SLO 1 Annotation

SLO 1– Student demonstrates knowledge of the evolution, and nature, of government power in the
United States.
I. General Government
a) Define the term Government
b) Identify various government powers and functions
c) Describe the difference between government (public) and private sectors:
II. Define the term “Democracy” and its alternatives
a) Define the term “Monarchy” and identify at least two features of that type of government:
b) Define the term “Oligarchy”
i) Discuss the prompt, “government is a necessary evil”:
III. Define the term “Politics”
IV. Colonial America
a) How many original colonies were there in the United States?
b) The original colonies were under the authority of ___________
c) Identify all of the original colonies
d) Identify at least three important events/milestones in the conflict between the colonies and
British government
e) Identify three prominent proponents of independence (founding fathers or framers)
f) Describe two generally agreed upon purposes of the Declaration of Independence
g) Identify at least two key features/ideas contained in Declaration of Independence
h) Date the American War of Independence (general historical period)
V. Define the Articles of Confederation
Name: Day/Time of Class:
4
a) Describe the type of government created by the Articles
b) Date the Articles (when were the Articles in force?)
c) Identify at least three generally agreed upon weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
d) Discuss why limiting the power of the national government was so important during this time
period
VI. The Constitution of the United States
a) Identify the purpose(s) of the Constitution:
b) In what year was the Constitution ratified?
c) Define the term “Framers”
d) Identify the three basic features or elements of the Constitution:
e) Identify at least three types of powers provided for through the Constitution
f) Explain the purpose of creating the three branches of the national government
g) Define the term Separation of Powers
h) Define the term Checks and Balances
i) Give three examples
i) Explain the importance of the Necessary and Proper Clause
j) Define the term implied powers; AND explain its significance
k) Explain the significance of the Supremacy Clause
l) How many Amendments are there?
m) Describe the methods for amending the Constitution
VII. What is the Bill of Rights?
a) Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?
b) Explain the significance of the “Connecticut Compromise”
VIII. Define the term Federalism
Name: Day/Time of Class:
5
a) What are the two main alternatives to federal systems of government?
b) Define the term Reserved Powers
c) Provide at least three examples of Reserved Powers
d) Define the term Concurrent Powers
e) Provide at least three examples of the same
f) Identify at least three historical variations or periods of federalism
IX. State and local government
a) How many States are there?
b) The Chief Executives of each State is the
i) Who is the current Chief Executive of California?
Bonus: Post an image from the Internet on Canvas in the space provided.
c) California’s State legislature is composed of what three branches
i) Name your State Senator and Assemblyperson
X. What is the basic relationship between the State of California courts and the federal judicial branch
XI. Local governments
a) How many Counties are there in California?
b) What is the relationship between Counties and the State of California?
c) How many Cities are there in California (approximately)?
i) How many governments are there in the United States when you combine all levels?
XII. What is an initiative/proposition?
a) What is the difference between a direct democracy and a “Republic”?
b) Is the United States a Democracy or a Republic?
c) Explain your answer

MPSL VLog:Unions in the Union (Same-Sex Marriage)

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Can a Return to Isolationism Solve America’s National Debt Crisis?

U.S. debt from 1940 to 2010. Red lines indicate the Debt Held by the Public (net public debt) and black lines indicate the Total Public Debt Outstanding (gross public debt), the difference being that the gross debt includes that held by the federal government itself. The second panel shows the two debt figures as a percentage of U.S. GDP (dollar value of U.S. economic production for that year). The top panel is deflated so every year is in 2010 dollars. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The increasingly partisan struggle over America’s mountainous national debt and budget crisis reminds me of a famous quote by the Roman political theorist Cicero:

“The budget should be balanced, the treasury refilled, public debt reduced, the arrogance of officialdom tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt”

With the current outrage over the outsourcing of middle-class jobs to China and Mexico, insistence on acting as the world’s policeman resulting in foreign entanglements ironically causing more problems than they have solved; and never-ending foreign aid to foreign nations during a domestic economic downturn, is it time for the United States to return to its original foreign policy of isolationism during this time of economic crises?

Isolationism is a foreign policy of non-interventionism and economic protectionism in which a nation refuses to enter alliances or international agreements with other nations in hopes of avoiding wars not related to direct self-defense. Nations practicing isolationism avoid all foreign entanglements and focus all their resources into self-advancement within its own borders.  Can a return to this way of thinking ultimately solve America’s national debt crisis? Is a return to isolationism even possible today?

– TERRANCE MULLINS

Related articles

• US Foreign Policy: Isolationism or Strategy Change? (newuh.wordpress.com)
• American power is in terminal decline (realisticbird.wordpress.com)
• Are you willing to donate to the national debt? (newsobserver.com)
• The Chart That Really Puts Our National Debt Into Context (businessinsider.com)

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Greece, Destroyer of Worlds.

Since the end of the Cold War, the nations of the world have become increasingly interdependent. Interdependency is the idea that relations among states within the international system are mutually dependent and inextricably tied together. In theory, interdependency will lead to peace as war among the dependent nations is no longer feasible. A perfect example is the European Union and its pacifying impact on Europe. The history of Europe is as long as it is violent. Nevertheless, the region has been relatively peaceful ever since the nations of Europe became economically interdependent.

However, interdependency has a dark side. In this new era of globalization, sovereign nations can find themselves held hostage by the economic policies of other states. Imagine the impact on the world economy if Saudi Arabia decided to cease all oil production or if the United States instituted a trade embargo on all foreign products. The current Greece debt crisis is a real-world example of how the economic policies of one nation can severely hamper the economies of the entire Euro-zone, the United States, and the world.

With the aftermath of the recent economic recession and the impact of international trade agreements on domestic economies, should not the United States, as well as the nations of the world, strive to be self-sufficient?

–TERRANCE MULLINS

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