Chapter 5 - Comments on classmates

I commented on the following:

 Wk 5: Stephanie Griffin, Robert Cook, Jesse Griffith

Chapter 5

1.  The issue of race – does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of racial discrimination?  Why or how so?

When it comes to the issue of race and how the government is involved it gets very confusing for me.  In some cases I feel like they overstep their authority while in other cases, I do not feel like they do enough.  I think my opinion on this matter depends upon the circumstances in which the instance of racial discrimination is considered to have happened.  I do feel that some people of all races practice discrimination.  I think the government in some circumstances, allows the use of a person’s race to both an advantage and disadvantage of others.  I find it very hard to determine the level of involvement that should be allowed by the government when it comes to issues of race.  In some circumstance, it is used by all, and in many cases it is used to the disadvantage of all.

2.  The issue of gender – does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of gender discrimination? Why or how so?

I do believe that the government does too little to reduce the instances of gender discrimination.  In a world where everyone is supposed to be considered equal, it is still a common known fact that women still earn less than men, are still not given the same promotion opportunities and are still not treated equally in the workplace.  Their needs to be more checks and balances especially as it relates to the workplace.  In a time when many women find themselves the head of the household, it makes it even more difficult to know that their male counterparts are earning more.  On the other hand, I do not feel that a woman who is less qualified should be given opportunities that a more qualified male has also been given.  I just think everyone should be treated more equally.

3.  The issue of sexual orientation – does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of sexual orientation discrimination? Why or how so?

Sexual orientation has probably always been an issue but it has not been as publicly recognized as it is today.  I do not believe at this point, the government does enough to reduce the instances of sexual orientation.  While sexual orientation discrimination is not as recognized as gender or racial discrimination, it is certainly just as important and needs to be addressed with the same amount of attention.  I feel that the government sweeps this one under the rug a little and tries to avoid it.  While they now allow homosexuals in the military it is still taboo for them to receive the same kind of treatment as the people that are not homosexuals I believe and little is done to discourage that kind of treatment.

Chapter 4: Civil Liberties

1.       Freedom on Speech: How important is it? Does the freedom go “too far”? What areas of speech should not be protected?

I think that Freedom of Speech is very important.  It allows people to express themselves and recognize that everyone is different and has different opinions. I think sometimes I will hear a comment that sort of makes me think that this particular freedom has gone too far but then I have to remind myself that we fought very hard for this right and it is something that we should appreciate.  I think that all areas of speech should be protected whether I like it or not but I do not like that some areas regarding speech only encourage hate amongst others. 

2.  Freedom of Religion: Is separation of church and state necessary?  Why or why not?

 I feel that separation of church and state is necessary.  I think that given enough power, the rights of the people could be violated by the state if there were to have the ability to regulate church.  As a population that was founded on certain unalienable rights, I think that having the freedom to worship as each person sees fit is very critical to each one of us.  I do not think that we should be told that we have to worship as others do.  By keeping the separation of the church and state in place, I believe that this will monitor that and keep our freedom of religion intact.

3.  Criminal Procedure:  Are defendant’s rights crucial to our system of government? Why or why not? Many argue that defendants have too many rights—do you agree?  Why or why not?

 I think that all of the rights that we have regardless of whether we are defendants or not are crucial to our system of government.  Now that I say that, I also believe that criminals both defendants and convicted have too many rights.  They seem to have more rights than those that mind the law and do not get in trouble.  In order to provide these rights it also comes out of the pockets of the lawful and working people.  I do not think that is right.  I think that criminals should be made to work for their rights just like we do.  I don’t believe that they should receive free cable or education while they are in jail.  I have to work in order to have these types of luxuries and so should they.

Chapter 3 - Federalism

I believe that having a strong national government is very important but at the same time I also feel the states should have a strong power.   An equal share of power would be great.  I think that having equal power allows for a good checks and balances system and keeps too much power from being given to one entity.

The National power began to shift back to the states somewhat after the Great Depression because of the cutbacks to spending due to the Reagan administration.  He felt that the federal government was too strong and limited the spending they were allowed to do.  That caused the national power shift to take place.

I am not sure how I feel about the federal government regulating education.  I can see both pros and cons of it and could argue either way.  I do like the way they are helping people be able to go back to school and helping them be able to get an education but I don’t think that I would like to be much more “regulated” than that.

The shift from the articles of confederation to that of the constitution was significant in that it established not only a court system but it also established the representation of states and the checks and balances system which we have in place today.  Without the switch there would be a lot less freedoms and there would be no way to control the actions of the government.

The bill of rights is important because it not only paved the way for ratification of the constitution but it clarifies the right of US citizens.  The Bill of Rights spells out in plain language what the rights are and how they are to be administered. 

Many have argued in both for and against capital punishment and I do not believe there is a totally correct answer to any argument.  Some say it violates the 8^th amendment while others say that it is not cruel or unusual treatment.  I believe in the case of capital punishment, it should not be applied towards constitutional rights because I feel that if someone takes a life, they should be given the same treatment.

About Me

Hello, my name is Cheyenne. I am 17 years old and a freshman at Roane State Community College. I am majoring in Veterinary medicine. I am a full time student and I also have a part time job at McAlister’s Deli. I am taking this class because I want to learn more about politics and the American government. This is my first online class, so I’m not really used to this learning style yet. I’ve also never blogged before either, so this will also be my first experience with this kind of communication. I hope that this class will be both a new learning experience and a fun one.