U.S. National Debt 12.6 Trillion!!

All of the federal government's efforts to stem the tide of the financial meltdown have added hundreds of billions of dollars to an already staggering national debt, a sum that is expected to double over the next 10 years to more than $23 trillion. In Ten Trillion and Counting, FRONTLINE traces the politics behind this mounting debt and investigates what some say is a looming crisis that makes the current financial situation pale in comparison.


TThe National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$4.12 billion per day since September 28, 2007!!




U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK
$12,6 trillion!(02 Apr 2010 at 01:39:21 AM GMT)
For more click here Debt Clock

Sow much is really a trillion dollars? Hmm, please watch this short video:

Health Care Globally

It's time US should follow other nations and save trillion of dollars on health care spending. National Coalition on Health Care reported that , "Total spending was $2.4 TRILLION in 2007, or $7900 per person1. Total health care spending represented 17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP)." On the other hand, the UK spends only 8.3 of the GPA on their Health Care, that's half of US pays!!!.

PBS has released great documentary "Sick around the World" (link below), where you could watch how does health care system looks like around the world (in other democratic nations).

Read first:

Five Capitalist Democracies & How They Do it

Understand the graphs:

Graphs: U.S. Health Stats Compared to Other Countries


The Documentary, "Sick Around the World"


Great Britain: A Leader in Preventive Medicine



Japan: Universal Coverage, No Gatekeepers


Germany: A Popular, Largely Market-Based System


Taiwan: A New System They Copied From Others


Switzerland: Its Former System Resembled Ours


Universal Health Care is possible ...
Source: PBS

U.S Department of State: Internship Program

Are you majoring in international studies, or political science (read below for more majors)? Your graduation is approaching, and you still don't have any experience in your field of study. Why not applying for an internship, at one of the most prestigious federal organization, U.S. Department of State? Now, having Depert. Of State on your resume under internships looks awesome!. I was lucky enough to attend one of the seminars, where state dept. official was giving details about an internship @ Dept. of State.

So lets start.

1.visit the website: http://careers.state.gov/ then click on “Student Programs”.

Who can apply?

a) A U.S citizen
b) a student (junior,senior, or graduate student). Junior will have completed all sophomore credits,
c)good academic standing


Salary and benefits

the majority of all internships are unpaid
limited number of paid internships are available to student who can demonstrate financial need.
If you wish to apply for paid position, you must include in your application your SAR (Student Aid Report), and EFC (Expected Family Contribution). Visit, http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/efc.phtml for more details about SAR and EFC.
Students are paid for maximum of 10 consecutive 40-hours week (GS-4 step 5 level, may change)

Selection Process
All applications are submitted online through the USAJobs website. USAJobs is The Federal government's official job list website.link: www.usajobs.gov

About half of the internships are in Washington, D.C. A limited number of intern positions are available at Dept. offices in other large cities.

Other Student Employment Programs

Cooperative Education Program
Student Temporary Temporary Employment Program
Student Disability Program
Summer Clerical Program
Fascell Fellowship Program
Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Presidential Management Fellows Program

Source: U.S. Department of State
more @ careers.state.gov

The major post - World War II changes in ideologies

Liberals and Conservatives for first time accepted governmental obligation to intervine in economy for social benefits in order to help reduce extremes of poverty and wealth. On the other hand, socialist for the first time accapted market economy rather than full socialization and welfare state. Emergence of issues which cut across quality of life including; environment, rather than social issues such as abortion; drugs (distributive issues).
The recession of the 1980 lead to less government control and less regulations. These ideas in United States were known as neo-Conservatism, and in Europe neo-Liberal. They caused reduction in welfare state, reduction in power of union. Institutions once owned by government now were privatized. After collapse of Communism in Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in 1989, parties in those countries either dissolved or "reformed. Ideas of "new Democrats" in US or "new Center" in Europe supported the new role of government, to target specific group in need or specific issues and problems rather than to have government programs covering everyone.

Constructivism/Bush Doctrine

Constructivism (bush doctrine in terms of promoting democracy, domestic policy influence)

State identities are complex, changing come from interactions with other states, often through process of socialization. In a long term can lead to peaceful time, with no danger of arm races or security dilemma.

State value social concept of reputation. Switzerland is neutral non aligned member. Such status gives Switzerland power and prestige that can be critical in diplomacy and international affairs.

Believe in spread of international norms: through entrepreneurs, international organizations (ex. UN or NATO) which can point what is appropriate and inappropriate form of behavior. And break trust between two nations

Bush Doctrine: Attack first before they attack you. Spread democracy to the world. If everybody in the world is like us, world would be save. It’s because democracy won’t fight democracy.

For more on the Bush Doctrine, please visit:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/09/12/BL2008091201471.html

Democracy

Types:

Presidential (ex. United States)
Parliamentary (ex. Western Europe, Canada, Australia, India)
Semi – presidential (ex. France, Belarus, Poland, Russia, Ukraine)

Characteristics:

Concentration of power: power is dispersed a) no overall between political and social or economic power b) various form of political power: local, state, national; c) institutional division into several branches (legislative, executive, judiciary) d) strong private sphere

Access to power: broad; competitive and multiple avenues for exerting pressure; a) in theory almost can achieve position of power – access is limited only by resources rather than formal barriers; b) access to power is trough electoral competition; c) citizens can exert broad and multiple pressure on those in power through voting, lobbying, demonstrating, writing letter, etc. d) citizens can organize themselves in pressure groups to influence policies

Degree of power: Power is limited in variety of ways: a) constitutions; b) strict separation of public and private with government power to stay out of private sphere; c) free and critical media; d) courts

Mode of governing: a) through rule of law and constitutional procedures; b) rule by persuasion, bargaining, compromise, consensus; c) acceptance of conflict and competition as essential to democratic politics; d) “democratic bargain” adhered to by both those who govern and those who have lost elections; ex. those in power do note discriminate against losers, who in turn accept legitimacy of those in power to govern.

Citizen participation: a) purely voluntary b) politics only one area of activity; citizens may seek to pursue public goods in other forms of activity (charity, volunteering)

Responsiveness: a) very responsive to popular demands; b) high levels of policy input by citizens, lobbies, pressure groups, and high policy output in response.

Electoral Systems: Parliamentary & Proportional

Breakdown of 2 electoral systems; Proportional Representation, and Parliamentary. Enjoy.

Proportional Representation

Decrease number of votes that are wasted, increase number of parties in legislature
Relies on electoral boundaries that create multi member districts
Voter cast their ballot for party rather than for candidate
Percentage of votes a party receives in a district determines how many of that district’s seats the party will gain
Even small percentage of the vote can result in winning seats
Political parties draw up in advance a list of their candidates for each electoral district
Smaller parties stand a better chance of winning at least some seats in legislature.
PR is most democratic form of electing officials, it wastes much smaller degree of votes, allows greater range of political interests to be expressed.
Ex. Canada.

Parliamentary

Leader of the party or coalition of parities with most support in parliament becomes the prime minister or chancellor
PM forms a cabinet usually from members of parliament, the cabinet then forms the core of gov’t.
Executive emerges directly from elected legislature and is integral part of it.
The Executive in parliamentary system is directly dependent an and accountable to, the legislature which can veto legislation with majority vote. It can also bring down executive with vote of no confidence.
PM and cabinet can dissolve parliament and call an election.
PM and cabinet are responsible to parliament.
Ex. Belgium, Canada, UK.
Strength: most of the world stable democracies are parliamentary systems. Fusion of executive and legislature can create strong and effective gov’t
Weakness: Large legislative majority with tight party discipline can produce leaders with too much power. Parliamentary systems without a legislative majority can be weak and unstable.

The Majoritarian model: British Version

British Version of the majoritarian model (electoral system), in form of study notes.

Cabinet is the most powerful organ of British gov’t. Composed of members of the party that has majority of seats in the House of Commons
Party that wins the elections usually represents no more than a narrow majority, and the minority is relatively large.
Cabinet is dependent on the confidence of parliament. For example in US, presidential executive can’t be removed by the legislature (except impeachment)
British parliament consist of two chambers. House of Commons (popularly elected), and House of Lords (nobility).
All legislative power belongs to the house of commons. (asymmetric relationship)
House of commons can only delay legislation : ex. money bills.
British politics is dominated by two parties: Labour (left of center preferences) and the conservative party (right of center pref).
Main difference is in social economic policies.
650 members of the House of Commons are elected in single member districts, also known as “first past the post”.
Local gov’t are the creatures of the central gov’t and their powers are not constitutionally guaranteed.
All power is concentrated in the house of commons, not room for referendum (direct form of democracy)

Single member district electoral system

Here is a breakdown of single member district electoral system. Enjoy.

Several candidates compete to be the sole representative of that constituency
Candidate with the largest number of votes win the seat
Majority of votes is not important rather plurality of votes (largest share of total)
Votes cast for other candidates are wasted, if the candidate for which a vote is cast does not win.
System can amplify the power of some parties, while weakening the political power of others.
Under the system most people are unwilling to vote for smaller parties,
Produce a legislature dominated by two parties. Ex. US, UK.
Single member district make easier for individual to connect with their elected representatives
It eliminates fringe parties from political scene.

Political Science: Political Power & Political Conflict

Political Power – capacity to influence behavior of others


Components:
Pertains to ability to make decisions (policies) for or influence the behavior of the society as whole

those decisions are binding on all members of society, even those who do not agree with the decisions/ policies

these decisions can be enforced i.e. citizens can be compelled to accept them.
Example: power to raise taxes for every citizen, who are bound to accept them and must pay them or face fines/prison. The poorest members of society have to choose between feeding their families or paying taxes


Political Conflict – involve issues that affect society as whole i.e involve public concerns and interest

Sources:

Social characteristics (ex. race, ethnicity)

conflicts (ex. over wealth, goods, values, services)

Over power (ex. access to power, limits of power, distribution of power, uses and abuses of power)

Totalitarianism

Overview of Totalitarianism: Types, Key Features, examples.

Types:

Nazism
Communism / or clerical rule such as Taliban and in its early period, Iranian regime.

Key Features:
Concentration of power: a) power in concentrated in hand of single party or leader; b) total domination of all spheres (economy, culture, religion, private life) c) government wants to transform society; crate new vision of society and hence need for absolute power to create better society

Access to power: through membership and career in the ruling party only
Degree of power: no limits on power; no acceptance of private sphere or purely private interests

Mode of governing: through repression, coercion, propaganda, ideological persuasion

Citizen participation: want active, involved citizens; emphasis on demonstrations of support for regime; citizens obligated to participate in large variety of government sponsored activities and organizations.

Responsiveness: Government is focused exclusively on policy outputs, no interests in our mechanism for addressing needs, demands, interest, ex. interests from citizens.

Examples:
Totaliarian regimes in the 20th Century:
Italy under B. Mussolini (1922 - 45)
Soviet Union under J. Stalin. (one party rule) (from 1930, until his death in the early 1950's)
Germany under A. Hitler (1933 - 45)

Political Science: Terms/Concepts

Concepts/Terms in the Political Science:


Multiparty system – a democratic system in which there are more than two major parties.

Electoral system determines if given state will have two party or multiparty system. If state uses proportional representation system it will surely have a multiparty system.

Most democratic systems are multiparty systems

Multi party system offers wider range of choice. System requires a coalition government to operate smoothly. Government cannot be set up unless two or more parties agree to cooperate by forming a coalition. Example: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Belgium, Swiss. rule by stable coalition of one sort of another through most of their postwar history.

Coalition may be torn apart by mutual mistrust. In many cases caused by animosity among political parties.

Bicameralism – two houses in the legislature

Traced back to England and other European state, where two or more chambers were created to serve the interests of different economic classes.

Upper represented aristocracy, lower house served the merchant class.

It is still evident in the names of two houses in the United Kingdom, lower house being the House of Commons and the upper house the House of Lords.

Powers of aristocracy in most countries were reduced or eliminated. On the other hand power of the middle class expanded.

Bicameralism may counterbalance disproportionate power in the hands of any regional government.

Seats in the lower house are allocated by population.

Bicameralism may use competition between the two houses as means to slow down the legislative process.

System force consensus – building between the upper and lower house.


Judicial Review – the mechanism by which the court can review laws and policies and overturn those that are seen as violations of the constitution. It also the most important power of the federal court.

May take two forms;
Concrete Review – power by which court can rule on constitutional issues on the basis of disputes brought before it. In other words court must wait for a legal dispute.

Abstract Review – allows a court to decide on questions that do not arise from actual legal cases.

Laws that are judged not in the keeping with the Constitution’s intent are declared unconstitutional and void.

Right of judicial review strengthened the power of judiciary against the two other branches of government.

Supreme Court in US has only concrete power

Constitutional Council in France have only abstract power, where they do not hear specific cases between disputants.