Interest_Groups

Social Movements Passage

A social movement is different from an interest group mainly by its level of organization, although most social movements have some kind of organization structure; it is usually not as formalized as an interest group. This has various advantages and disadvantages. Lack of formal organization gives social movement’s greater flexibility than interest groups; however they often lack the resources of organized interests. At the same time interest groups might have closer ties to government but often lacks the numerical support that large social movements often have. Social movements are not necessarily good while interest groups are bad. Social movements can range from anything from the civil rights movement to the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s. Many social movements use the tactics of interest groups, like bus boycotts for example, but often social movements can use violence as well

What this passage means to me

A social movement is not highly organized in the way that interest groups are.  The lack of organization gives social movements more freedom than interest groups, but at the same time social movements lack resources. On the other hand interest groups have close relationships to government but do not have large numbers. Social movements are not necessarily good because they are the majority who lack direction and resources while interest groups are bad because they have resources but do not use the resources for enough good.

Why I chose this passage

I chose this passage because it explains the power struggle going on in society historically, and presently. This passage is a key piece to understanding the similarities, and differences in the components between interest groups, and social movements. 

Judiciary: Assignment

Assignment Due 5/9: Choose one of the Supreme Court case summaries and select a passage, write out the passage, explain how the legal decision was made, and then explain why you chose it and why you believe this case is important.

Case:   Brown v. Board of Education

Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to the races. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings, curricula, qualifications, and teacher salaries. This case was decided together with Briggs v. Elliott, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, and Gebhart v. Belton. (A separate but related case -- Bolling v. Sharpe -- presented the same issue in the context of the District of Columbia, which is not subject to the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment because the District is not a state.)

Passage: Judiciary

However, past decisions of judges are carried over into present cases, so before a case is decided, lawyers and judges consult past court decisions, this is known as "legal precedent," or stare decisis, since judges cannot contradict previous decisions (except in rare circumstances) the authority of past decisions has a strong hold on legal outcomes in the present. Furthermore, another feature of the American legal system are the high frequency of "plea bargains." Again, since common law allows for more interpretation, court cases can be very time consuming. To compensate for this, many cases are "plead out," meaning that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser offense without a trial, in order to speed up the process of coming to a legal decision. Almost 80% of legal decisions in the U.S. are the result of plea bargains.

Decision making:

The decision of the case of Brown v. Board of education was decided with legal precedence from other similar cases such as; Briggs v. Elliott, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, and Gebhart v. Belton.

Significance of the case:

I chose this case because it appears to be a civil rights issue. Historically, the court system has no interest in the treatment of people; instead it was designed to maintain the economic interest of the people. The cases such as the Brown v. Board case opened changed the way law was practiced in the United States, by giving law makers and practitioners a conscious on the civil rights of the people whom make up the country.

Tactics of the Reagan administration

Tactics of the Reagan administration

Passage:

The Reagan administration was defined by the phrase "government is the problem" and tried to remove all government regulation of businesses. Despite this, the budget deficit of the federal government continued to grow through the decade, along with an increasing trade deficit also growing rapidly since the 1970s, and despite Reagan' promises to tackle the "twin deficits." 

 

The budget deficit grew largely because of a combination of increased military spending and significant tax cuts given to the highest income brackets in the country. Reagan was later forced to reverse many of these tax cuts and ended up raising taxes several times.  Much of the increased military spending was used to finance covert wars in Latin America and the Middle East, but also to "outspend" the Russians on defense, a process that some commentators believe helped pushed the Soviet Union into its final downward spiral into dissolution.

 

Meaning of the Passage:

The government was moving towards an international competitive direction. Meanwhile the people were still in a domesticated state of mind. There were certain moves that needed to be made to ensure the future for the United States. Reagan had to make sure the people were satisfied, but also needed satisfy the needs of the country as a whole. This required a strong military presence, strong political representation, and a method to sustain the economy at the same time.

 

Why I chose the passage:

I chose the passage because there is always a misunderstanding as to why wars take place, and why power seems to be one sided. I was able to see it in a neutral perspective, and wanted to share my view on the matter.