chapter 12

Chapter 12


1)  What makes a great President (not which presidents have been great) what qualities are essential to greatness?  Why?

       I think what makes a great President is that they be honest, educated and informed.  They should have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, but they should also be willing to listen and be flexible.  If they are so fixed on getting what they want at any cost, they could end up costing this country a lot including allies, and we may need them.


2) Other than Lincoln and George Washington, which Presidents have been the greatest and why?

      For my two choices, I chose Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) who gave us the "New Deal".  During the Depression he created job programs including the Conservation Corps, the Works Progress Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority  which all employed and trained workers.  There was also the National Labor Relations Act- Federal oversight of working conditions, labor standards, and labor disputes.  FDR also created the formal position of the White House Press Secretary.

      Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1969)  Johnson was the one who gave us the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Fair Housing Act of 1968.   To help the working poor, he also came up with two health care insurances, Medicaid for poor people and Medicare for the elderly.   
LBJ also gave us the Food Stamp program, School Lunch program, Head Start, the Job Corps, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  He felt that everyone regardless of income was entitled to a good education. 

3) Research a President that you unfamiliar with- list at least three things you learned.  Was this President effective?  Why or why not?

    For this President, I chose James Abram Garfield.  He was the 20th President.  His term was from March 4, 1881 until September 19, 1881. 
He was a teacher as well as an official.  Notable events-His secretary of War was Robert Todd Lincoln, the first son of Abraham Lincoln. He was the first left handed president. He could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other at the same time.  First president to campaign in two languages, English and German.
On election day Nov 2, 1880 he was, at the same time, a member of the House, Senator-elect and President-elect.  July 2, he was shot by Charles Julius Guiteau.  He died of blood poisoning on September 19.  He never got a chance to show what kind of president he might have been.

chapter 11

  

1) Who are your Senators and you Congressman?

      Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker are our senators, Chuck Fleischmann is my congressman.


2) Research the areas they champion and find one you support.  What is it and why do you support it?

     Lamar Alexander has sponsored a bill that would allow pediatricians from all over the country to train at St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  The bill is called Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME).  I think this is a great idea since it would allow the doctors that will be taking care of our children to learn more, and to get a better understanding of how to treat our children.  This bill has not passed yet, I hope it does.

3) Find an issue one of your Senators or Congressman champions that you disagree with.  Why do you disagree?

    I wasn't really able to find anything that I really disagreed with.  I think there should be more background checks for guns, but I don't think anyone has the right to tell me I can't own one to protect myself and my family.

chapter 10

                                            Chapter 10




1) Read Gore v. Bush in the book.  Do you agree with the majority or the desenting opinion?  Why?

     I agree with the majority because, even if it was only by a few votes, Bush did get more votes than Gore did.

2) Is the ability to fund raise too important in elections? In other words, are good candidates prevented from running because they cannot raise the needed funds?  Can/should something be done to correct this if it is a problem?

      I think the ability to raise money is too important in elections.  I think anyone who is qualified to run and wants to run should be able too regardless of income.  Any more it seems that only the rich can run.  There doesn't seem to be much that can be done, the government has already tried to cap the money candidates can get in contributions, but a way has been found around that.    I wish the candidates spent as much time on issues and trying to fix them as they do out raising money.

3) Why is there such voter apathy, in other words, why is there such low voter turnout for elections?  Is there a way to rectify this problem?

      I think the reason for voter apathy is that some don't understand the issues, some just don't care, and some feel that no matter who's in office, nothing will change for them.  Low income people, I think, make up most of the last group of people.  Also there are a lot of people, elderly or handicapped that can't get to the polls when they are open.  I'm not sure what can be done other than finding a way to get everyone who wants to vote to the polls.  The ones that think nothing will change, they would need to see positive changes before they bother to vote.  I think some may have voted in the past and seem campaign promises broken so they don't believe them any more.



1) Nathan Tollett
2) Cassandra Kunsman
3) Crystal West Jackson