A linkage institution is a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
The younger the person is, the less likely they are to be involved in politics and to vote. In addition, if a person has gone through at least high school, and or college, they are more likely to vote in elections than someone who has a lesser form of education.
One government electoral requirement is that you have to register with a political party before you vote for a presidential candidate. It's hard to get people to vote, especially if they have to immediately identify which party they would like to be associated with before the vote which is the main reason so many people choose to be Independents for the sole fact that you don't have to to choose one side or the other.
Citizens are most connected to the government through media. The media gives them a quick insight to candidates and issues that they may choose to vote on. Though media can be helpful, it may also hinder. Media can be very biased and one-sided but it still has to give you the facts. It is the fastest and easiest way for the government to advertise candidates and issues and to also see how the people respond to certain issues.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Interest Groups Essay #5
The term interest group refers to virtually any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause. Litigation, Campaign contributions, and Grassroots Lobbying / mass mobilization all contribute to enforcing the point behind interest groups. Litigation is the process of resolving legal disputes through the court system. It includes civil lawsuits and criminal actions. Interest groups can provide support for causes they wish to promote, such as by providing free legal assistance to individuals or groups whose causes they support. Interest groups use campaign contributions as a form of bribery - the interest groups will give money for the candidate's campaign and in return, the candidate will usually vote in favor of the interest groupd when voting on legislation. Grassroots lobbying/mass mobilization is when a group gets a lot of its followers together in an effort to raise awareness through media coverage. This technique is utilized because it is inexpensive for interest groups and highly successful.
The interest group NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) uses mostly litigation because most of the progressive work they do involves court cases. For example, the Brown vs. Board of Education was a case that was brought all the way to the Supreme Court to raise awareness of segregation in public schools. The NAACP demonstrates the most successful way to stop civil rights injustices.
The interest group NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) uses mostly litigation because most of the progressive work they do involves court cases. For example, the Brown vs. Board of Education was a case that was brought all the way to the Supreme Court to raise awareness of segregation in public schools. The NAACP demonstrates the most successful way to stop civil rights injustices.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Senator Wyden
Biographical Outline:
Ronald Lee Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas on January 3, 1981. His parents were both Jewish and fled Nazi Germany and Wyden is still practiced Judaism. He grew up in Palo Alto, California and after graduating high school, he attended UCSB, then transferred to Stanford, then completed his doctorate degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. In 1980, Wyden ran for the US House of Reps and was elected, and has continued to be reelected seven times from this district, never dropping below 70% of the vote. In January 1996, Wyden defeated Oregon State Senate President Gordon Smith in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood. He has and is currently still holding that Senate seat, and gets reelected every year.
Committees:
+Committee on the Budget
+Committee on Finance
-Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
-Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
-Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
+Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
+Select Committee on Intelligence
+Special Committee on Aging
+Joint Committee on Taxation
Background/Discussion:
Education
Senator Wyden authored the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act which provides all potential college students with reliable information on what they can expect to find in the workplace. It allows the students to choose their path of schooling and careers based on their financial abilities and the financial return they will receive later in life.
Foreign Policy
Senator Wyden was one of the 23 Senators to vote against going to war with Iraq. He has since worked to bring the troops home and provide them with quality veteran services when they return. He also is an advocate for human rights around the world and his latest accomplishment was getting the US State Department to cease selling arms to the Kingdom of Bahrain until their human rights abuses end.
Questions for the Senator:
1) Is there one issue or topic that you are most passionate about and why?
2) How has going to law school to get a J.D. helped you in the political world?
3) When elected to the U.S. Senate, you pledged to hold at least one public town meeting in each of Oregon's 36 counties each year. You have kept that promise since 1996. How has connecting to the people helped you get reelected each year?
Ronald Lee Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas on January 3, 1981. His parents were both Jewish and fled Nazi Germany and Wyden is still practiced Judaism. He grew up in Palo Alto, California and after graduating high school, he attended UCSB, then transferred to Stanford, then completed his doctorate degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. In 1980, Wyden ran for the US House of Reps and was elected, and has continued to be reelected seven times from this district, never dropping below 70% of the vote. In January 1996, Wyden defeated Oregon State Senate President Gordon Smith in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood. He has and is currently still holding that Senate seat, and gets reelected every year.
Committees:
+Committee on the Budget
+Committee on Finance
-Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
-Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
-Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
+Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
+Select Committee on Intelligence
+Special Committee on Aging
+Joint Committee on Taxation
Background/Discussion:
Education
Senator Wyden authored the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act which provides all potential college students with reliable information on what they can expect to find in the workplace. It allows the students to choose their path of schooling and careers based on their financial abilities and the financial return they will receive later in life.
Foreign Policy
Senator Wyden was one of the 23 Senators to vote against going to war with Iraq. He has since worked to bring the troops home and provide them with quality veteran services when they return. He also is an advocate for human rights around the world and his latest accomplishment was getting the US State Department to cease selling arms to the Kingdom of Bahrain until their human rights abuses end.
Questions for the Senator:
1) Is there one issue or topic that you are most passionate about and why?
2) How has going to law school to get a J.D. helped you in the political world?
3) When elected to the U.S. Senate, you pledged to hold at least one public town meeting in each of Oregon's 36 counties each year. You have kept that promise since 1996. How has connecting to the people helped you get reelected each year?
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