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Explore the key differences between liberals and conservatives, their beliefs on government control, social programs, gun rights, and more. Understand the role of mass media, propaganda techniques, and the importance of public opinion in politics.
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Liberals and Democrats • Occupiers! • Liberals tend to favor more government control over businesses and the economy. • Think government regulation is necessary to keep businesses from abusing consumers as well as the environment • Favor more government spending, especially on social programs such as welfare. As a result they favor higher taxes. • They are Pro Choice and support programs involving family planning. • Support stricter gun laws. Feel that gun ownership is no longer necessary in the present state of American society. • The environment is a major concern in laws liberals are trying to pass.
Conservatives and Republicans • Tea Partiers! • Favor the downsizing of government. • Big government hinders economic growth as well as threatens individual security, privacy and liberty. • Government regulation hinders businesses from growing and as a result limits our economic potential. • Supports less government spending except on military and defense. • Feel that responsibilities the government takes on can be handled better in the private sector such as social programs. • Lowering taxes due to less government spending. • Healthcare should be handled privately • Pro Life • Protection of gun rights
Mass Media • Mass Media has a major role in campaigning, the more media focus a candidate has the more probable they are to win and election. • Means of communication that reaches widely dispersed audiences simultaneously • Newspapers, magazines, radio, the Internet, television
Propaganda Techniques: • Plain folk: • Speakers attempt to convince their audience that they and their ideas, are “of the people” • Bandwagon: • The basic theme of the Bandwagon appeal is that “everyone else is doing it, and so should you” • Glittering Generalities: • They are broad and vague statements with positive connotations • Name Calling; • Links a person, or idea, to a negative symbol inhopes of the people rejecting him. • Testimonial: • Endorsed by a celebrity • Transfer: • Symbols are constantly used • Cardstacking: • An apparently logical argument is employed, usually to incite fear.
Why is Public Opinion Important? • Public Opinion: • The attitudes or opinions of a large group of people about a particular issue or person • Elected officials care a great deal about public opinion – it is how they learn what the people want • How they ensure to best serve the people.
Purpose of Political Parties: • Political Party: • A group of people who share similar ideas about the way the country should be governed • Work to achieve certain political goals a) get their candidates elected b) get laws passed c) inform the people d) watch dog e) sends message to government
Function of Third Parties: • Spoiler Role: • Takes votes away from the two major parties. • Bring important issues into the media.
How the electoral college works… • 538 Votes (435 members in House + 100 Senators + 3 votes from D.C.) • More populous states have more electoral votes • The candidate with the most number of votes in each state receives all the electoral votes in that state • As a result, a candidate can receive more popular votes, but lose an election
Electoral College- Winner Take All Winner take all: For each state, the candidate with the most popular votes receives all the electoral votes for the state
Criticism: • Someone can win the popular vote and still lose the election. • People begin to think that their vote doesn’t count so many do not vote.
Alternatives: • Proportional: after popular vote in each state, candidate receives a percent of the electoral votes in accordance with the percent of the popular vote • Popular vote: Eliminate electoral college and whoever wins the popular vote wins the election
Categories of LPRS • Category #1: Immediate Relatives of US Citizens (43% of total LPRs) • Spouses and unmarried children (under 21 years) of US citizens • Parents of US citizens aged 21 and older • Category #2: Family-Sponsored Immigration (23%) 1) Unmarried sons and daughters (aged 21 and older) of US citizens 2) Spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents 3) Married sons and daughters of US citizens 4) Brothers and sisters of US citizens aged 21 and over • Category #3: Employment-Based Immigrants (16%) 1) “Priority workers” with extraordinary ability in the arts, athletics, business, education or science; 2) Professionals with advanced degrees; 3) Skilled and unskilled workers in occupations deemed to be experiencing shortages; 4) “Special immigrants” such as ministers of religion; 5) People willing to invest at least $1 million in a business that create at least 10 new jobs in the US. • Category #4: Refugees and Asylum Seekers (8%) • Refugees and asylum seekers are persons who are outside the country and are unable or unwilling to return to that country because of a well-founded fear that they will be persecuted because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion • Category #5: Diversity Immigrants (5%) • Up to 50,000 green cards are given away through a lottery system to promote immigration from those countries that are not currently the principal sources of immigration to the US. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent or at least two years of training or experience in an occupation and are selected through a lottery.
How an Alien becomes a Citizen Declaration of Intention(optional) An alien may file this in any naturalization court. Declares that an alien intends to seek American citizenship. Petition for Naturalization-After an alien has lived in the U.S. at least 5 yrs.(or 3 yrs if married to a U.S. citizen), he/she files an application called a petition for Naturalization Examination – an examiner conducts an exam in which applicant must show that he/she is of good moral character who believes in the principles of the constitution. Also must prove he/she can read, write, and speak English and knows history and government of the U.S.
Final Hearing If the applicant meets all of the qualifications, he/she is granted citizenship at a final hearing. There, the alien swears an oath of allegiance and is given a certificate of naturalization.
How they enter the country: • Entering the country without going through a checkpoint (at airport, port, or border crossing) • Overstaying a temporary visa • Pathways of legal immigration are slow and costly: significant backlogs at immigration offices. • Probability of being accepted as an LPR is unlikely - Day laborers/unskilled workers. • How do handle the issue: Enforcement: • Increased surveillance at the US-Mexico border through the National Guard and Border Patrol • 2nd border fence Employer and Employee Sanctions • Raids on illegal workers, as in Fall 2006, who are then detained and deported. • Sanctions (fines) or criminalization of employers or other people who give employment or other assistance to illegal workers. Illegals: