A quick note before I outline this week's assignment. I've been lenient on late penalties in order for everyone to get used to the new BlackBoard interface. Starting this week, late penalties will be applied to all written work. Generally this will only be 10-15 points, but it can be larger if the work is very late. This is to both motivate you to get your work in and to reward those who do.
2301: Here's another questions designed to help you collect information for your 1000 word report: Soon we will begin to look at the two major political parties and we will note that each is composed of a number of smaller groups. Neither is homogeneous. Certain groups tend to support Republicans, other tend to support Democrats. I want you to determine which groups align each way. I also want you to explain why. And I want you to determine if there is any tension between the groups that support each party.
2302: Now that the sequester has been triggered, I want you to detail what exactly is being cut and what impact that is likely to have on the programs themselves and any aspects of the economy that are affected by that spending. Weigh in on whether the actual cuts in the programs affected are going to be good or bad in the long run.
2305: The authors of your required book argues that the roots of the current dysfunction in Congress can be traced back to the realignment of the parties that began in the early 1960s. Outline this process and explain how this realignment has contributed to the current state of Congress.
2306: In the chapter "We are not Going Haywire" in the book on Jesse Jones, Jones is reported to have given a speech in Houston to the Independent Petroleum Association of America where he makes a point about the role of government that seems a bit out of place in contemporary Texas. The relevant part begins near the top of page 295. I want you to describe the point he makes and then discuss whether this point of view is shared by a majority in the state today. If there is a change in Texans' attitudes about the role of government in society, explain what may have driven the change.
