3-2-1 Post: Abortion Rights

I learned several new things from this article. First of all I had no idea the 40th anniversary of Roe vs Wade was coming up. Secondly I was shocked that the number of abortion clinics has declined in the United States since the early 1980s. When reading or watching the news you often get the feeling that abortion has become incredibly common in the United States. The most interesting thing I learned was that North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alabama only have one abortion clinic in the entire State. I made two connections to the article. The article mention how since the 2010 Midterms Republicans have passed multiple laws limiting access to abortions. They same Republicans who swept the 2010 Midterms have also passed strict voter ID laws and removed gun stringent gun laws. My one question is why if there are less abortion clinics has the overall number of abortions gone down? The answer pre-marital sex is on the decline and sexual education has become more prevalent in schools.

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2132761-1,00.html
http://blogs-images.forbes.com/shenegotiates/files/2012/01/Roe-v-Wade-protest.jpg

3-2-1 Post: Rights of the Accused

I learned several things from both the article and the video. I was shocked that Hugo Black, a Senator from Alabama was one of the staunchest supporters of extending the Bill of Rights to the States. This would curb state powers, something most southerners were against. I also had no idea that the Hugo Black invented the concept of the Public Defender, a truly enormous accomplishment. I was horrified to learn that "a lawyer... often spends less than six minutes per case at hearings where clients plead guilty and are sentenced." One connection I made was with the concept of the Public Defender being an unfunded mandate, similar to major federal legislation, such as the Clean Air Act. The other connection I made was to how Supreme Court has the power to change a nation, just as they also did with Brown vs. The Board of Education. My question is why don't more people know about Hugo Black? The answer is because he was a white southern male with past ties to the KKK and it would not be politically correct to honor him. 


http://sunnylandsclassroom.org/Asset.aspx?id=12
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/03/how-americans-lost-the-right-to-counsel-50-years-after-gideon/273433/?single_page=true

3-2-1 Post: He Who Makes The Rules

I learned several things from this article. Before I read this article I had no idea of how truly large a reform the Dodd-Frank Bill was. Perviously I believed it was a minor change that would only affect a few Wall Street investment banks. I also had no idea that lobbyists and lawyers could twist the wording of Congressional Acts in such an extreme way. I was shocked that the staffers who write the bills have to make sure their grammar cannot be twisted for legal purposes. The most important fact I learned was how even after Congress passes a Bill, and the President signs it, much work is still required to turn the Act into law. This reminds me of the Affordable Care Act where insurance and pharmaceutical companies played a pivotal role in drafting the bill. It is also reminds of Immigration Reform efforts in which large technology firms played a pivotal role in raising the quota for high skilled worker visas.
 My question is why haven't more media outlets reported about this issue? The answer is because the average citizen does not care about it and therefore it would not be profitable to report on it.


http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2013/features/he_who_makes_the_rules043315.php?page=all
http://www.humanevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Dodd-Frank2.jpg

Civil Rights Blog Post

The fight to overturn Plessy vs. Ferguson took years and immense amounts of effort. It started with Thurgood Marshall fighting the racist Plessy ruling in a battle with the University of Texas Law School. Marshall states that even if the University of Texas built a law school of equal facilities for black students the existing law school would still be inherently better due to several intangible reasons. The fight continued in Federal District Courts in South Carolina, and Virginia. After these district court fights they moved on to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court. Mr. Marshall's main legal argument was that separate but equal facilities are inherently unequal. He said that the stigma of segregation negatively affected black students and that building facilities of equal quality to the white school's would still be illegal under the 14th amendment. The opposition said facilities of equal quality are perfectly equal under the law and do not violate the 14th Amendment.


http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-involved/federal-court-activities/brown-board-education-re-enactment/history.aspx
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_brown.html
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=87
http://www.oyez.org/sites/default/files/justices/thurgood_marshall/thurgood_marshall_portrait_cropped.1.jpg

3-2-1 Obama's Way

I learned that President Obama is a competitor. He plays basketball with people who will challenge him and make him a better player. Instead of playing with people who he could easily play with he surrounds himself with former college and pro players. I also learned that he often golfs with junior staffers, rather than foreign leaders or CEOs. In addition, I learned that believes cable news is truly toxic and he prefers to watch ESPN. I connected this to an internship I had where I did fundraising for Mitt Romney. My boss told me he too enjoys spending time with his junior staffers. I also connected this to President Bush's autobiography Decision Points. In that book he writes that he too found exercise to be an excellent stress relief. My one question is this why would Michael Lewis write such a puff piece? The answer is that Michael Lewis is a Democrat who lives in Berkeley and he decided to give the President a softball interview.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama
http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/09/12/obama-and-lewis-37f1a33f65ef5d55f213f237c503d6673079ce52.jpg

Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War serves as an excellent example of the Iron Triangle. Representative Charlie Wilson is influenced by Lobbyist Joanne Herring to use his connections on several committees to come to the aid of the Afghan forces during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She uses her money and influences in Texas politics to persuade Representative Wilson to organize a massive covert operation. Wilson, then turns to CIA agent Gust Avrakotos to implement it. Gust then goes about doing this. This relationship perfectly demonstrates the symbiotic relationship lobbyist, Congressional Committee members, and Federal Bureaucrats. An idea cooked up in a Houston mansion is executed by local Afghans, all thanks to the Iron Triangle.

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2008/07/where-are-they-now-joanne-herring/
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2005/12/26/gust_avrakotos_67_led_cias_arming_of_afghan_mujahideen_against_soviets/?page=full
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~gaidi20n/classweb/wp/images/Charlie-Wilson-War-Cast.jpg

What I learned

I learned several key things from our simulation of the United States Senate. Before we conducted this simulation I had no idea the amount of power the minority party in the Senate still holds. The Minority Party can with just 41 votes hold up all legislation unless something can be done to sway the minority party to support it. In addition, I never knew how much power the whips in both parties have. They effectively control their respective caucuses and are responsible for generating vote counts. This is a role I always thought fell to the Majority/Minority Leaders. The most disappointing conclusion I reached after our simulation of the Senate was how often Senators vote based on whether it is good politics, rather than the merits of the bill. They care more about reelection and fundraising than proper governance. That is chief and worst conclusion.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/01/why-the-house-gop-immigration-plan-is-more-political-sweet-spot-than-wasteland/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/01/why-the-house-gop-immigration-plan-is-more-political-sweet-spot-than-wasteland/
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/congressional/Yes_Nancy_Pelosi_Congress_has_a_revolving_door.html