Abstract This paper discusses the issues surrounding direct democracy on the local and state levels, in an effort to determine whether or not wealthy interest groups influence referendums, ballot initiatives, and other forms of direct legislation at the expense of the broader public interest. The paper looks at the issue from both viewpoints, citing that many people believe that direct legislation has been taken over by the very same wealthy interests whose power it was created to decrease, while many counter that big spending does not necessarily mean big influence.
From the Paper "The referendum refers to the power of the people to approve or reject acts of the legislature (Knutsen, 2002). Referendum comes in several forms depending on the nature of the legislation to which it applies. The referendum can be broken down into four dimensions: form of legislation (including constitutional amendments, ordinary statutes, and fiscal issues), initiator (including citizens, legislature, the president and the states), advisory or binding, and voluntary or compulsory."
Abstract This paper examines the one child policy in countries such as China and Tibet including the reasons for the establishment of the law and a discussion as to whether or not the outcome of the law is what the government intended. It also looks at the different activist groups in the United States who wish to make this policy U.S. law and debates the pros and cons of such a policy for the government.
From the Paper "A California group known as KZPG, (Western TV and Radio Braodcasters for Zero Population Growth) has organized a campaign to instill the One Child Policy in the United States. Based in Los Angeles, the group believes that the earth's natural resources are being destroyed by man's increasing need for housing and development. They estimate that in the near future the majority of the earth's natural resources will be contaminated because of overpopulation. Therefore, the organization invites families to pledge their commitment to having only one child. To date the organization has received 192 pledges."
Tags: abortion, activist, china, population, tibet
Abstract This paper will discuss the philosophy of Hobbes and Locke, and seek to compare their ideas on modern political philosophy. By understanding human nature, origin of the state, the nature of government, and the right of revolution, we can see how they influence ach other through history.
Abstract This paper examines the issue of campaign finance reform, where the issues involved are reported to be heralded by politicians yet the record of legislation does not verify their public support. In addition, the bills do not fully address the problems involved in campaign finance reform and tend to detract attention from more important areas. The McCain- Feingold bill will be used as an example in support of this particular argument.
Abstract At the outset, it is important to note that although the Prime Minister of Canada has a number of great powers, s/he may be reluctant to use them to the full. Each Prime Minister has their own style: some rely more on the direction of their cabinet, while others may choose to pave Canada's political road without considering the views of colleagues. For this reason, the accurate response to the question of whether or not the Prime Minister is too powerful depends almost solely on the Prime Minister in question. For the purposes of this paper, the avenues of power available to any Prime Minister will be considered.
Abstract Consider the broadest negative results that corrupt police officers have on urban communities. When police are abusive, it undermines legitimate attempts at curbing urban crime, such as "community policing." What community wants an alliance with corrupt police officers? Police corruption also prompts honest citizens to question the truism that more police officers on the street will result in actual reductions in crime. Unlike police brutality, police corruption is often viewed as a victimless crime because the victim is a neighborhood rather than an individual. This paper examines these points from the context of the Rampart Scandal.
Abstract Many medieval political thinkers observed that power and authority came first from God and then from a social mandate. In "Leviathan", Thomas Hobbes proposes that power comes from the social mandate first. He makes this assertion on the basis that it is within the human nature to secure its life through banding together with others to form a community. Each community, then, is held together by a common desire for protection from the wild while maintaining isolation of the self from others. One person, and in Hobbes' view it really doesn't matter who, must be able to make decisions on behalf of the community, that person, even if he/she does not enjoy unanimous support, becomes the sovereign. Hobbes' concept of authority and power, then, stems from the belief that people have leaders because such people are necessary to maintain the unification of society and thus maintain the protection of the people from the wild. Niccolo Machiavelli had a slightly different idea as to the justification and origin of power and authority. Machiavelli concurs with Hobbes that a sovereign is necessary for the unification of the society. But, rather than being the arbitrary selection of a society, the Machiavellian sovereign is, by necessity, a member of an established and influential family, a man with long blood-lines to other rulers who, by nature of his heredity, has less cause to offend others and thus rules effectively through his urbane nature.
Abstract How to promote leadership in government agencies; differences between public-sector and private-sector motivators for leaders; dealing with bureaucracy as a leadership skill; developing mentoring leaders in order to pass on key leadership skills.
Abstract Michael S. Sherry is a professor of history at Northwestern University. His research and writing focuses on the role played by military force and strategy in American foreign policy. His book, "The Rise of American Air Power: The Creation of Armageddon" won the 1988 Bancroft Prize in American history.
Examines the period of U.S. History during the Presidency of Richard Nixon and the enduring consequences of his presidency, especially with regard to the Watergate Scandal.
2,150 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 11 sources, 2002, $ 80.95
Abstract Nixon resigned from his office nearly thirty years ago, and his legacy continues to be shrouded in controversy. He was a complex, inconsistent, and highly contradictory personality whose presidency was an extremely mixed bag of successes, failures, and confusion. Nixon once made the prediction that by the turn of the century, he would begin to be viewed in a more favorable light. Marked by solid achievements both at home and abroad, Nixon's work while in office ended the Imperial Presidency, reopened Western communication with China and Russia, helped see the country through its first round of serious welfare reform; in short, Nixon did have a significantly positive impact upon the nation. But, it was Watergate that opened the doors to the seedier and frightening side of the Nixon Presidency. Secret tapings, brutal escalations in Vietnam, conspiracies to harm other politicians, and his involvement in the thefts at Watergate all cast a deep shadow over what Nixon had been able to accomplish. The most egregious abuses of executive privilege occurred under President Nixon who invoked that doctrine to shield embarrassing and incriminating information (Rozell, 762). It is the purpose of this paper to examine the Presidency of Richard M. Nixon, and to pay special attention to the implications of Watergate both during and after his term.
Abstract Robert D. Kaplan (1997) ridicules the Western notion of democracy in his article "Was Democracy Just a Moment?" and provides a descriptive but concise account of global democracy. Against the notion of Western universalism, Kaplan warily argues for drawing lessons from each nation by locating it in historical specificity.
Tags: democracy, structural, model, dependency, theory
Abstract Since the hijackings of September 11, there has been a great deal of controversy involving the arming of airline pilots. Whether or not this is a good idea is the topic of this paper.
Abstract The following paper will explore a U.S. product or service that is extensively traded internationally. The paper will analyze whether the product has a comparative advantage and why. The paper will also assess what trade barriers exist and why, and the impact that the trade barriers have on the product. Further analysis will be conducted as to the percentage of U.S. trade that is involved in the product or service; and the United States' current account surplus or deficit in the produce or service.
Abstract The new Department of Homeland Security (DoHS), which officially came into existence in the last week of January 2003 following the passage of legislation Nov. 19, 2002, represents the largest government reorganization in 50 years.
Abstract The paradox of the concept "ideology" is that it is, at one and the same time, both valueless as a descriptive term and of essential importance to any discussion of politics. This essay will explore this paradoxical aspect of the concept of "ideology" in order to illustrate how the concept functions in political and cultural analysis in a modern context.
