How Washington Works

Facts/Details:

1. Washington DC has a population of 3.5 million people.
2. HUD is the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 
3. A killer amendment, or wrecking amendment, is an amendment made by a legislator who disagrees with the principles of a bill and who seeks to make it useless, rather than directly opposing the bill by simply voting against it. 
4. The city and suburbs of Washington are encircled by a sixty-four-mile freeway loop known as the beltway.
5. People in Washington catch, "Potomac Fever"--the incurable addiction to wielding political power or feeling at the political center.
6. Congress works a week in Washington from Monday to Friday; giving members more time with constituents.
7. The nickname for the Department of Transportation if pronounced "D-O-T"
8. Washington is considered a town of only one interest:politics.
9. Political Washington is a culture all its own.
10. New York and Los Angeles have great financial muscle.  

Questions:

1. Is Washington D.C. open to newcomers?

2. How does the Washington D.C. experience affect ones perception on politics?

3. How are politics different in the actual city of Washington, compared to that of other cities?

4. Is Washington known for any other field besides just the government?

5. How difficult is the life of a politician?
 

Terry Gross Interview

Facts/Details:

1. Abortion has been a troubling and heated debate over the years, but has been argued in so many different ways over the years, especially now that the issue is heating up.
2. The birth rate has gradually decreased since the 1800's, especially among white middle-class women.
3. The first birth control clinic in the United States opened in 1916, and was operated by Margaret Sanger.
4. Condoms were created in the 1850's due to the start of vulcanization of rubber.
5. It is illegal to publicize of distribute material regarding contraception.
6. In 1921, Sanger founded the American Birth Control League which allows doctors to talk about contraception.
7. By the 1930s, a Gallup poll showed that 75 percent of Americans favored contraception. 
8.  The Griswold v. Connecticut ruling established that the Constitution protected a right to privacy, which meant that contraceptives were legal.
9.  By the late 1960s, Richard Nixon was pushing Congress to increase federal funding for family planning.
10.  Nixon was re-elected in 1972. A year later, the Supreme Court issued its key ruling on abortion, Roe v. Wade 

Questions:

1. Do you think abortion should be illegal?
2. Do you think enough pregnant women are educated about abortion?
3. What part of the Constitution gives a woman the right to an abortion?
4. Should the government have any control over a woman's decision to give birth?
5. Is the decrease in birth rate a good or bad thing for our country?
6. How will past court cases influence today's debate regarding abortion?

Lost in Detention

Facts/Details:

1. Over 1 million illegal immigrants have been deported since Obama took office.
2. Most illegal immigrants are found after they commit smaller crimes and then are checked at the police station, only to be undocumented in their systems.
3. 195,000 criminal deportees including: 1,000 murderers, 6,000 sex offenders, 45,000 serious drug violators. 
4. Families are oftentimes separated due to non-serious crimes
5. The illegal immigrants live in fear of being caught and put in a deportation facility.
6. I.C.E has set a target number of 400,000 deportations per year, and if they did not reach their quota, they were at the risk of being summoned to Washington. 
7. 46% of people living illegally belong to a family. 
8. 4.5 million U.S citizen children are living in families where either one or both parents are here illegally. 
9. The ICE stands for the US Immigration and Custom's Enforcement Agency.
10.  The US has 250 detention centers for the illegal immigrants

Questions:

1. Is it fair for the children of illegal immigrants to be separated from their parents?
2. Do you think having a quota for deportees a bad thing for the immigration system?
3. Are the deportation facilities too harsh on those they catch?
4. How does deportation help the U.S. economy?
5. Why do the aliens choose t come illegally instead of going through the right way?

Paul Ryan sits on the following committees:

Chair, House Committee on the Budget

Member, House Committee on Ways and Means mmittee

Patrick Toomey sits on the following committees:

Member, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection

Member, Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development

Member, Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment

Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Member, Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security

Member, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet

Member, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance

Member, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security

Member, Senate Committee on the Budget

Member, Joint Economic Co

Facts:

1. The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (formerly the Committee on Banking and Currency) has jurisdiction over matters related to: banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes, currency and coinage, public and private housing, urban development and mass transit, and government contracts.
2. The Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment oversees issues related to securities, annuities, and other financial investments.
3. The Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment is chaired by Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and the Ranking Minority Member is Republican Mike Crapo of Idaho.
4. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security is one of the seven subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
5. The U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
6. Interstate and foreign telecommunications including, but not limited to all telecommunication and information transmission by broadcast, radio, wire, microwave, satellite, or other mode;and, Homeland security-related aspects of the foregoing, including cybersecurity.
7.  The Senate Commerce Subcommitee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance is one of the seven subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. It was renamed from the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety at the start of the 111th Congress.
8. The Senate Commerce Subcommitee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance  is chaired by Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and the Ranking Minority Member is Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
9. he United States Senate Committee on Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

West Wing- The Stackhouse Filibuster

Connections:

1. They talk about how Stackhouse is reading off of a recipe book while talking. This connects because when you filibuster, you can really talk about anything you want because the ultimate goal is to waste as much time as possible.
2. The episode mentions bipartisanship which is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system such as the United States, in which opposing political parties find common ground through compromise.
3. They use the phrase "you keep the floor as long as you can hold the floor." to describe the rules of a filibuster.
4. Oftentimes revisions must be made to the bill in order to please the person conducting the filibuster.
5. The filibuster has been a part of parliamentary strategy for over 150 years.
6. It mentions that Stackhouse stalled the voting on the bill for over 7 hours, which is the ultimate goal: killing the bill
7. The episode calls Stackhouse a parliamentarian which is a consultant who advises the presiding officer and other officers, committees, and members on matters of parliamentary procedure.
8. After the person is done with the filibuster, they can opt to yield questions from the Senate floor

Questions:

1. What is the longest filibuster in U.S. History?
2. Do you think a filibuster is a fair way in trying to get what you want?
3. Do you think the concept of a filibuster will ever make its way out of American politics?
4. What is the success rate for filibusters?
5. Are most filibusters to try and get a bill passes, or to stall it out in hope to kill it?

How can we decrease the amount of illegal immigrants we have now?
     The amount of illegal immigrants has grown to dangerous numbers and is growing by the day. I believe it is a top priority to make U.S. citizenship something to be earned and to do this the government must crack down on immigration. Unfortunately, illegal immigration has almost become a part of our culture so enforcement against it is almost nonexistent. To stop the problem, we must first plug the loopholes that are allowing the immigrants through the system. There are two many delays in the court system regarding immigrants. We have to speed up the process and get them out as fast as we can. Security everywhere has to be revamped in order to set up a wall against illegal immigrants. Also, I am puzzled at the fact that illegal immigrants get benefits once they get over the border. Why are they not getting punished.  Take away the welfare programs, stop giving them citizenship, make any form of helping or assisting immigration a more punishable offense, and most importantly, deport them! Existing programs of prevention also have to be expanded. Add more artillery to the Border Control Program and put together more programs in communication with the National Security Council. In conclusion, to reduce the amount of illegal immigrants we must crack down and become more strict. 


What is the punishment for hiring illegal immigrants?
        There are civil and criminal penalties for hiring illegal aliens. Sec. 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and 8 U.S.C. 1324a, makes it unlawful for any person knowingly to hire, recruit or refer for a fee any alien not authorized to work. An employer that violates these laws can face penalties of: $250 to $2,000 fine for each unauthorized individual; $2,000 to $5,000 for each employee if the employer has previously been in violation; $3,000 to $10,000 for each individual if the employer was subject to more than one cease and desist order;The employer could also be fined $100 to $1,000 for each individual “paperwork” violation;The criminal penalties for a pattern and practice violation can be up to $3,000 for each unauthorized alien, imprisonment up to six months, or both. For more major of an offense an employer can face up to 25 years in prison. These punishments are important in providing a reason for employers not to hire these illegal workers. They may be cheap labor, but they are here illegally and are taking away from jobs for Americans. I think the fines should be increased and jail sentences should become more common.


How does illegal immigration hurt the economy?
       First off, illegal immigrants are obviously here illegally so their employers have to find a way to pay them without being caught. So they pay them in cash. This means that each immigrant does not pay taxes like the rest of our country. On top of that, they're a huge cost because we still have to pay their medical expenses and for programs to get them out of our country. You think someone who is here illegally would do their best to support the country they want to be a part of. Most importantly, illegal immigration affects employment. Although it would not affect the middle class educated Americans, it would benefit people like high school drop outs who don't have many skills, but are desperate for a job. Illegal immigrants come in and work for next to nothing, so that ruins the job competition. In conclusion, by coming to the United States illegal immigrants hurt the economy by taking away jobs and not not giving back to the country they are taking back from.
        

Proposed Changes for Electoral College

Facts/Details:

1. If a candidate wins a congressional district, he or she would receive one electoral college vote. Whoever does best in the statewide race would receive two electoral votes.
2. In Pennsylvania, a secretive nonprofit group called All Votes Matter has been pushing the electoral vote scheme since May.  
3. This week, the group filed new lobbying disclosure forms revealing that it spent $186,882 on lobbying between July and September.
4. At the last meeting of the Republican State Committee, a number of members were outspoken in their opposition to the electoral vote change, and, having previously said he would sign the change if it passed the legislature, Gov. Corbett now says he has other priorities.
5. In contrast to the seven Democratic U.S. House members in safely Democratic districts, eight of the 12 Republican Pennsylvania House members from are districts considered margina.
6. Pileggi’s proposal threatens Pennsylvania’s continuing preeminence in national politics.
7. The state’s electoral vote clout will be diluted, since most of the state’s CD’s are not competitive and presidential candidates will either write them off or take them for granted. 
8. Fixing the Electoral College is a national problem, and Congress needs to act decisively to do it.
9. If this system had been in place in 2008, President Obama would have beaten John McCain by a narrow margin, 11-10, rather than winning all 21 electoral votes.
10. So far PA senator Chuck McIlhinney (SD-10) dislikes the plan, and Bob Mensch (SD-24) is one of the co-sponsors. 

Questions:

1. Why did Pennsylvania decide to propose this bill now?
2. How would this change affect voting on the national level?
3. Would this change affect voter turnout?
4. Would this change lead to less campaigning in our state?
5. What party would this help the most?

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/pennsylvania-electoral-college-all-votes-matter
http://pennsylvanianews.info/pennsylvania-top-stories/nervous-pennsylvania-gop-house-members-kill-electoral-college-change.html
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/09/17/a_really_bad_idea_111367.html
http://hellertown.patch.com/articles/what-to-watch-in-pas-electoral-college-debate