Ralph for President

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSvva3ZOlNg&p=64EED13D64958978&playnext=1&index=70

Speaker May Be Toppled

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69S4X020101029

How You Spend Your Money?

E-mail | Save | Print |  http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20101025/smartrich25_st.art.htm

Tuesday's Election Ballot

General Election Certified Statewide Candidates and Ballot Questions

Office	GOP Candidates	Democratic Candidates	Other Party
Governor	Nikki R. Haley	Vincent A. Sheheen	Morgan B. Reeves (Green & United Citizens)
Lt. Governor	Ken Ard	Ashley Cooper
Secretary of State	Mark Hammond (i)	Marjorie L. Johnson
Treasurer	Curtis Loftis
Attorney General	Alan Wilson	Matthew Richardson	Leslie Minerd (Green)
Comptroller General	Richard A. Eckstrom	Robert Barber
State Superintendent of Education	Mick Zais	Frank Holleman	Doretha A. Bull (Green) Tim Moultrie (Libertarian) Tony Fayyazi (Independence)
Commissioner of Agriculture	Hugh Weathers (i)	Tom E. Elliott
U. S. Senate	Jim Demint (i)	Alvin M. Greene	Tom Clements (Green)
US House of Representatives District 1	Tim Scott	Ben Frasier	Robert Dobbs (Green) Robert Groce (Working Families) Keith Blandford (Libertarian) Mac McCullough (United Citizens) Jimmy Wood (Independence)
US House of Representatives District 2	Joe Wilson (i)	Rob Miller	Eddie McCain (Libertarian) Marc Beamen (Constitution)
US House of Representatives District 3	Jeff Duncan	Jane B. Dyer  (also Working Familes)	John Dalen (Constitution)
US House of Representatives District 4	Trey Gowdy	Paul Corden	C. Faye Walters (Green) Rick Mahler (Libertarian) David Edwards (Constitution)
US House of Representatives District 5	Mick Mulvaney	John Spratt (i)
US House of Representatives District 6	Jim Pratt	James E. Clyburn (i)	Nammu Y. Muhammad (Green)

SC House Races

31 (Spartanburg)		Harold Mitchell (i) (also Working Families)
32 (Spartanburg)	Derham Cole, Jr. (i)
33 (Cherokee, Spartanburg) Lanny Littlejohn (i)	Eddie Tallon
34 (Spartanburg)	Mike Forrester (i)
35 (Spartanburg)	Bill Chumley	Tom Davies (also working families)
36 (Spartanburg)	Rita Allison		Jim McMillan (Petition)
37 (Spartanburg)	Steve Parker (i)	Delores Frazer (also working families)	Ralph Davenport (Constitution)
38 (Spartanburg)	Doug Brannon	John Lewis (also listed as Working Families)	Jerry H. Blanton (Constitution)

Constitutional Amendments Questions: the following questions will appear on the November 2 General Election ballot.

Amendment 1

Must Article I of the Constitution of this State, relating to the declaration of rights under the state's constitution, be amended by adding Section 25 so as to provide that hunting and fishing are valuable parts of the state's heritage, important for conservation, and a protected means of managing nonthreatened wildlife; to provide that the citizens of South Carolina shall have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife traditionally pursued, subject to laws and regulations promoting sound wildlife conservation and management as prescribed by the General Assembly; and to specify that this section must not be construed to abrogate any private property rights, existing state laws or regulations, or the state's sovereignty over its natural resources?

Explanation

A ‘Yes' vote will make it a constitutional right for citizens to hunt and fish and will permit the State to legally provide for proper wildlife management and the protection of private property rights.

Yes    []

No    []

Amendment 2

Must Article II of the Constitution of this State, relating to the right of suffrage, be amended by adding Section 12 so as to provide that the fundamental right of an individual to vote by secret ballot is guaranteed for a designation, a selection, or an authorization for employee representation by a labor organization?

Explanation

A ‘Yes' vote will give employees the constitutional right to vote by secret ballot when they are voting on whether to be represented by a labor union.

Yes    []

No    []

Amendment 3

Must Section 36(A), Article III of the Constitution of this State be amended so as to increase from three to five percent in increments of one-half of one percent over four fiscal years the amount of state general fund revenue in the latest completed fiscal year required to be held in the General Reserve Fund?

Explanation

A ‘Yes' vote will increase the amount of money state government must keep in the General Reserve Fund (its "rainy day" fund) from 3% of the previous year's revenue to 5% of the previous year's revenue.

Yes    []

No    []

Amendment 4

Must Section 36(B), Article III of the Constitution of this State be amended so as to provide that monies from the Capital Reserve Fund first must be used, to the extent necessary, to fully replenish the applicable percentage amount in the General Reserve Fund?

Explanation

A ‘Yes' vote will require that the Capital Reserve Fund's first priority is to replenish the State's General Reserve Fund (its "rainy day" fund) instead of serving to offset midyear budget cuts at state agencies.

Yes    []

No    []

The Dollar Bill

http://www.hometownhutchinson.com/33?article_id=337

GOP is Poised to Reap a Redistricing Bonus

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304011604575564161731970470.html

Take the Quiz!!!!!!!!!

Please post your results by adding comments.

http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz

Fools Rush in Where Europe Rushes Out

Do we learn from history?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/10/22/fools_rush_in_where_europe_rushes_out_107687.html

NPR Controversy

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/10/21/juan_williams_npr_fired_him_for_making_bigoted_statement.html

Christine O'Donnel's Witch Ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plyyoegpzeg

The Senior Wave: Older Voters Set for Historic Turnout

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/10/18/the_senior_wave_older_voters_set_for_historic_turnout_107608.html

Angela Merkel says the unsayable

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/angela-merkel-says-the-unsayable/article1762454/

Gubernatorial Debate at the Chapman Center

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/oct/19/51/wspa-hosting-broadcasting-streaming-gubernatorial--ar-895816/

The Candidates and I

Printz v. US

http://www.oyez.org/cases/1990-1999/1996/1996_95_1478

Check the Mailbox to see where the US is headed

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-11/check-the-mailbox-to-see-where-u-s-is-headed-commentary-by-kevin-hassett.html

Take Poll !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.amoreperfectconstitution.com/cast_your_vote.htm

Government Terms

http://www.pbs.org/elections/glossary/index.html
Find the defintions of the above website.


At Large
Baiting
Bandwagon Effect
Beauty Contest
Beltway
Bipartisanship
Blue Dog Democrat
Campaign Spending Limitations
Canvassing
Caucus
Closed Primary
Coattails
Congressional District
Constituency
Dark Horse
Delegate
Divided Government
Elector
Electoral College
Entitlement
Exit Poll
Fat Cat
Federal Election Campaign Act
Federal Election Commission
Franchise
Front-runner
Frontloading
Gender Gap
Gerrymander
GOP
Grassroots
Hard Money
Incumbent
Initiative
Lame Duck
Libertarian Party
Liberal
The Left
Matching Funds
Midterm Election
Motor-Voter law
Majority/Minority Party
National Party Convention
Negative Ads
Nonpartisan
Open Primary
Partisan
Platform
Plurality
Political Action Committee
Polls
Pork Barrel
Precinct
Proportional Representation
Protest Vote
Public Funding
Push Polling
Redistricting
Referendum
Recall
Right Wing
Soft Money
Sound bite
Spin
Straight Ticket
Split Ticket
Stump Speech
Superdelegate
Super Tuesday
Swing Voter
Term limits
Third Party
Threshold
Ticket
Voting Rights Act of 1965
War Chest
Wedge Issue
Whip
Winner-take-all

The Taliban and al Qaeda

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html (Taliban)

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/al-qaeda-terrorism.html (al Qaeda)

Howard Dean and Mike Huckabee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDwODbl3muE
Howard Dean's The Scream (2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkeflmkFCj0
Mike Huckabee and Freebird

This Date in History: October 7

October 7, 2003 : Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes California governor

On this day in 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected governor of California, the most populous state in the nation with the world's fifth-largest economy. Despite his inexperience, Schwarzenegger came out on top in the 11-week campaign to replace Gray Davis, who had earlier become the first United States governor to be recalled by the people since 1921. Schwarzenegger was one of 135 candidates on the ballot, which included career politicians, other actors, and one adult-film star.

Born in Thal, Austria, on July 30, 1947, Arnold Schwarzenegger began body-building as a teenager. He won the first of four "Mr. Universe" body-building championships at the age of 20, and moved to the United States in 1968. He also went on to win a then-record seven "Mr. Olympia" championships, securing his reputation as a body-building legend, and soon began appearing in films. Schwarzenegger first attracted mainstream public attention for a Golden Globe®-winning performance in Stay Hungry (1976) and his appearance in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. At the same time, he was working on a B.A. at the University of Wisconsin, from which he graduated in 1979.

Schwarzenegger's film career took off after his starring turn in 1982's Conan the Barbarian. In 1983, he became a U.S. citizen; the next year he made his most famous film, The Terminator, directed by James Cameron. Although his acting talent is probably aptly described as limited, Schwarzenegger went on to become one of the most sought-after action-film stars of the 1980s and early 1990s and enjoyed an extremely lucrative career. The actor's romantic life also captured the attention of the American public: he married television journalist and lifelong Democrat Maria Shriver, niece of the late President John F. Kennedy, in 1986.

With his film career beginning to stagnate, Schwarzenegger, a staunch supporter of the Republican party who had long been thought to harbor political aspirations, announced his candidacy for governor of California during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Aside from his well-known stint serving as chairman of the President s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under President George H.W. Bush, Schwarzenegger had little political experience. His campaign, which featured his use of myriad one-liners well-known from his movie career, was dogged by criticism of his use of anabolic steroids, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct and racism. Still, Schwarzenegger was able to parlay his celebrity into a win, appealing to weary California voters with talk of reform. He beat his closest challenger, the Democratic lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante, by more than 1 million votes.

Free Responses-Unit III

AP Government Free Responses: Chapters 3-7

2010
Over the last several decades, the composition of the Democratic and Republican parties has changed in important ways. A major partisan shift has occurred in the South, but other demographic changes have also been identified. Changes in party composition are reflected at different rates in presidential elections than in congressional elections.
(a) Identify one specific trend evident in the figure above.
(b) Choose two of the following and use each to explain why southern voters from 1948 to 2000 were electing Democratic candidates to Congress more frequently than choosing Democratic candidates for the presidency.
• Incumbency advantage
• Gerrymandering
• Differences between state and national parties
(c) Several other changes in party composition have emerged in the past few decades. Select three of the following groups and for each explain how parties have changed in composition with respect to that group.
• Catholics
• Labor union members
• Women
• Social conservatives

2009
In the United States political system, there are several linkage institutions that can connect citizens to government. Elections constitute one such institution. Because of low voter turnout, elections represent an imperfect method of linking citizens to their government. Even when there is low voter turnout, however, other linkage institutions can connect citizens to government.
(a) Describe how each of the following is related to the likelihood of voting.
• Age
• Education
(b) Identify one current government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout. Explain how it decreases voter turnout.
(c) Identify one linkage institution other than elections and explain two ways it connects citizens to government.
2009
In The Federalist paper number 10, James Madison expressed concern over the possibility that both majority and minority factions would have too much power over government, and he presented ways of minimizing that danger. The United States Constitution established a democratic government but also contained several provisions that limited majority rule. Throughout the next two centuries, the role of majority rule in the United States government and politics continued to change.
(a) Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
(b) Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
(c) Choose two of the following twentieth-century developments and explain how each moved the United States from a less democratic system to a more democratic system.
• Primary elections
• The Seventeenth Amendment
• Expansion of suffrage
2007
A significant feature of the Electoral College is that most states have a winner-take-all system.
a. Describe the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College.
b. Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College affects how presidential candidates from the two major parties run their campaigns.
c. Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College hinders third-party candidates.
d. Explain two reasons why the Electoral College has not been abolished.

2005
The United States Congress has debated a variety of campaign finance reforms over the last decade. The proposals debated have included the following:
Eliminating soft money
Limiting independent expenditures
Raising limits on individual contributions
a. Select one of the listed proposals and do all of the following:
· Define the proposal.
· Describe an argument that proponents make in favor of the proposal.
· Describe an argument that opponents make against the proposal.
b. Select a different listed proposal and do all of the following:
· Define the proposal.
· Describe an argument that proponents make in favor of the proposal.
· Describe an argument that opponents make against the proposal.
2004
Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
a. Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response.
b. Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
c. Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.

2004
Minor parties have been a common feature of United States politics.
a. Describe the point of view expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon.
b. Identify and explain how two rules of the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor party candidates winning elections.
c. Minor parties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidates’ success.
Describe two of these contributions.

2003
Citizens often choose to participate in the political process in ways other than voting.
a. Identify two forms of participation in the political process other than voting.
b. Explain two advantages of each form of participation you identified in (a).
2002
In the last half of the twentieth century, voter turnout in federal elections has declined. During the same period, voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.
a. Identify two factors that have contributed to the overall decline in turnout in federal elections and explain how each factor has contributed to the overall decline.
b. Identify and explain two reasons why voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.

2001
The graph below shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate.
From this information and your knowledge of United States politics, perform the following tasks.
a. Identify two patterns displayed in the graph.
b. Identify two factors that contribute to incumbency advantage. Explain how each factor contributes to incumbency advantage.
c. Discuss one consequence of incumbency advantage for the United States political process.

2000
The figure displays voting patterns by state in the 1992 and 1996 elections. Using the information in the figure and your knowledge of United States voting behavior, perform the following tasks.
a. Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Democratic presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.
b. Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Republican presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.

2000
The three obstacles listed below have made it difficult for Congress to enact significant campaign finance reform.
a. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
b. Soft money
c. Incumbency
Select two of the obstacles. For each obstacle, provide both of the following.
a. A brief description of the obstacle
b. An explanation of how the obstacle has made it difficult for Congress to enact significant campaign finance reform

1998
Elections in the United States are characterized by low voter turnout. Discuss two demographic characteristics associated with nonvoting and three institutional obstacles associated with nonvoting.

1998
Since the 1960’s, the process of selecting presidential candidates has been altered by the changing role of presidential primaries and national party conventions.
Discuss four effects that have resulted from this change in the presidential selection process.

1996
Have changes in the formal presidential nomination procedures since the mid-1960’s made the process more democratic? In your response, support your argument by describing three specific changes in the procedures and discussing their effects.

1995
The contention that American political parties have been in decline since 1960 is challenged by some scholars who suggest instead that parties are resurgent.
Which position do you take? Summarize the arguments that support your position and provide evidence to support your analysis.

1994
Discuss the changes in the participation of women in United States politics since
1970. Using specific examples, analyze the impact of women’s participation on both of the following.
a. Electoral politics
b. Economic and social policy
1992
Explain how three of the following voter characteristics influenced voting decisions in the presidential elections of the 1980’s.
a. Party identification
b. Socioeconomic status
c. Race/ethnicity
d. Issue preferences

1991
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of voting and one nonelectoral form of participation that groups use in attempting to achieve policy goals. In your essay, refer to the political activities of two of the following groups in the contemporary United States. Your essay should be an analysis of political activities and not a historical narrative.
a. Women
b. Senior Citizens
c. Big business leaders
d. Farmers

1988
Evaluate the claim that there is “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the contemporary Republican and Democratic parties. In your answer discuss the relationship between the domestic policy preferences of party members in Congress and the social bases of party support in the electorate.

Stay off my iPhone!!!!!!

The Simple Life? 

Bring me some more snacks!!! 

Germany Ends World War One Reparations

Germany ends World War One reparations after 92 years with £59m final payment
By Allan Hall <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Allan+Hall>


Germany will finally clear its First World War debt by repaying nearly £60million this weekend.

The £22billion reparations were set by the Allied victors – mostly Britain, France and America – as compensation and punishment for the 1914-18 war.

The reparations were set at the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, by the Allied victors - mostly Britain, France and America.

Most of the money was intended to go to Belgium and France, whose land, towns and villages were devastated by the war, and to pay the Allies some of the costs of waging it.

The initial sum agreed upon for war damages in 1919 was 226billion Reichsmarks, a sum later reduced to 132billion. In sterling at the time this was the equivalent of some £22billion.

The German Federal Budget for 2010 shows the remaining portion of the debt that will be cleared on Sunday, October 3.

The bill would have been settled much earlier had not one Adolf Hitler reneged on reparations during his reign.

Hatred of the settlement agreed at Versailles, France, which crippled Germany as it tried to shape itself into a democracy following defeat in the war, was of significant importance in propelling the Nazis to power.

West Germany, formed after defeat in 1945, took on responsibility for most of the outstanding principle and interest, settling the bill in 1983.

But there was a clause in the so-called London Debt Agreement of 1953 that interest on multi-million pound foreign loans taken out in the Weimar Republic era, to pay off the reparations bill, should themselves be repaid if Germany were ever reunited.
WAR FACTS
● World War One lasted four years, three months and 14 days.

● It took the lives of an estimated 9.7million military personnel and 6.8million civilians.

● In today‘s money the war cost Great Britain alone £22,368,229,004.07 to fight.

● A British Tommy‘s basic pay in the war was one shilling a day, equivalent to 35 pence a week.

● The biggest war reparations demanded before the Versailles Treaty was 5.5billion in gold francs demanded by Prussia from France after its victory over it in the war of 1870-71. France paid if off within five years.

● In 1917, one year before the end of the war, Britain manufactured 186,000 tons of explosives compared to 144,000 tons by Germany.

● An estimated 40 million horses, dogs, carrier pigeons and other animals in the service of the armies of the Great War died in battle.

● The only British First World War veteran still alive is Claude Choules, 108, who served in the Royal Navy and lives in Perth, Australia. Harry Patch, the last foot soldier to survive, died aged 111 in July last year.

Payments on this interest began again in 1996.

'On Sunday the last bill is due and the First World War finally, financially at least, terminates for Germany,' said Bild, the country’s biggest selling newspaper.

Most of the money goes to private individuals, pension funds and corporations holding debenture bonds as agreed under the Treaty of Versailles.

The German government did not reveal how the money will be disbursed but it is understood that it is transferred to a holding account before being sent to the relevant bond and debt holders.

Most of these are American and French.

With the signing of the Versailles accord Germany accepted blame for the war which cost almost ten million men their lives.

Article 231 of the peace treaty - the so-called 'war guilt' clause - declared Germany and Austria-Hungary responsible for all 'loss and damage' suffered by the Allies during the war and provided the basis for reparations.

France, which had been ravaged by war - its farmlands devastated by battles, industries laid waste and some three million men dead - pushed hardest for the steepest possible fiscal punishment for Germany.

The principal representative of the British Treasury at the Paris Peace Conference, John Maynard Keynes, resigned in 1919 in protest at the scale of the demands, warning correctly that it was stoking the fires for another war in the future.

'Germany will not be able to formulate correct policy if it cannot finance itself,' he warned.

When the Wall Street Crash came in 1929, the Weimar Republic spiralled into debt.

What the Bank of England calls ‘quantitative easing’ now was started in Germany with the printing of money to pay off the war debt, triggering inflation to the point where ten billion marks would not even buy a loaf of bread.