performed by the president as chief diplomat. In addition, the president decides whether the military action is necessary to enforce diplomatic policy. Q 8 Judicial review is the power that courts have to review statutes and governmental actions determine if the actions are in line with rules and principles laid down in the constitution. The basis of judicial review is on the idea that a constitution dictates the nature, functions and limits of the government. Subsequently, judicial review invalidates any governmental action that violates the principles of the constitution. Judicial review initially was not an American invention. It was a British innovation but America adopted it in 1792. Q 9 Criminal law deals with all crimes committed and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. On the contrast, civil laws deals with disputes between individuals, organizations or that may emanate between individuals and organization. In civil law, award of compensation is to the victim. The intention of criminal law is to maintain stability of the state and the public by punishing offenders. On the other hand, the purpose of civil law is to deal with disputes that are private and not governmental in nature. Q 10 In the division of Justice, the solicitor general plays an imperative role. The responsibility of the solicitor general is to represent the state in all Supreme Court cases (Papp, John and Loch 122). Furthermore, the solicitor general makes decisions on matters that the federal government should request the Supreme Court to make a review and the opposition taken by the United States prior to the Supreme Court. Q 11 Politics refers to the part of a governmental system in which individuals contest for acceptance and votes of the citizen or the constituents in their respective districts. On the contrary, policy refers to the duty that the elected politicians need to perform and involves the creation and writing legislation, which the parliaments, Congress or any other elected groups vote during the course of their elected terms. Q 12 Distributive policies aim to ensure proper distribution of opportunities, goods and services among diverse sections of society. Redistribution policies, on the other hand, have a concern to change the existing distribution or allocation of opportunities, goods and services. Q 13 Iron triangle refers to the changing aspects of policy-making between the Congress, governmental agencies and groups with particular interest. The interrelationship between these three groups takes a triangular shape and thus the name (Maidment and John 75). Iron triangle can form a sub governmental institution, which is self-sufficient, but can be corrupt at times. For instance, a bureaucrat in the department of energy maintains funding to the department, a congressional representative on the energy committee, has a goal to gain re-election and a lobbyist from leading Oil Company, represent the company and obtain legislative bills. Q 14 Presidential budget, congressional budget, appropriation terms, implementation of program, audit and review are the major steps towards budget process. The steps help in starting the budget process, developing it and its resolution in House and Senate. Budget process begins once the Presidential budget reveals the President’s recommendation for federal fiscal policy. Main contributors of the budget process at the federal and state levels are executives and legislators. Q 15 In progressive tax policy, amount taxed increases proportionate to the tax rate. As the amount earned by citizens increases, tax rate also increases. A specific example of a progressive tax is the American federal income tax policy. In federal income tax policy, calculation of taxes is by using increasing tax brackets for respective earnings. The tax policy is favorable to the low earning federal citizens. In comparison to higher earning citizens, marginal tax rate returns for low-income earners are lower (Boyes and Melvin 249). Q 16 NAFTA is the largest free trade zone for Canada, Mexico and United States. USA established NAFTA in January 1, 1994 with the aim of creating strong economic growth and increased prosperity. NAFTA helped in raising living standards of the three member states citizens and strengthening of trade and investments laws and regulations. Q 17 Majority of United States citizens hold the viewpoint that success results from individual effort. Their thoughts are always inclined to collective economic success. Such mind set is mostly an attribute of rich citizens’ beliefs of upholding their social status. Handfuls of US citizens opt to donate to the government because they would like to uplift their social status. Q 18 Education development policy states the both US government and citizens bears the responsibility of improving education sector. Besides state and community involvement, public and private sector contributions has led to remarkable reforms in educational sector. Federal education contribution is only 10.8 percent the rest being courtesy of private sector and individuals contribution. Q 19 President Clinton’s Welfare Reform Act, signed in August 1996, transformed the federal welfare system. Personal responsibility and work opportunity act improved living standards of US citizens and their after reducing their dependency ration. Through TAN act instituted by responsibility act, there was financial assistance to families though they were required to acquire employment within twenty-four months. TAN therefore helped in reduction of recipient’s ratio. Q 20 Medical technology Cost of acquiring new medical technology is extremely high and the acquisition costs consequently affects health care costs. Unhealthy lifestyles Unhealthy lifestyles have resulted into chronic diseases such as obesity that proofs expensive to treat. Cost of research and treatment of chronic diseases is high and it escalates other health care costs. Administration costs Administrative costs of hospital are higher in United States than other countries. Health care providers reflect these costs in final health bill (Barsukiewicz, Raffel and Raffel 47). Works Cited Barsukiewicz, Camille., Marshall, Raffel and Norma, Raffel. The U.S. Health System: Origins and Functions. London: Cengage Learning, 2010. Prrint. Boyes, William and Michael, Melvin. Economics. London: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Maidment, Richard and John, Zvesper. Reflections on the Constitution: The American Constitution after Two Hundred Years. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2005. Print. Papp, Daniel., John, Endicott and Loch, Johnson. American Foreign Policy: History, Politics, and Policy. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print. Read More