Create an entry describing an example from current events of one of the major party tendencies. Make the subject line a short description of the tendency you researched, e.g., "Individual v. Group," or "Free Enterprise," etc.
A collection of insights from Mr. Flynn's AP Government and Politics classes
Prompt: Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
ReplyDeleteArticle Link: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/09/billionaire-conservatives-take-aim-at-top-senate-democrat/?iref=obinsite
Title: Billionaire Conservatives Take Aim at Top Senate Democrat
Author: CNN Kevin Bohn
Date: 2013 October 9
Summary: Koch Industries is a multi-national energy and chemical conglomerate owned by two influential Republican conservatives. A top Senate Democrat accused them of influencing the GOP’s efforts to shut down the government. They denied this accusation, but admitted “the company believes the health care law championed by the president will lead to a decline in the overall standard of care and an increase in taxes.” Though they didn’t directly participate in the shut down, they had siphoned a considerable amount of money into anti-Obamacare campaigns, groups, organizations, and advertisements.
http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/You-ll-Never-Guess-What-s-in-the-Latest-Republican-Ransom-Note
ReplyDelete4. Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
What this article says is that Republicans in Congress are demanding cuts to Social Security. The Republicans believe that by cutting social security, the US can work towards balancing the budget imbalances and adjusting program deficits. The Republicans stressed the small amount of time to take action in fixing these monetary issues. The Republicans have three major ideas for cutting social security: cutting benefits with a chained CPI cost-of-living formula, raising the social security retirement age, and means-testing social security benefits, the most well known option being the first. The 51 Republicans in Congress who support this are also alienating Tea Party Republicans, who depend on Social Security benefits. This is a good example because, in this case, the “unnecessary” program is Social Security – the Republicans see it as not vital enough to keep, and are keen on fixing the economic imbalances. They have found three major ways to cut back these “unnecessary” programs, and are voicing their demands to Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Prompt: Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs
ReplyDeleteArticle
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/18/2803231/shutdown-obamacare-gop-double/
Title: Republicans Lost The Shutdown Battle, But Still Refuse To Stop Fighting Against Obamacare
Date: Oct 18, 2013
Summary: Far right republicans called the government shut down the "last chance" they had to stop the health reform law. This however, ended to be a total failure. Despite such results, right wing Republicans now claim that they will not give up the fight. Obamacare, as we know, by 2014, will require everyone to have health insurance or to be subjected to a tax. This will increase government spending dramatically because those can not afford insurance will be covered through Medicaid, adding trillions to our spending. These right wing republicans even put their interest and agenda, which is to appeal and defund Obamacare before the benefit of the nation, causing such a 16 day shut down. And even after that, peole such as Ted Cruz, David Vitter is still fighting such a issue. This is even causing tension within the party, because most mainstream republicans have admitted that it is very unlikely that Obamacare is going away. Nonetheless, right wing republicans will continue to try to cut this spending from the government.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/08/news/economy/janet-yellen-federal-reserve-chair/
ReplyDeleteBoth 2. ( Democrats less place less emphasis on individual enterprise and initiative) and 5. (Democrats maintain that the economy must be managed at the federal level).
When President Obama announced Janet Yellen as his choice to succeed Ben Bernanke as head of the Federal Reserve, he received a letter of recommendation that pointed out her spotless resume and that she has cemented herself as a reformer of the mostly Republican national banking system. The article also points out that the other candidate, Larry Summers, withdrew his name from consideration, presumably to create a stronger union within the Democratic Party for Yellen, similar to how Hillary Clinton withdrew from the Presidential race in 2008 in order to lend support to President Obama.
Principle: Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
ReplyDeleteTitle: Marco Rubio: Revolt vs. Obamacare in ‘14
Author: Lucy McCalmont
Source: Politico.com
Date: 10/17/13
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/marco-rubio-obamacare-2014-98457.html
This article is about Senator Marco Rubio’s (Florida-R) opinion on Obamacare. He viewed the loss of the Republican party in the last week as a missed opportunitiy to defund a program that would ultimately hurt millions of Americans. Rubio stated: “And a lot of people are going to wake up and realize, ‘Hold on a second, this is not free health insurance. This is something that’s going to cost us something we are already happy with. It’s hurt us at work. It’s cost us our relationship with our doctor. Our premiums have gone up.’ And they’re going to be angry about that.” Rubio and the Republican party’s basic argument is that the health insurance provided by Obamacare would be low quality and would bring down the overall quality of people’s existing healthcare insurance, all the while raising taxes to pay for the new program. He addressed the implementation of this “disaster” as a time for the independents and Republicans to rally together to fight this issue, especially “given the lack of trust in the government and the way this White House and the Democrats have behaved over the last three weeks.”
This article is a prime example of the republican principle that unnecessary Federal programs should be cut because Rubio clearly articulates the ways in which this superfluous program will hurt many Americans. It is implied that Rubio and other Republicans think that healthcare should be privatized as this would help the economy and not require tax increases.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/us/politics/states-are-focus-of-effort-to-foil-health-care-law.html?ref=politics&_r=0
ReplyDelete3.Republicans rely more on an active role by the state and local governments.
NYTimes: States Are Focus of Effort to Foil Health Care Law
After the government shutdown, a failed attempt to hinder Obamacare, Republicans in Washington are looking to the states as an alternative path to stop the program. In June 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that states could opt out of Medicaid expansion. Economically conservative groups, including Americans for Prosperity and Tea Party Patriots have spent millions in states around the country to run aggressive campaigns against expansion under Obamacare. So far, around half the states are moving forward with the program, and more and more Republican governors are expressing interest. Senator Hanger of Virginia has been targeted by these groups for voicing his support for the Affordable Care Act, and he has felt much pressure to be more fiscally conservative. This article shows that Republicans are seeking support from individual states to stop the expansion of Obamacare, which means that states will have more control over citizens' lives than the federal government.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/mitch-mcconnell-budget-deal_n_4111387.html
ReplyDelete(Republicans rely more on an active role by the state and local governments.)
Although this article is partisan, it discusses a few of the concessions made by Congress in order to reopen/refund the government. The bill itself provides money to multiple groups and organizations, on both sides of the partisan divide. The article mostly talks about how in the recent agreement to extend the debt ceiling without touching Obamacare, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (an important negotiator in the process of passing the bill) gained important funds for his state as part of the bill. The funding is meant for Kentucky’s new dam, and while the billions of dollars are being provided by the Federal Government, the project is going to be under control of the state of Kentucky.
Since the project was funded for state purposes and control, it exemplifies the Republican belief that the states should be more active than the federal government. It is not a federal project; instead, the state is taking initiative to help itself with extra funding from the federal government. The local project is a local issue, and is reliant on the local government for management rather than Federal government.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/20/news/lew-end-sequester-cuts/index.html
ReplyDelete5. Democrats contend that the economy is too complicated to be left alone and must be managed at the Federal level.
My article discussed the Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew's efforts to eliminate the spending cuts implemented by the sequester. There is significant evidence that in the months following the starts of these cuts the American economy has stalled and that in response to this the real GDP, job growth, and more will suffer in the coming financial year. The sequester caused spending cuts to almost all of the federal government's programs, and Lew is hoping to avoid more cuts to government spending when the nation's budget is agreed on.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/us/politics/house-passes-bill-cutting-40-billion-from-food-stamps.html
ReplyDelete4. Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
This says that the House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that would take $40 million from food stamps. The proposed cut was originally $20 million, but conservatives thought cuts were too shallow. This will remove 4 million people from the food stamp program this year, and 3 million every year after that. This example shows how Republicans are more privy to cut unnecessary programs and not provide nonessential services. Democrats, on the other hand, argue that federal assistance to crucial to those under the poverty line.
(Didn't know so many others did this example, as well)
David Herman
ReplyDelete1. The cornerstone of Republican philosophy is the belief that each person is an individual who is responsible for his/her own place in society
Title of Article- GOP Rep: On Student Loans, 'Personal Responsibility Is Pretty Cool'
Article- http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gop-rep-on-student-loans-personal-responsibility-is-pretty-cool-video
This article has to do with the debate over student loan rates. Both Obama and democrats wanted to deal with issue by setting a fixed rate and capping the amount that students would have to pay. The republicans wanted a yearly adjustable rate further confirming that republicans believe the idea that all people, even students, are responsible for the money they take. By making the rates adjustable and tied into the economy the students would have to pay back an amount closer to the value they were given. By paying back a value that fluctuates with the economy the student in theory will be taking personal responsibility and a result be more independent. Republican Luke Messer claims the student loan plan will reduce spending and force people to be more independent, “I think personal responsibility is pretty cool. There is nothing out of date about freedom, and we have the policies that get this budget back in line, stop the explosive growth of spending”.
Right on target demonstrating this party tendency.
Delete1. The cornerstone of Republican philosophy is the belief that each person is an individual who is responsible for his/her own place in society.
ReplyDelete2.Republicans believe that government should be limited to doing only those things that people cannot do for themselves.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/10/18/new-jersey-supreme-court-greenlights-gay-marriage-starting-monday/
In New Jersey gay marriage has been legalized starting on Monday. This is against the will of Chris Christie who argues that marriage should be defined by referendum to the people of New Jersey rather than the courts. While the Christie administration appeals to a decision made in a lower court, the law will not be delayed. In this instance Christie exhibits the Republican tendency of individual responsibility over government responsibility. This is illustrated in his persistence that marriage be defined by the individuals of New Jersey in saying that he “would prefer the issue be put on the ballot rather than decided by the courts.”. It also opposes federal intervention in personal issues in opponents articulating that the ruling “showed how judicial activism could distort the political process.”
Article: http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/19/news/economy/food-stamp-cuts/?hpt=po_c2
ReplyDeleteBy Jennifer Liberto
ON INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
The issue of individual responsibility is in the crosshairs with a bill passed in September by the House that will cut "$40 billion from food stamps over the next decade." The article gives pertinent stats such as the fact that 47.6 million people, or nearly 15% of the population, get food stamps, increased from the 8.7% in 2007. In a move indicative of the Democrat's tendency to place individual responsibility into responsibility of society, the Obama administration promised that it would veto the bill and the Democrat-controlled Senate promise to vote it down. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid claimed that "in the richest country in the world, 1 in 6 people are in danger of going to bed hungry" while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor claimed that the bill would close loopholes to those able to provide for themselves and "able-bodied adults who aren't caring for children...unless they also work part-time or are in a job-training program." Clearly, the Republicans have allocated the responsibility of being able to work and buy food to the individual scope of responsibility.
-Joan
Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/us/politics/a-governors-last-campaign-to-prove-health-law-works.html
The article "A Governor's last campaign: To Prove Healthcare Law Works" talks about Kentucky's Gov. Steven L. Beshear's support for Obama and the new Obamacare, and his stauch opposition from the Republicans in Kentucky. He claims that although they are distrustful, if they took the time to look in to what the healthcare law provides them they'd actually be happy. This article clearly shows Republicans dislike of Federal Programs and the fear they will disrupt businesses. Many Kentuckians feared the new bill would make healthcare more expensive for those who could afford it, and burden small businesses by mandating health coverage for their employees. They also feared that it would cause tax increases.
Tendency: Democrats are more willing to subordinate the individual to the group. Society is collectively responsible for each of its members.
ReplyDeleteThe article, "A deal for now, but this year's been a legislative dud for Obama," (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/16/politics/shutdown-obama-win/index.html) featured on CNN, describes how this year was not a fruitful one in the world of politics. It draws on examples of ineptitude and refusal to cooperate on the part of congress to drive this point home. In the midst of this argument, the author, John King, draws attention to the promises that President Obama made in his February 2013 State of the Union address. He also points out that none of these promises have been fulfilled, but this is besides the point. King says the unfulfilled promises are as follows.
"
*A new jobs plan
*Infrastructure investments targeting roads and the 70,000 American bridges he noted are deemed structurally unsound
*An increase, to $9 an hour, in the federal minimum wage
*A guarantee of quality pre-school education for every child in America
*New background checks for gun purchases and, the President asked, for an up or down vote on new gun restrictions, including a ban on certain assault style weapons
*Plus sweeping immigration reform, including, in his words, "a reasonable pathway to earned citizenship."
"
Looking at these, it is relatively easy to see that they are all promises one would expect a Democrat to make, as one -- Obama -- did. They all conform to the Democratic tendency to value society and its responsibility to each of its members over the individual.
The new jobs plan and the increase in minimum wage would both help the unemployed find jobs and those who are either already employed or soon to be, due to the jobs plan, in low end jobs achieve a higher standard of living, even if it may come at a higher cost to employers. This shows investment in society by working to improve the standard of living of those at the bottom of the pay scale.
Infrastructure improvement is another great example of Democrats' value of society over the individual. The improvement of public infrastructure can only be accomplished via the collection of taxes for the purpose of maintenance. This, while increasing the amount spent per household, ensures better services for society as a whole.
This dedication to society over individual rights is also shown in the world of gun restrictions. Obama, like most Democrats, wants to restrict gun ownership and enforce background checks prior to the sales of firearms. This while, limiting the rights of the individual to own whatever type of gun they like, massively benefits society by taking incredibly dangerous weapons out of the hands of people who may or may not know how to or when to use them and restricting the ownership of smaller guns only to those who are proven to be responsible and knowledgeable enough to own them.
Immigration reform also demonstrates an effort to bolster society. The acceptance of immigrants into the United States though a "reasonable pathway to earned citizenship" would allow American society to gain new members who would likely contribute to the economy and the cultural diversity of our society.
These issues all conform to this Democratic tendency and show that Barack Obama's promises at his February 2013 State of the Union address, even though they went unfulfilled, we also conforming to this tendency.
Thoughtful response to a wide-ranging article. Nice job.
Deletehttp://money.cnn.com/2013/10/20/news/lew-end-sequester-cuts/index.html
ReplyDelete5.Democrats contend that the economy is too complicated to be left alone and must be managed at the Federal level.
This article talks about Secretary of Treasury Jacob Lew fighting against government spending cuts. He thinks that the economy can grow only through greater government spending, not less. He points out that just as the economy was recovering, these cuts have already slowed economy growth. Citing the neutral Congressional Budget Office, Lew claims that "sequestration will have reduced real gross domestic product by as much as 1.2 percent, which means as many as 1.6 million fewer American jobs." The problem, according to Lew, was the 2011 fiscal stalemate, which led to the "blanket cuts". Later in the article, he mentions how even several Republicans dislike these indiscriminate cuts. Tom Coburn stated that the real problem could not be solved by cuts, but by more careful choosing of what to spend on. This article is an example of the above Democratic Party Principle because the Democrats want to stop reduced government spending, thinking that it will reduce the GDP. With increased government spending, the federal government would play a greater role in managing the US economy.
5. Democrats contend that the economy is too complicated to be left alone and must be managed at the Federal level.
ReplyDeletehttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/despite-setback-gop-impressive-budgetary-wins-080837517.html
This article is about the spending sequester cuts Republicans in congress got passed this week. While Democrats believe the GOP has had a bad couple weeks, by allowing these sequester cuts to pass, the federal government will not have the increase in revenue the democratic party was hoping for. As debates on the new national budget continue, Republicans' strong anti-tax stance is putting a dent in the democratic plan to increase government spending through increasing revenue. Although federal programs such as social security and medicare have barely been affected, once the G.W Bush tax cuts are renewed (the republican party believes this will be more than likely to happen) their funding will either gradually decrease or investments in other national programs will shrink. In this article Obama exemplifies the Democratic tendency to support government involvement in the economy because he is quoted supporting tax increases on the wealthy to increase federal government revenue. This money would come out of the pockets of individuals and into national education programs and the growth of medicare. By trying to direct the investment of Americans' dollars, Obama is increasing government presence in the economy.
5. Democrats contend that the economy is too complicated to be left alone and must be managed at the Federal level.
ReplyDeletehttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/despite-setback-gop-impressive-budgetary-wins-080837517.html
This article is about the spending sequester cuts the republican party got passed in congress this week. Although the democratic party would like to think Republicans have had a losing couple of weeks, their plan to increase investment in federal programs has been dented by these sequesters. Although programs such as social security and medicare have not immediately been affected, when the G.W Bush tax cuts are renewed (the republican party is fairly confident that this will happen), either funding for these programs will gradually decrease or the funding of other federal programs will shrink. In this article Obama is quoted opposing the tax-cuts Republicans propose for everyone, including the wealthy. The president believes the national government should increase revenue to grow medicare and the education system. The only way the federal government will have the means to make these costly investments is if taxes are raised on American's who make more than $450,000. By trying to direct the investments of individual Americans towards federal programs, Obama is increasing national government presence in the economy.
4.Democrats rely more on an active role by the Federal government.
ReplyDelete5.Democrats contend that the economy is too complicated to be left alone and must be managed at the Federal level.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/20/news/lew-end-sequester-cuts/index.html
This article discusses our current Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew's recent op-ed piece that outlined his views for government spending. He wrote that we needed to start replacing the spending that was cut during the automatic sequester cuts that took place earlier this year. He said that the government's spending cuts have slowed economic growth and will continue to damage the economy until we replace the spending. He also talks about the Government shutdown that just took place and how many people across the world were worried about the US economy but he says that he finds it clear that this was a political crisis and not an economic crisis and he says that he thinks people know now that we are the safest and most reliable place to invest in the world.
4. Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/us/politics/a-governors-last-campaign-to-prove-health-law-works.html
The article "A Governor's last campaign: To Prove Healthcare Law Works" is an example of a mostly Republican state opposing a government involvement bill that is intervening in states health care system (overlap). The article shows Kentucky's Gov. Steven L. Beshear's support for the Affordable Care act and the support for Obama care in spite of Kentucky's Republicans stance against it. He declares that now they are unhappy but soon they will look back on the act and realize how many more people can afford health care. This article exemplifies Republicans dislike for Federal programs in areas where they think the state can independently with private business provide for the people adequately. Many Kentuckians think the new bill will increase taxes, increase expenses for those who can afford health care, and put unnecessary burden on private businesses. These true factors, may be the appropriate sacrifice for good to come.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/164444/americans-remain-divided-role-gov-play.aspx
ReplyDelete(Written by Jeffery M. Jones)
4.Democrats rely more on an active role by the Federal government.
By Lizzy and Fusco
This article is a combination of poll data and opinion from Gallup, in which the data supports the tendency of Democrats to rely on a more active role of the federal government. Various polls were taken by the American people, which asked them about what they think the role of government should be, if the government should do more, and other topics. From the Democratic party, 53% wanted a more active government, 23% wanting more taxes (with 42% wanting it to stay the same), and 64% wanting a government that just does more for them in general. This source, through real data, proves the idea that Democrats wish for the federal government to have a larger role in the lives of Americans. These polls were a random sampling of 1,510 real Americans and thus can represent a somewhat accurate picture of what the American people believe.
4. Democrats rely more on an active role by the Federal government.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-effort-to-end-fiscal-crisis-collapses-leaving-senate-to-forge-last-minute-solution/2013/10/16/1e8bb150-364d-11e3-be86-6aeaa439845b_story.html
The article "Obama signs bill to raise debt limit, reopen government" is a prime example of how the Republicans in the House and Senate tried to defund many large government bills dealing with health care reforms and subsidies. The Democrats rely on the government passing these large bills and helping the general public receive the health care they are providing because without them, ... The Democratic Senate and the Democrats in the House, were able to persway a majority of Republicans to vote on these bills therefore ending the shutdown and getting a "win" for the Democrats. The Democrats were able to pin the Republicans against each other and weaken them so they could pass the health care bills easier. This sense of big government appeals to most Democrats which is why they rely on the Federal Government as much as they do. Republican Senator Lindsey O. Graham, stated that "If we continue down this path, we are really going to hurt the Republican Party long term." Most Republicans do not agree with the Democrats love of big government but for now, they must agree to the health care reforms to move forward in their battle with the Democrats in the House and the Senate.
Good; let's see how this plays out by mid-December
Delete4.Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/21/obama-addresses-problems-with-health-care-website/
In an article on Fox News explaining the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, Obama defends the health care act and explains website difficulties. However republicans express their concern. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas states, “he also ‘ignored the untold number of Americans who are losing the plans they liked because of Obamacare.” It is clear that the Republicans believe Obamacare is completely unnecessary and a huge waste of money. With programs such as Medicare and Medicaid already in existence they believe the Federal government does not need to invest any more money in health care programs and it is up to the individual, not the federal government, to be responsible for their own health care.
Careful here; don't the Republicans go along with expanding Medicaid in the ACA? And they also want tor reform health insurance, just not to the extent the ACA does.
Delete4. Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/us/politics/house-passes-bill-cutting-40-billion-from-food-stamps.html
This article discusses how Republicans were very in favor of cutting billions of dollars from the federal food stampe program--the House Republicans pushed it through in September. It was a fairly close vote, and it was split fairly down the middle of the party line. Republicans wanted to cut this program, because they thought that cutting it would save money and force people to find people jobs, instead of relying on food stamps and welfare. They believed that this would better stimulate the economy. The bill "also restricts people enrolled in other social welfare programs from automatically becoming eligible for food stamps." This all displays how the Republicans found this to be an unnecessary use of government money and thus tried to get rid of it. They are always looking for ways to get rid of programs that are "not needed" and are very into getting people jobs instead of just giving them government money. The Democrats, on the other hand, believe that this is, in fact, a necessary government program, which opposes the Republicans' view.
Democrats are more willing to subordinate the individual to the group. Society is collectively responsible for each of its members.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/01/22/is-president-obama-truly-a-socialist/3/
My article, written by Paul Roderick Gregory, compares Obama to the socialist leaders of Europe, finding that their policies are more or less the same. Gregory first dictates that by claiming Obama is a socialist, he does not mean to compare him to Lenin, Castro, or Mao, but to Germany’s Social Democrats, French Socialists, and Spain’s Socialist Workers Party. In November of 2011, the PES or Party of European Socialists summarized their socialist agenda and Gregory compared a number of their plans with those of Obamas. The PES stated that “[t]he welfare state and state-provided universal access to education and health care are society’s great achievements,” and this is similar to Obamas position that “[f]avors universal access to health care and associated benefits as a critical expansion of the welfare state.” The PES also stated that “[c]ollective responsibility makes society stronger when people work together, and all people are enabled to live a dignified life, free of poverty and protected from social risks in life.” And Obama “[f]avors collective responsibility (as defined by the federal government) to protect all from social risks through food stamps, welfare programs, extended unemployment benefits, guaranteed health care, the bailing out of big companies, forcing renegotiation of mortgages, class action law suits, and other measures. (Instead of opportunity and incentive to succeed, no one is allowed to fail).” Gregory asserted that “If the Party of European Socialists were to rate Obama, he would get a near perfect score.” Gregory said that only sophisticated observers understand that Obamas plans are excuses to “take from one group to give to another or to coerce people or businesses to do something they do not want to do otherwise.” He then closes by asserting that our country was founded on the principle that individuals should not be subject to the control of a powerful state and that with Obama’s socialistic ruling, that founding idea has “never before been in greater peril.”
-rayna
Exaggerated POV, but illustrates the principle - government vs. individual
Deletehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/01/22/is-president-obama-truly-a-socialist/3/
ReplyDeleteDemocrats are more willing to subordinate the individual to the group. Society is collectively responsible for each of its members.
My article, written by Paul Roderick Gregory, compares Obama to the socialist leaders of Europe, finding that their policies are more or less the same. Gregory first dictates that by claiming Obama is a socialist, he does not mean to compare him to Lenin, Castro, or Mao, but to Germany’s Social Democrats, French Socialists, and Spain’s Socialist Workers Party. In November of 2011, the PES or Party of European Socialists summarized their socialist agenda and Gregory compared a number of their plans with those of Obamas. The PES stated that “[t]he welfare state and state-provided universal access to education and health care are society’s great achievements,” and this is similar to Obamas position that “[f]avors universal access to health care and associated benefits as a critical expansion of the welfare state.” The PES also stated that “[c]ollective responsibility makes society stronger when people work together, and all people are enabled to live a dignified life, free of poverty and protected from social risks in life.” And Obama “[f]avors collective responsibility (as defined by the federal government) to protect all from social risks through food stamps, welfare programs, extended unemployment benefits, guaranteed health care, the bailing out of big companies, forcing renegotiation of mortgages, class action law suits, and other measures. (Instead of opportunity and incentive to succeed, no one is allowed to fail).” Gregory asserted that “If the Party of European Socialists were to rate Obama, he would get a near perfect score.” Gregory said that only sophisticated observers understand that Obamas plans are excuses to “take from one group to give to another or to coerce people or businesses to do something they do not want to do otherwise.” He then closes by asserting that our country was founded on the principle that individuals should not be subject to the control of a powerful state and that with Obama’s socialistic ruling, that founding idea has “never before been in greater peril.”
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/10/21/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-september-jobs-report/
ReplyDelete5.Republicans believe that the free enterprise system is the key to individual and national prosperity.
And also, to a lesser extent,
2.Republicans believe that government should be limited to doing only those things that people cannot do for themselves.
This article fits the ideal that the government needs to lay back and stop messing with the free market. First, it says clearly in multiple places that things like the “excessive bureaucracy” of government involvement in the private sector has begun to cause businesses to look to China and foreign markets, thus hurting the economy. The article also explains that, furthermore, if businesses are looking elsewhere to create jobs, they’re hurting our economy. Morici, the author, also talks about how regulatory assessments by the government should be quick and at minimum cost in order to make sure businesses DON’T send jobs overseas. These principles are obviously republican because they are promoting whatever fosters work being done by the private sector (not the government) and they’re making a point of keeping the government OUT of the private/free enterprise.
Also, the article makes a big pull from the gitgo to explain that no actual money/employment gains will be lost because of the government shut down ;). Morici cites the Clinton-era shutdown as evidence, claiming that shutdown had no long-term effects on the economy. He also explains that government workers will just receive (and then spend) their back pay, fixing that element of the economy, and that all tourist dollars that would’ve been spent on national parks/etc. were just spent on other things. Buy what he’s selling or not, he’s certainly making a good ol’ argument for the Republicans.
Andy Scolnic
4.Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
ReplyDeleteand
4.Democrats rely more on an active role by the Federal government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/us/lobbyists-ready-for-a-new-fight-on-us-spending.html?ref=politics
This article deals with the fact that the Democrats are avidly trying to salvage all of the spending that the sequester and shutdown brought upon them and the republicans want to save the defense budget but cut lots of other stuff. The scramble has "everybody who has a piece of pie is now going to try to protect their piece of the pie." This entails the parties sticking to their guns. Democrats want their federal government to spend as republicans, for the most part, want the opposite of that. Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee said that the new congressional meetings will be heavily focused on how the money will be spent. Once again this is a case of both parties doing what they notoriously want to do.
Article: http://www.nationalmemo.com/boehner-demands-medicare-social-security-and-medicaid-cuts-to-raise-debt-limit/
ReplyDelete4. Republicans tend to look for ways to cut back or eliminate unnecessary and overlapping Federal programs.
In this liberal-leaning article, Speaker of the House John Boehner, speaking at a fundraiser in Idaho, says he will not let the government raise the debt ceiling unless there is sufficient cuts to "mandatory" government spending, such as Obamacare, medicare, medicaid, social security, and other entitlement programs. However, he says he doesn't actually want to cut them, but instead use them as leverage in order to enact change in the federal government. He justifies this by saying that the deficit is a problem nobody has been able to solve in 20 to 30 years, thus it must be really difficult and therefore difficult measures must be placed in order to solve it. The article refutes this by saying that there was in fact a budget surplus before Republican president George W. Bush came into office. Boehner's comments reflect a rather hardball version of the philosophy of most Republicans, who insist that the deficit must be solved by budget cuts instead of stimulous spending.
We will take a longer view of deficit spending to help put this in context.
Deletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-gerson-ailing-obamacare-could-become-a-crisis-for-liberalism/2013/10/21/00bbc938-3a82-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html
ReplyDelete2. Republicans believe that government should be limited to doing only those things that people cannot do for themselves.
In this article, Michael Gerson, an opinion writer for the Washington Post, lays out his issues with Obamacare. Obamacare's "mandates and regulations drive up health insurance costs", and it risks "not attract[ing] enough young and healthy people to make [it] economically viable" because if there are "too many sick people, premiums rise" which further discourages young and health people from participating. By detailing the shortcomings of Obamacare, Gerson reinforces the idea that "government-run health systems are bureaucratic nightmares" and that "planning tends to fail, particularly in highly complex systems." We can note that Gerson is exemplifying the Republican tendency that government should be limited to doing only those things that people cannot do for themselves. Gerson quotes Friedrich Hayek towards the end of his article to drive home this point. “This is not a dispute about whether planning is to be done or not, it is a dispute as to whether planning is to be done centrally, by one authority for the whole economic system, or is to be divided among many individuals.” This can be related to the issue of Obamacare as, "why push the federal government to take responsibility for something that is done better by the individual?" The republicans believe that the responsibility of healthcare should be afforded to the individual, and that healthcare should exist in a competitive environment in the free-enterprise market. It is most successful this way.
Good example.
Deletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57608298/ken-cuccinelli-obamacare-debut-a-national-embarrassment/
ReplyDeleteThis article quotes Ken Cuccinelli, a republican Attorney General and governor hopeful from the state of Virginia. He is staunchly against ObamaCare, claiming that it is “unconstitutional” and an “affront to our liberty.” He also calls it a “national embarrassment.” This article, as well as all of the controversy surrounding ObamaCare in general highlight key tendencies of both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats are more willing to subordinate the individual to the group, and believe that society is collectively responsible for each of its members. While Republicans believe that each person is an individual who is responsible for his/her own place in society. For this reason, Republicans are generally against ObamaCare, believing that it is not for the Federal Government to make everyone get health insurance, rather it is on individuals. Democrats will obviously support it, as they favor a more active federal government, and believe that it is responsible for all of society.
4.Democrats rely more on an active role by the Federal government.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/10/22/democrats-reach-out-to-business-after-shutdown/
The article mainly is about blame game politics: the Democratic Congressional Committee sent out a letter to over a thousand businesses explaining that they all voted for the government shutdown to end, and that 2/3 of republicans voted against it. This supports the idea that Democrats rely on a more active role of the Federal government by showing their continued support for the affordable care act (though many businesses, who they mailed their letter to, would disagree with it, showing republican support for business interests).
5-Democrats
ReplyDeleteWork has begun on a high-speed "bullet" train in California. President Obama has granted $3.2 billion to the construction project for the first phase as part of the federal stimulus package. Citizens of California are worried that the construction of this railway will increase their taxes. The train will be able to travel at over 200 miles per hour between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Democratic governor of California, Jerry Brown, calls rail "cheaper than the alternative." The project is scheduled to be completed by 2029, but objections by Republicans in Congress might delay the process. The Democratic leaders believe the federal funding for such a program will create numerous job opportunities for years to come and help manage the economy.
3.Republicans rely more on an active role by the state and local governments.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2013/02/12/politics/pol-rubio-sotu-response/index.html?iref=allsearch by Greg Botelho
In a rebuttal to Obama’s State of the Union address, Marco Rubio states that Obama thinks “free enterprise economy" is "the cause of our problems”. The article’s tone, however, is biased and depicts democrats as trying to raise taxes far too high. Botelho defends Rubio’s stance on a less active federal government. Rubio, a republican, states, “More government isn't going to help you get ahead. It's going to hold you back”. Overall, Rubio shows that he believes in reforming Medicare because "leaving Medicare exactly the way it is right now is in favor of bankrupting it" but primarily in reducing the size of government.