The Legislative Branch

The Dynamic Legislative Branch online "textbook"
Schoolhouse Rock I'm Just a Bill
How Does Congress Work

How representative are our Representatives?  Take a look at the CHART below and Wikipedia's Congressional demographics. 

How significant a factor do these demographics play? Blog Response:  Due Friday am.

Does Congress adequately represent the will of the American people?  Why or why not?

Student Rights

Do you feel that the majority opinion in your Supreme Court court case was correctly decided? Explain your answer referring to the constitution, using evidence from the case documents and examples from your personal experiences as a student.

Due Friday Morning

CT Bullying Law
Cyber-bullying Laws in CT
State Cyberbullying Laws
CT Cyberbullying Info
Landmark Supreme Court Cases Involving Students
Free Speech Rights of Students
Supreme Court Strip Search Ruling
Bong Hits For Jesus

Immigration

Readings
2006 Immigration Reforms
Mexico - The War Next Door

Videos
O'Reilly and Heraldo
Immigration by the Numbers Part 1
Immigration by the Numbers Part 2
Benefits of Immigration 
NBC News "Patrolling Smugglers Alley"
NatGeo's Border Wars on Hulu

President Obama is receiving fire from both sides:
President Obama's Immigration To-Do List Is Almost Complete
Obama's Illegal Immigrant Crackdown
Obama Rolls Back Immigration Enforcement - Again
Obama Deportations...


Immigration Page

Blog response (due Wednesday 4/11)
You must advise President Obama or a current Republican candidate on a policy for immigration reform.  How should he/she address both the numbers entering and the legal status of those currently in the US?  How do we secure our borders?  Make sure you support your proposals with evidence from the video clips and news stories linked to this site.    

When Walmart Comes to Town

What are your thoughts on the Walmart debate?  Is it good for communities?  Does it suck the life out of them?  Be sure to cite some specific examples from The New Age of Walmart to receive full credit.


Due Friday 3/30  @ 7:00am

The War in Afghanistan

Eleven years into the war in Afghanistan, where do we stand? Have me made progress since the 2008 Frontline Report? What advice would you give the the President as to the course of action from this point forward (2012)?  Response Due Friday

Questions to Consider:
Who are we fighting?
What is our objective?
What is the role of Pakistan?

Obama's decision Making Process
We have discussed the role of the President as Commander in Chief, and the awesome weight of this responsibility.  Read the articles from 2010, taking into account what we learned from Frontline's Forgotten War (2008).  What options was President Obama presented with?  Who were the people giving him this advice?  How does he make his decision?

Reading For Tuesday All readings/videos located HERE
Obama's War Part 1
Obama Mulls Way Forward (video)
A Divided Team

For Thursday
Obama's War Part 2
Amid anger over Afghan killings, U.S. faces growing public weariness about war
More Stories on the Afghan War

 

The Executive Branch - The Commander in Chief and War Powers

Is our current system for deciding when, where and for how long to deploy US armed forces fairly balanced between the executive and legislative branches? Do "The People" have enough input?

Discuss with regard to the War Powers Act and the current conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

Due Friday by 7:30am

Power Points
Seven Roles
Balance of Power

President Obama - March 6, 2012 Press Conference
Responsibilities of Commander in Chief

Inside the Obama White House

Now that you have viewed Inside the Obama White House, what did you find surprising or interesting? Would you want to live there, or be interested in working there? Why/Why Not?

Due Friday 7:30am.