The Pros And Cons Of Political Participation

Since the founding of America in 1776 countless people have either become disenfranchised by the federal government or backed the government. From laws being passed to decisions being made there will always be a division amongst the American people. Whether arguing over gun laws or citizenship rights, the debate is always there and met with some form of counter argument from either side. What makes America so great is the fact that you have the right to have a voice and speak out for your opinions. One of the greatest ways for a citizen to be heard is voting. Whether for local, state, or federal every vote counts and every citizen heard. In the creation of our constitution our nation has evolved from only white, male property owners being allowed to vote, to the passing of the 15th amendment in 1869 allowing every race or color to vote, up to the 1920’s allowing women to have equal rights in the voting process. Being a democracy is what sets us apart from many other nations in this country. Although Americans have the freedom to vote, there are still rules and regulations set forth to make the process a more smooth flowing affair. From filling out the application to meeting the qualifications, one American can find their voice as the determining factor for a sheriff, mayor or even president.

interest groups is induced by their ability and desire to affect the final policy outcome in the

One example of an interest group is AARP. AARP is a United States interest group with membership. It was founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, Ph.D. And Leonard Davis. AARP has vast membership so it is able to generate its own income without being dependent on government grants or private donors. I read on Tuesday night on Facebook how disappointed they were in the Senate 's vote to proceed on the new healthcare bill and how they would inform 38 million members how their Senators voted so they could hold them accountable. AARP strongly opposes ANY bill that raises healthcare costs and lowers coverage. AARP urged the Senate to focus on bipartisan solutions that will lower the cost and improve care for the American people. They also gave out a number so their members could call their Senators and complain. There were a ton of comments on their page about

In today’s government, there are two groups that can influence the way people vote for candidates in political races. They are known as a Super Pac and 501c4. Super Pacs are committees that became significant in 2010 after the court decision in the SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission (Super Pacs). A 501c4 is referred as “social welfare” groups. Their primary focus is to promote social welfare causes (Sullivan). These groups are two way candidates and politicians can gain donations for their candidacy. Lately, these two group have caused some controversy in the government, but it is very certain that 501c4s are the most controversial when comparing it to Super Pacs.

In everyday conversations a subject that frequently tends to arise is American politics. During these conversations a variation of sub topics often occur usually pertaining to the Army’s funding, elections, and the different political parties. One of these topics that tends to cause a lot of feuding is the different political parties. In my family alone, we partake in disputes based on our different political parties, I am a Democrat while my parents are Republican. Often, we participate in quarrels over different events that occur in society. However which kind of views represent a certain political party. For starters, Which views does a Democrat stand with? Perhaps one who is Democrat abhors abortion, or possibly despises the LGBTQ community. Although maybe a

While choosing electing official with common values and philosophies is a great way to get representation on social issues, interest groups are also helpful in keeping an open line of communication with elected officials on what is most important to the affected group. Interest groups use tactics to protect policies by focusing on the unknown consequences and keeping close relationships with government officials whose values are similar (Baumgartner, Jeffery, & Hojnacki (2009). One interest group who has knowledgeable lobbyists to affect public policy is the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA is a single issue group who advocates their position by using both the direct and indirect approach to rally support on issues in Congress.

All these forms fall under a broad definition of public participation, whereby public concerns are integrated, to a lesser or greater extent, into governmental or corporate decision-making (The Forest of Brocéliande. Participatory Democracy and Public Participation,

Texas is the second most populated and second largest state in United State. Due to its size, Texas contains diverse landscapes that resemble both American South and Southwest. Most of the population centers are located in areas of formers prairies, grass lands, forests, and the coastline. The current Texas Constitution was adopted in 1876. Like most of the states, it also provides for a separation off power. The state Bill of Rights is much larger than its federal counterpart, and has provisions unique to Texas. The Texas constitution defines the responsibilities of country governments, which serve as agents of the state. Greg Abbott is the current governor of Texas and Dan Patrick is the Lieutenant governor of Texas.

Civic and political participation of the people in this nation is important in order to keep a functioning government and society. If the people of this nation ignores their civic responsibilities and don’t help make important decisions, then just a couple individuals are choosing who merits government positions. It 's our obligation as citizens to ensure our rights and take an interest politically. Lastly, civic and political participation is important because it allows people to be herd, to fight for justice and equality.

The federal bureaucracy as part of the executive branch exercises substantial independence in implementing governmental policies and programs. Most workers in the federal bureaucracy are civil-service employees who are organized under a merit system. The merit system is defined as the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. This system uses educational and occupational qualifications, testing, and job performance as criteria for electing, hiring and promoting civil servants. Beginning in the federal government in 1888, it was established to improve parts of the governmental work force that had previously been staffed by the political patronage

The United States is described as the "greatest democracy" in the world, but when one looks at where the American governments stands on press freedom, campaign finance and recent propaganda, some will suggest that America is more like an oligarchy. In the book “American Democracy in Peril” by William E Hudson, the author makes a significant point in regarding to Chapter 6 “The Privileged Position in Business” he believes to be the central assumption of the Pluralist description of American politics and that one can indeed identify a dominant group in our politics: business (Hudson,2013 pg.223). “Hudson point outs the people who control the large business corporations dominate our political processes and largely control the public policy outcomes”

While the Declaration of Independence was written with the intent to convey to Britain that the thirteen colonies were independent states and no longer under their rule, it actually declares that men are equal, and thus have certain rights that cannot be denied to them. Through the list of grievances, Thomas Jefferson exemplifies the colonist’s inborn rights that were denied by the King. Jefferson constantly states how the British government unfairly ruled them with limited representation and would constantly impose actions without their consent, such as when he quartered troops in their homes and cut of their economic activities. Jefferson believed that a Government should support its people and head to its wants and needs in order to become prosperous, rather than being tyrannical and limiting their expansion, both geographically

In this article, the author examined the interactions between the Christian Coalition and the Republican Party. Little is known about the linking between parties and organized groups. The Christian Coalition is an important player in Republican politics and it acts like an interest group. The author lists three models used to explain group influences. The first is called electoral mobilization. It says that social movement organizations influence legislators to assure them that their supporters will vote for them on Election Day. The second is called financial clout. It argues that donating money to members of Congress, this attempts to shape how a policy is viewed and how the legislation is produced. It could also signal policy preferences to legislators, because of this donation. The last model is called policy expertise. It argues that interest groups and social movement organizations are able to influence legislators based on their ability to provide them with reliable information. This information is about constituents and expertise in certain policies. There was a survey in which the author designed for local leader’s perceptions of the Christian Coalition. Two variables were included. They were perceptions about Christian Coalition influence of the respondent’s county and perceptions about Christian Coalition influence with the county chair’s state. This applied both to the Republican Party. What I found interesting was that 59 percent of respondents believed that the Christian Coalition had little to no effect in their county party organization and 52 percent stated that the group had influence in their party’s state organization. One purpose of the Christian Coalition is that they get their members to go out and vote. This has indeed helped the Republican candidates win their seats in close congressional races. The Christian Coalition also uses grassroots as their key power, because they motivate their people to vote.

The Anti-Federalists believed competition between interest groups would make governing impossible and could lead to anarchy. However, historical evidence shows the Anti-Federalists were clearly wrong. Although interesting groups may invade others’ rights, they are good because no one voice should rule and having them allows government to address various needs of the people, as long as laws are put in place to control them.

Read about the kinds of interest groups that exist. Which are you most likely to be a member of in the future (or now)?