9 - Written Assignment GOVT 2305 #9

Voter ID Laws - those that have photo requirements - are based on the premise that there's lots of voter fraud out there, so much so that the possibility that some eligible voters may be denied the ability to vote is out weighed by the need to ensure that those who are not eligible do not vote.

But is the premise true?

I want you to research this and try to get a handle on whether there is in fact a lot of verified voter fraud in Texas and the US in general. If so, what type of fraud is there? Are photo ID requirements the best way to combat that fraud? What other options are there? Be sure to cite your sources. How do we know that there is in fact rampant voter fraud in the country?

9 - Written Assignment GOVT 2306 #9

Next week we will look at education policy in the state of Texas, this assignment is intended to give us a head start. As you may know, a significant amount of money was cut from the budget of K-12 in Texas in the recent session of the legislature. Some propose cutting more, arguing that public education is inefficient and could stand to be cut. Others argue the cuts will further undermine an already poor educational system - one that especially underserves minority populations.

I want you to do some research and weigh in on the question of whether too much or too little is spent on public K-12 in the state. This is an opinion question - but back either side up with some facts related to what the impact of budgets cuts mean to public education in the state.

4 - Summer 2 GOVT 2302 Written Assignment #4

A couple week's back I asked you to consider Chief Justice John Roberts recent ruling on the Affordable Care Act and what his motivation may have been for deciding as he did.

This week - since you will be looking at social welfare policy among other things - I want to return to that decision, or at least its consequences. One of the decisions made by the court was that state could not be punished for not expanding Medicaid. States like Texas - which tend to provide few services to the poor - have no interest in expanding Medicaid and may even seek to restrict it.

I want you to look at the conflict between the national government and the Texas government regarding this social welfare issue - what level of health care ought to be provided to the poor - and detail it as best you can. What does this tell us about the current state of affairs between the national and state governments regarding social welfare policy?

4 - Summer 2 GOVT 2301 Written Assignment #4

Let's stick with Supreme Court decisions. Last week I asked you to consider the right of association as it applies to the Boy Scouts. This week - while the Aurora shooting is still fresh - let's consider the Second Amendment.

Renewed calls for gun control have led the gun lobby to argue - again - that limits on gun ownership violate the Second Amendment. But these arguments seem to suggest that gun rights are absolute and that no restrictions on guns - arms actually - are ever justifiable. Does this mean you can own a rocket propelled grenade launcher or a tank? As we know from the section on civil liberties, speech is limited for certain reasons. Does the same hold true for the right to bear arms? If so - or if not - why? What are the reasons it does or does not apply? What reasoning allows us to own a handgun and not a tank? How much does this reasoning allow?

I recommend looking at recent Supreme Court decisions like DC v. Heller and McDonald v Chicago at the least. Focus your attention as much as you can on arguments made by Supreme Court justices since they are the ones whose opinions matter - but other commentators are worth perusing as well.

As with all these assignments, provide a rational and objective overview of the debate first, and after doing so you may provide your personal opinion.

8 - Written Assignment GOVT 2305 #8

Now that we've had another mass shooting - this one complete with an arsenal of weapons and protective gear - gun control is on the policy agenda, but only in a very limited way. No commentator seems to think that there is a likelihood that any meaningful gin control legislation will be introduced or passed in Congress. Its suggested that this might be due to the increased strength of the gun lobby broadly and the National Rifle Association specifically. They seem to do an effective job ensuring that policies they disagree with are kept off the legislative agenda.

Since we spend time speculating on the nature of interest groups and what factors contribute to interest group strength, it might be worth looking into how the gun lobby has responded to this event - or perhaps better, preconditioned a response to it - in order to ensure that gun control stays off the public policy agenda despite the inevitable calls that follow events like this.

Search away.

8 - Written Assignment GOVT 2306 #8

There are proposals afloat for the state of Texas to switch its tax base from a reliance primarily on property taxes to one based on sales taxes. I want you to read through the information below and try to determine what is driving the change and what impact it might have on the state's revenue.

Is this a good idea or a bad idea in you considered opinion?

- Wikipedia: Property Tax.
- Wikipedia: Sales Tax.
- Tax Foundation: Facts on Texas' Tax Climate.
- SA: Time for property tax reform in Texas.

- SA: Switching from property tax to sales tax a shell game.

Feel free to do your own searches - let me know where you get your information.

3 - Summer 2 GOVT 2302 Written Assignment #3

A few posts below you'll see a link to a story to the "Lethal Presidency." I want you to detail what that might be, and how this ties into a principle topic regarding the power of the presidency over American history - it has increased substantively, especially in regard to foreign and military power. Often this has been a result of the increasingly sophisticated technology available to the president, unmanned drones and who knows what?

Here's the article that kicks this off:
- The Lethal Presidency of Barack Obama.

I want you to read it and some of the responses to it and comment on whether technology - and the reality of the war on terror - have marked a permanent change in the nature of presidential power. Is Obama acting any differently than President McCain would have acted?

Put this into context with the rise of military and presidential power following the end of WW2. is this just part of ongoing increase in the power of the presidency?

3 - Summer 2 GOVT 2301 Written Assignment #3

Last week or so, the Boy Scouts reaffirmed a ban on openly gay youths and adults becoming scouts and leaders. The Supreme Court had previously argued - in 2000 - that they were free to do so under the assembly clause of the Constitution (BSA v. Dale). This challenge to the policy comes in the wake of a sea change in attitudes about gays and lesbians, but the challenge failed.

Since you are looking at civil liberties and civil rights this week, this case provides us a good opportunity to look at how these intersect. One on hand, the Boy Scouts - as an organization - claim the right to assemble as they choose (with and without whomever they choose) and they are protected by First Amendment language that restricts them from governmental interferences.

On the other hand, the Constitution also contains language that mandates that people not be denied the equal protection of the law. The scouts get benefits from government, and if they discriminate they may be subject to losing those benefits.

I want you to look - narrowly - at the Constitutional issues associated with this case and try to figure out how the courts are interpreting constitutional language in order to determine how to reconcile the competing claims of liberty and equity in this case.

This might give you a good start:

- Constitution Check: Do the Boy Scouts . . .

As with other assignments, I;m far less interested in your personal opinions on the case than in your ability to understand how the courts wrestle with constitutional language in order to address this issue.

7 - Written Assignment GOVT 2305 #7 and Summer 2 GOVT 2302 Assignment #2

Since the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare - and Chief Justice Roberts surprise vote upholding it - a lot of speculation has focused on why Roberts voted as he did. Apart from any opinions he may have had on the case itself, some have argued that he was driven at least in part by a desire to ensure that the Supreme Courts' integrity not be compromised by what could be seen as a political decision.

This may or may not be the case, but it points out that part of what the Chief Justice is attuned to is the court's reputation, which in a sense is its major source of power. More than other members of the court, Roberts is tasked with preserving the strength of the court. That may help explain his decision, or not. Regardless, it points out the unique role of the chief justice on the court, which is what I want you to consider in this week's assignment.

What are commentators saying about John Roberts in the wake of the decision on the Affordable Care Act? What may have motivated his reasoning? What does it say about his goals for the court and his strategy for obtaining it?

Here are a few places to start your thinking on this matter:
- The Real Reason John Roberts Upheld ObamaCare?

- WSJ: A Vast New Taxing Power.
- Newt Gingrich: John Roberts' Obamacare Ruling 'Probably Healthy For The Country'
- ScotusBlog: Law Before Politics.

As always - find your own sources as well. Make it good - thanks.

7 - Written Assignment GOVT 2306 #7 and Summer 2 GOVT 2301 Assignment #2

Last week, attorneys from the state of Texas had to defend the voter ID law passed by the Texas Legislature last year during the 82nd Session before a federal court. Opponents to the law have argued that the law violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act by establishing a procedure that will affect eligible minorities more than Anglos. If the court agrees then the case will be appealled to the Supreme Court, but probably not before the election, so there's a good chance that the law will not be applied this election cycle regardless.

As a way to understand this conflict, I want you to look through avalaible news and outline the process (how the case got to this point?) and the debate (what arguments is each side making about the impact of voter ID laws?)

What can you tell me about the court that is hearing the case?

Here are a few links to get you going:
- Chron: Trial set to begin today in Texas’ battle with feds over state Voter ID law.
- Fox: Texas' attorney faces tough questions from judges on final day of voter ID case.
- NextGen: The Politics of Voter ID Laws.

- Lone Star Project (look for transcripts of the argument at the bottom of the page)

Feel free to add what you wish.

Summer 2 GOVT 2302 Written Assignment #1

This class focuses on the institutions of government. We look at each individually and in relationship with each other. As we will see, much of what each institution is designed to do is to negate what the other two do. In order to get a handle on the complex relationship that exists between the three branches, I want you to investigate the ongoing saga involving The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and describe what each institution (legislative, executive, and judicial) has done to impact the law.

Also provide a reasonable assessment of what each is likely to do in the future and bring the state governments into the mix.

The more thorough the detail, the better the grade.

Summer 2 GOVT 2301 Written Assignment #1

Hello Summer 2 2301s. Here is your first brief written assignment (minimum 150 words - but you may go over).

If you review the news, you will note that the latest conflict between our Governor and President concerns the expansion of Medicaid. The federal government is encouraging the states to expand the number of people covered by Medicaid from those who earn less than the poverty line to those earning 133% of the poverty line. Governor Perry doesn't want to do that and has announced that Texas will not expand coverage.

Some of the dispute, on either side of the issue, involves an ideological disagreement about what should be done about poverty - including conflict over what the causes of poverty are. Since part of the subject this week is ideology (what it is and how it helps us understand political conflict) I want you to look into the Medicaid dispute and fully state the liberal position and the conservative position - or any other positions you may note.

If you want to take sides on the issue, you may, but only after you provide a full objective description of the ideological dispute.

For information, refer to the slides and the web.

Presidents are getting very good at killing people

That seems to be the result of technological advancements and the pre-emptive mindset of the post 9/11 Bush presidency. But they are coming to a head in Obama's Administration.

This author calls it the Lethal Presidency.

Economic trends, campaign advertising, the ground game

In response to a question about what matters between now and election day for Obama and Romney, smart guy John Sides lists the three factors above. Equally smart guy Jonathan Bernstein chimes in.

Commentators are suggesting that a very large percentage of the electorate has made a decision about who they will support and their positions will not change. Any shifts will happen among a very small number of people.

The June Jobs Report

This is a few days late.

- The news release from the Department of Labor.
- Related story in the NYT.
- A compilation of reactions from Andrew Sullivan.

Since this is election season, there's no guarantee that Congress will do anything to remedy this - but the Federal Reserve - unaffected by elections - can.

Ezra Klein:

The question now is whether these numbers will change our economic policy. In Congress, the answer is almost certainly not. So, much as the data makes an overwhelming case for, say, hiring hundreds of thousands of workers to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, or passing a large employer-side payroll tax cut to goose hiring, there’s little chance House Republicans will greenlight either policy response.

But with Congress largely on the sidelines, inflation low, and the labor market recovering, there’s a stronger and stronger case for the Federal Reserve to step in more aggressively. “The big question is whether this is a weak enough report to get the Fed to move,” writes economist Justin Wolfers. “I think it is, and they will.”

Thirteen Religious Societies

Here's a reminder that the American colonies - and the early states - were each oriented around their own unique religious identity. One that did not necessarily fit the identities of other states. The federal government prohibited religious tests, established churches and limits on free exercise - as well as not requireing religious oaths to hold office - as a way to be neutral towards religion. To not pick sides between the different denominations in the states.

The author brings this up to draw parallels between the religious parties in the Middle East, and what the US went through two centuries ago:

We should remember that the Thirteen Colonies that made the revolution starting in 1776 were religious societies. They had undergone the Evangelical Great Awakening, and millenarian and anti-papal movements were rife. Religious Americans fought the British for religious as well as material reasons. While the framers of much Federal law and of the Constitution were most often Enlightenment Deists and relatively secular in outlook, the mass of Americans were otherwise. Even the First Amendment to the Constitution, which forbade Congress to designate an official American religion, was considered solely a Federal initiative, and states often had Established religions. Massachusetts had an established church until 1833, and its constitution still mentions requiring state and local institutions to raise money for and support the Protestant church.

The Founding Fathers mostly wanted a separation of religion and state (Thomas Jefferson certainly did), and this aspiration won out in American law and practice over time. The people who deny this separation are being silly. I’m making a different point, that Federal constitutional law covered a relatively small part of society.

So, religious Americans fought for the Revolution, and the post-revolutionary states often used state resources to support Protestantism. Anti-Catholicism was an unfortunate enthusiasm of many of the revolutionaries, and King George III was often seen as having Catholic tendencies, because of the offer of religious freedom to Catholics in Quebec once it was added to Canada, and because high church Anglicanism was hated by American dissidents.
Here are other resources regarding religion in colonial America:

- LOC: Religion and the Founding of the American Republic.
- Religion in Colonial America.
- Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations and Beliefs.
- Religion in the Original 13 Colonies.

The latest crop of articles on Voter ID

Fuel for the fire:

- A panel of federal judges is reviewing Texas' Voter ID law to see if it violates the Voting Rights Act. The law is argued to have a disparate impact on the ability of minorities to vote.

- Politifact says that Greg Abbott's claim that there have been 50 election fraud convictions in Texas is half true, many were not actually convictions, but were granted deferred adjudication.

- The Texas Attorney General claims Voter ID is necessary to fight voter fraud and submitted a list of those accused. The US Justice Department argues there is little evidence of wide-spread, organized fraud.

- Are these laws simply a means of influencing the 2012 election by making it more difficult for groups that vote Democrat to vote than groups that vote Republican?

- The US Attorney General thinks Voter ID laws are a type of poll tax: "Holder charged that many voters would be forced to travel “great distances” to obtain a government-issued photo ID and that many minority voters would “struggle” to pay for the required paperwork. “We call these poll taxes"

- Politifact says it is mostly true that more African Americans than Whites lack government issued photo IDs.

- The Austin American Statesman reports that the bill passed last year requiring that voters show photo identification was rushed through the legislature and the debate over it was racially polarized.

Term Limits to be Extended in Houston? Not just yet.

Houston's city council voted down a measure that would have allowed the city's voters to extend term limits on council members and the mayor from six years to twelve, and the term lengths from 2 to 4 years. We discuss term limits in a few places in this class, primarily in the sections on democracy, legislatures and elections.
Term limits were promoted heavily in the 1980s and 90s as ways to reign in legislators who allegedly had grown too powerful and distant from their constituents. Other pointed out that if they had grown too distant from their constituents, they could easily be voted out and that term limits actually limited democracy more than anything else. There seems to be a small developing backlash against term limits though, and this effort may be indicative of this movement.

The proposal's chief advocate in Houston argues that limiting elected officials to three two year terms empowers lobbyists at the expense of rank and file constituents. It also makes long term decision making difficult. A 2 years election cycle makes governing difficult and places a priority on campaigning instead.

Whether or not he had a point, the proposal was handily defeated. I won't be surprised to see it brought up again.

Related stories:

- Longer term limits could go on fall ballot
- City Council panel nixes proposal to expand term limits
- Burks blasts opposition to longer Council terms

If not us, who?

The NYT has a review of a book (so does the Washington Times) that should help students understand how the Republican Party became such an effective vehicle for the modern conservative movement. It was once a much more staid, establishment oriented party.

If not us, who? is subtitled: William Rusher, National Review and the Conservative Movement. It details the people and events that rallied behind Barry Goldwater's candidacy first in 1960, and then 1964, and would eventually promote Ronald Reagan's successful run for the White House. in so doing it would reshape and redefine the Republican Party.

For me the most interesting aspect of this story is the effort of Rusher to reorient the conservative movement from one that focused principally on elites, to one that had a populist flavor. Rusher apparently played a huge role in developing the Southern Strategy, which peeled poor southern whites away from their century and a half allegiance to the Democratic Party towards the party of Lincoln, Hoover and Wall Street. Prior to this the Republican Party did not care to connect to the "people" and was apologetically elitist. It promoted the interests of business classes, it did not promote an ideological agenda.

No mean feat. The consequences of their effort defines politics today.

- Wikipedia: William Rusher.
- Wikipedia: National Review.
- Wikipedia: Movement Conservatism. 

A rebuttal to the Declaration of Independence

Dave Ross posts a link to a 142 page rebuttal written by "a Tory pamphleteer named John Lind titled 'Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress.'" It addresses the charges made in the Declaration of Independence against the crown - specifically the grievances against the king.

Interesting, and problematic, observation:

You remember the part where the Declaration says King George (quote) "has incited domestic insurrections among us..."?

John Lind points out that what the rebels were really upset about was that the King had "offered freedom to the slaves."

(QUOTE) "Is it for them to say that it is tyranny to bid a slave be free?"

Lind goes on to mock the founders for writing noble words stating, "all men are created equal" and asserting "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" and then in the same document, complaining about the King for encouraging the slaves to rise up.

"Is it for them to complain of the offer of freedom held out to these wretched beings? of the offer of reinstating that equality, which, in this very paper, is declared to be the gift of God to all?"

Of course the British knew a wedge issue when they saw it, and they also had a military agenda in wanting to free the slaves, but even as we celebrate our separation from the mother country, we have to acknowledge, as Jefferson himself would have, that on this point at least, Mom was right.

The Most Influential Novel Ever Written by an American: Uncle Tom's Cabin

So says the author of Mightier than the Sword. This is useful to consider in the section on Freedom of the Press and the influence of the media in general. In fact, it would be useful to add content to class material that walked through history tying govermental actions with popular novels of the time.

Offer candidates if you will. Regarding Uncle Tom's Cabin (quote lifted from The Dish):

The heart of the book covers the debates over race, slavery, and the extent to which Uncle Tom's Cabin—or any novel, for that matter—can be said to "change" history. Reynolds argues vehemently in favor of fiction's ability to do so, and he makes a very good case for it. In fact, Reynolds takes the argument for the powerful impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin to greater lengths than any previous critic. If at times he might be said to exaggerate, I think his basic point is accurate: yes, the novel has probably had a more profound effect, and has spurred more reaction, both positive and negative, than any other book in American history. Reynolds has always been one to go to painstaking lengths in supporting such assertions. His analysis of the deeply racist underpinnings of the culture, extending on into the early and middle parts of the 20th century, and his coverage of the abolitionist debates, while not surprising for experts in the field, are nonetheless excellent.
It wasn't always well regarded.

It could have happened in Texas

Recent discoveries in Switzerland could have happened south of Dallas had the Superconducting Super Collider not been cancelled.

The Texas Tribune and the Washington Post explain.

It saved money at the time, but was it a good idea in the long run? Would it have spurred innovations that paid for itself?

Don't know much about the health care ruling

The Pew Center reports that many Americans do not know how the court ruled on health care.

"Despite extensive public interest in the court's ruling, just 55% of the public knows that the Supreme Court upheld most of the health care law's provisions; 45% say either that the court rejected most provisions (15%) or do not know what the court did (30%)."
- The report, commentary from Pew.

- Commentary from the Washington Post.

The rise of mega-cities

A past mayor of Chicago thinks that regions (mega areas) will be more important than cities in the future.

Its a good talk.

More on the topic here. You might be interested in the State of the World Cities. Houston is considerd to be in two separate mega regions: The Texas Triangle (Wikipedia) and the Gulf Coast.

America 2050 appears to tbe the go-to website for information on this topic.

John Roberts: Burkean Conservative

Andrew Sullivan argues that the chief justice's ACA decision reveals that he's the only conservative on the court dedicated to the preservation of strong institutions - which was once the defining principle of conservatism. The rest seems committed to using the court to promote conservative political positions - which tend to shift. This strain is associated with Edmund Burke, whose Reflections on the Revolution in France was once required reading.

Here's a primer on Burke's brand of thought:

Burke is the father of modern conservatism, and still its wisest oracle. Tradition-minded but (contrary to stereotype) far from reactionary, he believed in balancing individual rights with social order. The best way to do that, for Burke, was by respecting long-standing customs and institutions while advancing toward liberty and equality. Society’s traditions, after all, embody an evolved collective wisdom that even (or especially) the smartest of individuals cannot hope to understand comprehensively, much less reinvent successfully.
Sullivan wonders of the other conservatives on the court share this vision of a strong judiciary independent of political parties. Here's a similar point.

Mass Transit v Road Subsidies

Here's a look at a major issue for state and local governments - with some federal involvement also: subsidies for transportation, both road and mass transit. Here's a critical look at where transportation dollars come from and where do they go.

Texas House Committee Membership

The Texas Tribune has an interactive feature that highlights the districts of the members of different House Committees. Its a good look at how power and influence is distributed geographically in the state.

Texas "Voter ID" Timeline

I stumbled accross this useful page in the Texas Legislative Library. It walks through the major events in the life of Texas' recent voter id law. This should be helpful for any research projects students might wish to pursue.

Revenue Effects of Major Tax Bills

Here's something I'm adding to the material on budgetting and fiscal policy. A Treasury Department study on the impact of major tax bills since 1940.

- Revenue Effects of Major Tax Bills: Updated Tables for all 2010 Bills

It was prepared by the Office of Tax Analysis in the Treasury Department. Click here for a list of past analyses.

Attention 2301 and 2302

No class tomorrow - 7/2/12

From Scotusblog: The October 2011 Term Statpack

At the end of each Supreme Court term, Scotusblog releases a statistical analysis of that term. You can find it here.

Attention 2302

Class will start late tomorrow - 9am. I'll post this announcement separately on Blackboard.

The Jefferson Institute / Patchwork Nation

I ran across a couple great looking websites. I'm adding them to my list of links.

- The Jefferson Institute.
- Patchwork Nation.

They are affiliated. The latter is one of a series of sites run by the former. Patchwork nation provides county by county information about policy and politics and could be a good resource for our occasional forays into local government.