There is all kinds of information out there. we just need a way to use it and this is one way. i think it will work good because most of us like to use computers and not all of us get papers to find political inrofmation it those. This is a easy way to figure just about anything out about our south dakota government.

1. Explain the difference between hard and soft money:
Hard money is gained through fundraising and campaigns. Soft money is given to the people running for office.

2. What is the electoral process and is this something that you agree or disagree with and why?
The electoral process is the steps and methods used to nominate, vote and elect officals. i agree with it because so far we have never had any major problems, and it has always seemed to work good.

3. What is the difference between a closed and open primary?
in a open primary is when a person from any party can vote in a certain parties primary. in a closed primary only democrats can vote in the democratic primary and not the republicans. and it is the same thing for republicans.

4. Explain what absentee voting is and what the positives and negative may be with regards to it:
Absentee voting is when a voter votes before the election because they might be gone on voting day or do not have time to vote on election day. a negative is that they have to keep track of the votes and have to count them seperatly. a positive is that a voter is able to vote if they are unalbe to on election day.

5. What changes to your see in the way we run elections ten years from now?
i think it will be electronic voting with computers or a device like that. i feel that it would be too much work to figure out a full proof way that is economical and works.

6. Explain your views on money and elections with regards the amount of money that is spent:
i think that too much money is spent on elections and tv adds. i think it would be better if they would say what they need to say and get there point across and not be bashing there opponent.

7. Go to cnn.com or foxnews.com and find an article dealing with the election process.  Post the article in your blog and provide your viewpoints pertaining to the article.

Im not sure if the new bill is unconsitutional or not. but i do know that it is not right for the people who do have health care or insurance to have to pay less. then have the people who do have insurance to  be paying more to make up for the people who do not have it. we need to think about this whole deal alot. its not something that you can pull out of your sleeve and just hope it works.



CNN) -- One day after a Virginia federal judge ruled a key part of President Barack Obama's health care reform law was unconstitutional, two members of Obama's administration spoke out publicly defending the law.
In an op-ed piece that appeared on The Washington Post's website Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius say that insured Americans carry an unfair burden in paying for those who don't have health insurance.
"The majority of Americans who have health insurance pay a higher price because of our broken system," they wrote. "Every insured family pays an average of $1,000 more a year in premiums to cover the care of those who have no insurance."
To stop imposing extra costs on people who carry insurance, Holder and Sebelius wrote, "everyone who can afford coverage needs to carry minimum health coverage starting in 2014."
But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson struck down the "individual mandate" requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance by 2014.

Health reform ruled unconstitutional

What health care ruling may mean to you

Health care ruling constitutional?

What judge's health care ruling means

"An individual's personal decision to purchase -- or decline purchase -- (of) health insurance from a private provider is beyond the historical reach of the U.S. Constitution," Hudson wrote, also stating that "no specifically articulated constitutional authority exists to mandate the purchase of health insurance."
Virginia officials had argued that the Constitution's Commerce Clause does not give the government the authority to force Americans to purchase a commercial product -- like health insurance -- that they may not want or need. They equated such a requirement to a burdensome regulation of "inactivity."
Virginia is one of the few states in the country with a specific law saying residents cannot be forced to buy insurance.
"I am gratified we prevailed," Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a conservative Republican elected in 2009, said about Monday's ruling. He added that the decision "is a critical milestone in the protection of the Constitution."
Hudson's opinion contradicts other court rulings in Virginia and Michigan that found the mandate constitutionally permissible.
In their Washington Post op-ed piece, Holder and Sebelius describe the case of a New Hampshire preschool teacher, Gail O'Brien, who delayed treatment for an aggressive form of lymphoma because she couldn't afford rounds of chemotherapy costing $16,000 each.
"Thanks to this law, O'Brien is getting treatment through a temporary program that provides affordable coverage to people who've been shut out of the insurance market because of a preexisting condition," the two wrote. "Even better, she knows that in 2014 insurers will be banned from discriminating against her or any American with preexisting conditions."
Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March, after promoting Democratic-led health reform efforts for months after taking office. Among other things, the measure was designed to help millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans receive adequate and affordable health care through a series of government-imposed mandates and subsidies.
Critics have equated the measure to socialized medicine, fearing that a bloated government bureaucracy will result in higher taxes and diminished health care services. About two dozen challenges have been filed in federal courts nationwide.

The Justice Department is expected to challenge the Hudson's findings in a federal appeals court, and the case could end up in the Supreme Court.

test

Ch 6 Test - Your Blog Due Nov 23.

1.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 1:
       Section one talks about what steps the government took to allow women to vote. There were 5 stages on extending suffrage. The first one is to stop religious tests in order to vote. Number 2 is the 15th amemendment which helps protect any citizen from beign dinied the right to vote. 3. prohibited the denial of teh right to vote because of sex. 4. extending a full role to african americans. 5. no state can set the voting age.


2.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 2:
       This talks about voting requirements. In the us you must be a legal citizen to vote and must be 18 years of age. You must also register in every state but north dakota to be able to vote on election day.


3.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 3:
   This section talks about how the blacks came to be able to vote. They set up electoral district lines  of the boundaries of the geographic area fom which a canidate is elceted to a public office. these lines  are also know as gerrymandering.


4.  Provide a paragraph on an important issue of your choice from Section 4:
    This section is about voting behavior.  Many people think that there vote wont make a difference so they dont go and vote. When there is a big amount of people that do not vote it can make up a big difference. most of the time there is more people who do not vote then people who do vote.


5. Explain voter apathy and what can be done to help it:
 This is the reason that people do not want to vote. it is why people do not think that thieir vote will make a difference. we can educate them about the voting process and let them know how it works


6. Explain the qualifications for registering to vote:

      To vote in the us you must be of 18 years of age on election day, and be a legal citizen of the united states.

Elcection Results.

I think it is interesting to see all of the voting results. Some of the races are very close and other races were very far apart. The majority of the races won were won by republicans. They now have control of the house. i am glad that the republicans won most of the races. i feel like it is going to be a good thing. I voted for mainly republicans because i felt that they were the best choice for South Dakota.
            I am glad to see that Kristi Noem won over stephanie herseth. both of these canidates spent lots of money on campainging, i think they almost spent to much on it. All of the dirt slinging that went on between these two i didnt think was nessaciry. i think they lost votes over that. In a campaing add i think they should say what they are going to do different over there component, not talk bad about them.

Numero tres

Obama's coalition slipping as election nears.
As midterm elections occur repbulicans are gaining voters. The poll found that a greater proportion of women would choose Republicans over Democrats in House races. In the past it has shown that republicans are better at being able to reduce the federal budget deficit, and democrats are the party seen as better able to create jobs.

I think this may be a good thing. I think it is better to not have one party leader in control for to long. When that happens everything that they want to happen, happens. If they switch it up the two parties will somewhat cancel eachother out.

Federalism

1. Federalism is when power is shared betweeen the central, or federal, government and the states.
2. -The exucative branch laws are carried out by the president, he also recomends new ones, commanding  the  Armed Forces, dealing with international powers, acting as chief law enforcement officer, and vetoing laws.
 -The Legislative Branch includes the House of Representatives and the Senate and is headed by  the congress.
-The judical branch is headed by the supreme court, they review laws and decide states rights.
3. The divison of powers is important because it assigns powers to the nationl governement and to the individual states. it is important because without it every body would want there own powers.
4.Supremacy Clause basicly means that the states may not interfere with the operation of the federal government and that federal law prevails over state law.
5.http://thisnation.com/federalism.html 
-helps states keep there own rights
-helps keep there own independece without government being to powerful.

#1

I think that it is not nessacary to completley bash your canidate, it makes you look bad. but thats the society we live in, you have to bash your opponet and make them look bad so you look better. i like the dennis dugaurd commercails. he just says what he thinks needs to happen and how he will try to do it. this november i will be able to vote and i will be a voting citizen just like all of the adults.

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