Many critics believe that Congress has become broken and has been taken over by partisanship and extremists. The increase in partisanship has ultimately led to greater inefficiency and lower approval ratings in Congress. Though the current divide is between Democrats and Republicans, there is also a divide that exists between those states (and even cities) with very large populations and the rest of the country. This results in a disproportionate amount of power that exists when a handful of states hold more power over the rest. Though this divide is not discussed often, it is one that certainly exists in our Congress.
When our country was founded, there were only small differences between the states, in terms of their overall population. In 1790, when the first census of Americans was taken, the top five most populous states were, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina. During the Constitutional Convention, the partisan divide that existed was between the federalists and the anti-federalists. The Federalists wanted greater power at the federal level, while the anti-Federalists championed a system of government where more power was shared with the states. The results of the compromise between these two opposing views resulted in the 10th amendment to the US constitution,the final amendment listed in the original Bill of Rights. While this system worked well when the differences in population were small, at the time of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution over time, migrations of the U.S. population have significantly changed where power resides in Congress. Currently, the five most populous states are California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois. Not surprisingly, these states hold big, metropolitan cities in them.
This disparity in population has led to a great disparity in the way that Congress distributes money to the states, and to which states have the biggest impact during presidential elections. Today, the representatives of the five most populous states control the legislative agenda, and because these five states vote primarily for the Democratic party. This has led to the creation of what some people believe to be an unfair advantage in the distribution of taxes and votes in the Electoral College.
Many argue that this system is unfair and unjust. Citizens of small states want their states to have an equal say in the legislative process and want their voices to be heard in Washington. Perhaps a solution may be to have equal representation in the House, however, to get this passed would take a lot of time and energy and would probably not please those living in the “bigger” states.
Living in Florida, which is included as one of the most populous states, it is difficult for me to really visualize what the other states are feeling about this. However, I can imagine that smaller states feel that they are at an unfair disadvantage when it comes to various topics. In theory, our government should be a government that serves all people of the United States, not just the people who live in the most populous states.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Significance of Black Friday Records
This past weekend, customers all throughout the country spent their time rushing to the mall and getting their hands on whatever sales were in place for the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Beginning with early store openings on Thanksgiving day, shoppers scooped up "doorbuster" deals left and right. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, approximately 139.4 million adults visited stores websites over the 4-day weekend.
According to the NRF, individual shoppers tossed out more money; spending about $423 each this weekend, significantly up from $398 last year. Total spending over the four-day weekend reached a record $59.1 billion, a 13% increase from $52.4 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The same survey found that customers really liked how retailers pushed to open stores earlier. Stores like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Sears, and Target, that allowed customers into their stores just as Thanksgiving meals wrapped up, saw a substantial boost. About 10% of this weekend's shoppers were out at stores by 8 p.m. on Thursday and an estimated 28% of weekend shoppers were at the stores by midnight, compared to only 24.4% last year.
"The only way to describe the Thanksgiving openings is to call them a huge win," said National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay. "Thanksgiving shopping has really becoming an extension of the day's activities. Whole families are going." In a separate survey, ShopperTrak determined that the number of people shopping in stores climbed about 3.5% from last year to more than 307.67 million. ShopperTrak's founder, Bill Martin, said that traffic has not been this high since 2006. He also said that the return to pre-recession levels indicates a real recovery in consumer behavior. "We've seen that consumers are willing to shop a few extra stores," Martin said. "This could translate into more impulse buying and stronger sales."
However, not everyone wanted to wait in line during the Thanksgiving weekend. According to statistics, online sales soared more than 17% on the Thursday of Thanksgiving, followed by a nearly 21% increase on Friday over last year, according to IBM Benchmark. Sales made from mobile devices climbed by 16%, with more than 24% of consumers using mobile devices to visit a retailer's website.
The National Retail Federation had predicted that looming fears over the nearby "fiscal cliff" and the struggling jobs market could weigh on holiday spending. That's why they estimated that holiday sales will rise by 4.1%, which is slower than the 5.6% increase last year.
Matthew Shay says that between 65% and 80% of shoppers factor the overall economic condition of the country into holiday spending decisions. Its survey found that about two thirds of shoppers will pay with cash or debit, highlighting people's aversion to taking on too much debt in a still slow-recovering economy. However, retailers are hopeful that these strong Black Friday figures set a tone for a solid season of spending ahead. The Thanksgiving shopping tradition kicks off the holiday season sales blitz, wherein stores can make up to 40% of their annual sales in the November-December period.
"A single day doesn't make up a holiday season, but if you don't start off well on that day, you have trouble catching up," Martin said.
Overall, what is significant about all of these statistics is that they are additional signs that consumers all throughout the United States are slowly gathering confidence in the economy once again. If this trend continues through the rest of the holiday season and even into the months following it, our country could be well on its way towards regaining the economic strength we all really miss before 2008 took place.
Source
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/25/pf/black-friday-sales/index.html
2nd Chapter 7 Post
According to a recent Gallup survey, Congress’s approval rating is currently at an all time low of 18%. Every year this poll is conducting, asking citizens whether or not they approve of the way Congress is handling its job. And every year, the results are the same: for some reason people simply just don’t like Congress. In 2005, Congressional approval regularly hovered around 40 percent however since then it has plummeted. This year, stockbrokers, funeral directors and lawyers all scored higher in their approval ratings. Even journalists and telemarketers, which are known to be criticized by the public time and time again, have higher approval ratings than Congress. So ultimately the question that must be raised is: why is Congress’s approval rating so extremely low?
“Part of it is just the character of the news about Congress,” said John Pitney a political scientist and professor at Claremont College in Claremont, California. “If a member of Congress is totally upstanding and a good family person and is scrupulous about finances, that doesn’t make news.”The thing that I find most striking is that everyone seems to love their own congressmen. District representatives continually get high ratings, while Congress as a whole seems to ultimately plunge.Some argue that Congress has shown little ability to get things done and when they have done something, it has proven to be very unpopular. Former Representative Tom Davis stated “Congress has produced nothing but bad outcomes. Two failed wars, stagnant wages [and] economic meltdown.”
This does actually have some validity to it. If you take a long over the last several years of Congressional action, there have been many failed attempts at things such as overhauling Social Security, the Mark Foley page scandal, the healthcare slog and the budget showdown just to name a few. What also makes things even worse is the prevelance of our media that did not exist decades ago. The existence of 24-hour cable news, Facebook and Twitter means that minor problems get major league attention. A few years ago, such issues may have held a small newspaper article, but nowadays you can hear about it right when you turn on your television or the computer.
Furthermore, the period of heightened economic anxiety has facilitated this low approval rating. Many have resorted to pessimism, as they are frustrated with America’s position on the world stage. Jobless rates also peaked in the last several years, which would inevitably cause the American people to be skeptical. According to former Texas Representative Chet Edwards, people are more forgiving of Congress when they have a job and those that have jobs feel secure in them.
Overall, it is a combination of Congress’s lack of meaningful accomplishments, combined with the country’s negative bent that has driven down the approval number of the House and the Senate.
“Part of it is just the character of the news about Congress,” said John Pitney a political scientist and professor at Claremont College in Claremont, California. “If a member of Congress is totally upstanding and a good family person and is scrupulous about finances, that doesn’t make news.”The thing that I find most striking is that everyone seems to love their own congressmen. District representatives continually get high ratings, while Congress as a whole seems to ultimately plunge.Some argue that Congress has shown little ability to get things done and when they have done something, it has proven to be very unpopular. Former Representative Tom Davis stated “Congress has produced nothing but bad outcomes. Two failed wars, stagnant wages [and] economic meltdown.”
This does actually have some validity to it. If you take a long over the last several years of Congressional action, there have been many failed attempts at things such as overhauling Social Security, the Mark Foley page scandal, the healthcare slog and the budget showdown just to name a few. What also makes things even worse is the prevelance of our media that did not exist decades ago. The existence of 24-hour cable news, Facebook and Twitter means that minor problems get major league attention. A few years ago, such issues may have held a small newspaper article, but nowadays you can hear about it right when you turn on your television or the computer.
Furthermore, the period of heightened economic anxiety has facilitated this low approval rating. Many have resorted to pessimism, as they are frustrated with America’s position on the world stage. Jobless rates also peaked in the last several years, which would inevitably cause the American people to be skeptical. According to former Texas Representative Chet Edwards, people are more forgiving of Congress when they have a job and those that have jobs feel secure in them.
Overall, it is a combination of Congress’s lack of meaningful accomplishments, combined with the country’s negative bent that has driven down the approval number of the House and the Senate.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Hostess Brands Closing!
Hostess Brands, the maker of such iconic baked goods like Twinkies and Wonder Bread, announced on Friday that it is asking a federal bankruptcy court for permission to close its operations, blaming a strike by bakers protesting a new contract imposed on them. Because of this decision, Hostess' nearly 18,500 workers will lose their jobs as the company shuts thirty-three bakeries and 565 distribution centers nationwide, as well as 570 outlet stores.
"We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike," said Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn in a statement.
Hostess will now move to sell its assets to the highest bidder. That could mean new life for some of its most popular products, which could be scooped up at auction and attached to products from other companies. According to a letter that Hostess sent to its network of stores that carry its product, Hostess expects that "there will be great interest in our brands." However, it said it could not give a time frame for when the sales would take place and when its products would be available again.
The horrible part of all of this though is that even if those brands are bought and restarted, the Hostess workers will not get their jobs back. Hostess filed for bankruptcy in January, its second trip to bankruptcy court since 2004. They previously emerged from restructuring in 2009 after a four-and-a-half year process. The company is now controlled by a group of investment firms, including hedge funds Silver Point Capital and Monarch Alternative Capital. Frank Hurt, president of the bakers' union, called the liquidation "a deep disappointment" but said his members weren't the ones responsible, blaming the various management teams in place at Hostess over the past eight years for failing to turn the firm around.
While approval of the bankruptcy court is needed before Hostess can start selling its assets in liquidation, the company said production at all of its bakeries stopped effective Friday, and that stores will no longer receive products from Hostess Brands after the final round of deliveries of products that were made Thursday night. However, products that are already in stores can be sold, and the outlet stores will remain open for about a week to sell the products they already have.
Back in September, membership of one of its major unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, voted narrowly to accept a new contract with reduced wages and benefits. The Bakers' union rejected the deal, however, prompting Hostess management to secure permission from a bankruptcy court to force a new concession contract on workers. The Teamsters union, which represents approximately 6,700 Hostess workers, issued a statement blaming mismanagement by Hostess executives for the company's problems.
Overall, this is a sad moment for Twinkie lovers all throughout the United States. Personally, I've never been a fan of their products; I'm pretty sure I actually got sick from one of their products. Regardless of my opinion however, I find it horrible that the 18,500 workers at Hostess are going to lose their jobs. I wish them the best and I hope that they can find work in a reasonably short amount of time.
Article Links
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news/companies/hostess-workers/index.html?iid=HP_LN
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news/companies/hostess-closing/index.html?iid=Popular
Chapter 7 Post
Chapter 7 in our American Government textbook deals with one of the major aspects of our government, the United States Congress. For today's blog post, I want to talk about the various powers of Congress that they can utilize to help govern the country. In addition to forming laws and determining the nation's budget, Congress possesses numerous other roles. Congress is able to check the power of both the judicial and executive branches, conduct congressional review, approve nominations, and impeach high ranking officials. For the post, I want to describe Congress' power of making laws and determining the nation's budget.
Congress is known as the primary law-making group in the United States. It plays a crucial role in the development of new laws since only the Senate and House can formally submit a bill for consideration. When a bill is presented to the House and Senate, it is assigned a number and delivered to the appropriate committees and sub-committee to be reviewed. When it is given to the sub-committees, they end up being thoroughly researched and the sub-committee then decides when to hold hearings on them. After conducting the hearings, the bill is revised and goes into a vote by the subcommittee where it is either approved or rejected. If the bill is approved, it is then sent to the fully committee where it can be revised further, or even just get rejected before making it onto the floor. During this part of the process, the House Committee on Rules will determine the limits on the floor debate, consider the bill, and then places a date on the calendar. The Senate on the other hand can truly debate the bill since it isn't as large as the House. If two different versions of the bill in question are approved, the two sides try to compromise on the bill or it faces a slow death if nothing can be accomplished. Finally, if the bill is passed, it is sent off to the President where it is passed, vetoed, or pocket vetoed.
In addition to making new laws, Congress plays a significant role in the national budget. In 1921, Warren G. Harding signed the Budget and Accounting Act. This act forced the president to submit a budget to Congress for approval. Due to conflicts with Nixon, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was passed. This act established the congressional budget process by outlining a plan to allow congressional action on the annual budget resolution, reconciliation, and appropriations. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office was created to help estimate the budget. The act also included a guideline and timetable to make sure the budget situation was always figured out in a timely manner.
Overall, Congress has numerous powers that help keep the United States functioning as well as it can. In my opinion, Congress has been a giant influence in how the United States is today. However, I feel that some changes need to be made in order to keep the progress moving at a reasonable pace. If Congress continues its recent non bipartisan ways, then our country will unfortunately move in the wrong direction; something that would definitely hurt the US.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Due to Obama's Win, Coal Company Announces Layoffs
Murray cited pending regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency and the possibility of a carbon tax as factors that could lead to the "total destruction of the coal industry by as early as 2030." One hundred and two layoffs are planned for Murray operations in Utah, with 54 from Illinois and seven from West Virginia. In August, Murray shuttered an operation in Ohio, again blaming the Obama Administration and its alleged "war on coal."
On his campaign trail, Mitt Romney repeatedly mentioned this line, accusing Obama of undermining the country's energy security during a rally at a Murray-owned mine in Ohio. Footage from this rally was actually used in a Romney ad. Oddly though, workers in the spot later complained to a local radio host that they were forced to attend the rally and weren't paid for the time, claims that were eventually denied by Murray Energy.
Administration officials responded to Romney's attacks by affirming that Obama supports "clean coal." They also pointed out that more coal miners were on the job in the U.S. this year than at any time since 1997, and that U.S. coal exports have risen 31%. However, coal production within the United States has dropped sharply, falling roughly 15% in 2011 versus years prior, according to the National Mining Association.The industry's woes go way beyond Obama's policies however. According to statistics, utility companies are increasingly ditching coal in favor of cheaper, cleaner natural gas. In addition, the recession and improved energy efficiency have decreased the demand for power.
Looking ahead into the future, the coal industry faces a law going into effect in 2015 that tightens the amount of mercury coal plants can emit, as well as regulations on mountain-top mining. Both issues will make coal production and coal-fired power plants more expensive. The rules themselves are not from Obama's origins, although he has implemented them fairly quickly. Most stem from the Clean Air Act, which was signed by Richard Nixon and strengthened during the first Bush presidency.
Overall, what I didn't like about this situation was the fact that a company would lay off so many workers just because of the presidential election. Yes, I know it is the company's decision and right to do whatever they want and cite whatever reason for their actions, but I just find it silly that they would do this. Sure, there may be some laws coming into effect that will hurt the industry down the road, but until there are actually some negative results from those laws, I feel that the company should keep working hard and at full force until they can't anymore. It's like they're just giving up and hurting their employees before actually giving a fight. It sucks that the government can't really do anything about this, but I hope for the best for the employees that were laid off.
Second Chapter 8 Post
Chapter 8 focuses mainly on the President of the United States and pretty much everything the position is involved with. For this blog post, I wanted to talk about one of major powers of the president, which is their power of the veto. The veto power is one of the most crucial actions the president can utilize to keep the judicial and legislative branches in check.
The textbook defines the President's Veto Power as the "formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from becoming a law without further congressional action." Basically, once a bill is passed through both the House of Representatives and the Senate by majority votes, it lands on the President's desk. When a bill arrives to the President, there are three things he can do. First, he can sign the bill which would then make the bill a law. Another thing the President can do is veto the bill, which means that the bill won't be signed and it is stopped in its track. Lastly, the President can utilize the "pocket veto," which means that he does nothing at all. If Congress is in session, it will become a law after ten days. However, if Congress is not in session, it doesn't become a law.
If the President decides to veto the bill, the bill is then sent back to the House of Representatives. If at least two-thirds of the members of the House support the bill, the President's veto is negated and the bill ends up becoming a law. This process is outlined in the Constitution and has actually not been used that much in the course of U.S. history. Over the course of the history of the United States, only about 100 or so bills were successfully overridden of about the 2,500 bills that have been vetoed or pocket vetoed.
Article II, which describes the veto powers, is something I completely agree with. The Framers, who developed the Constitution, did not want too much power to be given to any single person or group of people, which goes back to the whole idea of checks and balances. With the veto power, both the President and the legislative branch can make sure that neither party does something completely biased and against what's good for the overall country. If it weren't for the veto power, there would be so many unfair laws and bills passed that would negatively harm the United States.
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