Elections Test

Hard Money: given directly to candidates
Soft Money: money contributed directly to political parties for voter registration and organization.
Media Bias: opinions and views based on what the media has to say about political events
Political Action Committees (PACs): A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
Voter Turnout: the percentage of eligible individuals who can actually vote
Political Parties: an organization that typically seeks to attain and maintain political within government usually by participating in electoral campaignes educational outreaches or protest actions

What does it take to get elected in today's political environment and is that method truly democratic?

What it takes to be elected in today’s political environment is huge! It takes years for candidates to run for president. And the background behind the job is detailed. The candidates running have campaigns and they have a lot to do before the actually presidential election. Modern national political campaigns are fueled by great amounts of money. In a national race, millions of dollars are spent on media network time, media consultants, or public opinion polls. Money is spent on everything. In 2004, Kerry and Bush raised nearly $500 million in private contributions during the presidential primary season. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates in 2004, received $150 million in public funds to run their general campaigns. This money is what helps elections take place and what not.

Political Action Committees also known as PACs are organizations established by corporations, labor unions, or interest groups to channel the contributions of their members into political campaigns. PACs are supposed to contribute to the campaigns of at least 5 different candidates and may contribute as mush as $5,000 per candidate in any given election. This is more than an individual is allowed to contribute per candidate. An individual can contribute as much as $2,000. PACs are important in elections today because they help candidates so much. PACs have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for political campaigns, but while their organizations have been conspicuous fun-raising material to have to lean on to , the money from PACs are being overruled by something called soft money. Soft money is the national parties being prohibited from raising campaign funds to be transferred to state party organizations. In 2000, as many as three soft-money dollars were spent for every dollar of “hard money” that is given directly to candidates and PACs. Money is a huge part of elections in today’s political environment. Money gets the candidates even further in their campaign because what they put in is what they get out. That’s how I’ve always thought. The more one puts in and the more one wants, the more one will get out of it and the more he will earn from what he fought for. In 1996, commercials sponsored by Democratic Party organizations looked just like commercials for Bill Clinton. They praised the president’s record while criticizing the GOP. Although, because these ads didn’t specifically ask the viewers to vote for Clinton or against his opponent, the ads were considered issue ads rather then campaigns appeals. Later in year 2000, both the Democratic and Republican parties raised nearly $1 billion in soft money. The money was mostly from Corporate and professional interests. All of this means that money is a huge part of being able to get elected because of all the money that is put in to certain things to make the campaigns work.

Politicians have so much to do to be elected as president. Since politicians need large amounts of money to do so, they tie their interests to the interests of the groups which forces that to provide the money. In a nation as large as the United States, as diverse as our country is, campaign contributors must be 100% sure that they are representing all groups. Business groups, environmental groups, labor groups, pro-choice and right to live forces all contribute millions of dollars to political campaigns. All different groups in the world will contribute money for different reasons. Weather is be insurance companies contributing money to Democrats to win because of their help and support for changed in health care system, or the physicians contributing millions of dollars to prevent the same changes from becoming a law. Each group in our society has a different reason to contribute to the electing of a president and this is why politicians have to interest everyone.

Candidates do their best to be known by everyone. They want to get their images, names and ideas announced among future potential voters. Candidates seek television and radio talk show appearances and they buy television and radio advertisements to get their name out there because they want to be number one. They participate in mass mailing and telephone callings to target publics because everyone listens to their messages. I remember receiving a message from someones daughter saying how we should vote for her dad becasue of certain reasons. I think that goes way over the line, but I guess he thought it was right to have his daughter speak on everyones message machine. They also hold a number of fund-raising dinners to help get the people to vote for them. Candidates use the engineer media to print coverage for them. Basically, all of this is used to send out a positive message out to all the people in the nation to see who they are and what they will do to our country to make our world a better and safer place. I think this has something to do with Media Bias because the media is taking control over campaigns are how candidates are being elected and how they are being shown throughout the world. The media is very bias on what they say about the candidates and their opinions weather it is on the news, in the paper, on the radio, or at a fund-raising event. I also think that this has to do with political parties because of the way they are doing the campaigns and the way that the parties are helping out with everything. Since Political Parties are organizations that typically seek to maintain political power within government and it's usually by participating in electoral campaigns, educational outreaches or protest actions, i think that they are a huge help to the candidtates running for president. I think that that without these parties, there would be no educational outreaches or protest actions or any of the important electoral things.

According to the text,“Democracy is not to force peoples to follow the USA”. In American democracy, a high value is placed on active participation of the citizens in selecting their representatives. In 2000, vice president Al Gore received two-thirds of votes from Hispanics and Latinos have traditionally voted Democratic. This has to do with voter turnout because it is the percentage of each culture that is allowed and eligible to vote. This depends on age and if they know what and who they are voting for. This states that there are so many different types of culture and religion in the world that it is hard to please everyone.


Fianally, I think that what it takes to get elected is so much it has to do with money, media, political backgrounds, religion and culture issues, how to fundraise and more. I think that what it takes to make it to the top is so much more then everyone thinks and we should congratulate and praise each one of the candidates because of all the hard work they do put in. I think its more then just the political background too, I think that it has to do with alot of personal parts too. I think this method is truley Deomcratic, because it has alot to do with the free electoral system, and this is all saying that the government should be directed by the people. And most of this is based on the people in society and what their feelings are toward each candidate.

Civil Liberties Test Post

Civil Liberties Post

What happens when freedoms and protections collide?

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the Bill of Rights. This Amendment prohibits the congress from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion,” advancing the free exercise of religion, and infringing on the freedom on the freedom of speech and on the freedom of the press. The Santa Fe v. Doe case in 1965 was about school prayer at after school functions. The District adopted a new policy, which permitted, but did not require, student-initiated and student-led prayer at all the home games. This led to two student elections. The first determining "invocations" should be delivered at games, and the second election was to decide who the spokesperson was going to be to deliver the prayers at each game. The Santa Fe Independent School District's policy permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games does violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because the court concluded that the authorized school prayers at football games were public speech and weren’t allowed to on government owned property at government-sponsored school related activities. Although religion has the free exercise clause where the government cannot prevent people from exercising a religion, since this is at a public school function, students are not allowed to practice one certain religion with the public. When freedoms and Protections collide in this situation, freedom of speech and religion are being denied for the protection of speech and religion. What I mean by that is freedoms are being denied because the freedom of sharing religion with public life is not protection of all religions. Not everyone has the same religion, and since prayers at home football games, is not inside the school, one cannot promote a certain religion at public games. This is protecting citizens of the community from practicing other religions that are not their own and protecting one culrures religion from another.


The Fourth Amendment is the “right for the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” In the New Jersey v. T.L.O case, a fourteen-year-old girl was accused of smoking in the girls’ bathroom of her high school. The principal at the school searched her purse and found a bag of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia in the purse. Citing the peculiarities associated with searches on school grounds, the Court abandoned its requirement that searches be conducted only when a "probable cause" exists that an individual has violated the law. In this case, this was not a violation of the fourth or the fourteenth amendment. This case is an example of protections in school v. out of school because the school is protecting students and faculty from their health and doing what is right. Freedoms and Protections collide here because the principal has the freedom and the probable casue to search the purse because of school rules.

Another case that does not violate the Fourth Amendment is the Veronica School District 47 v. Acton. In this case, high school athletes participated in drug use. School officials were worried and concerned that the uses of drugs were increasing the risk of sport related injuries. The Veronica School district decided to adopt the student drug policy which allows random urinalysis drug testing of student athletes. James Acton was denied from the football program when he and his parents refused to agree to the drug testing. This is a case that doesn’t violate the fourth amendment because once again this is on school grounds, and the school district has the right to do whatever it takes to keep their student population and school environment safe and drug free. Freedoms and Protections collide in the school because it is saying that even though people have freedom to use drugs; this school is protecting their school campus to be drug free. Schools want their students to be able to learn in environment that is protected and be safe and know that it is a safe place to be, with rules and regulations that follow the laws. These freedoms and protections are different then outside of school because outside of school, people don’t necessarily have to follow school ground rules.

The fourteenth Amendment protects rights against state infringements, defines citizenship, prohibits states from interfering with privileges and immunities, requires due process and equal protection, punishes states for denying vote, and disqualifies Confederate officials and debts. The Goss v. Lopez Case is about nine students at two high schools and one junior high that were given a 10 day suspension from school. The school principal did not give the students hearings before ordering the suspensions. This is a violation to the fourteenth amendment because in a 5-to-4 decision, the court held; Ohio had chosen to extend the right to an education to its citizens. The court found that students facing suspension should at minimum be given a notice and be able to get some kind of hearing. Freedoms and Protection collide in this case because, the students should have the freedom of having a hearing for their suspension. Protections collide with this because the school thinks that they are doing the student a favor by protecting them by suspending them, and that way they will learn. This is more of an inside school rather than outside school problem because this has to do with suspensions and the school principal not holding hearings for the students.