APPG

Final Exam

2006-05-12T07:34:00.000-04:00

Some information you already know:

The Final Exam will take place over 3 days.

Wednesday May 17 - Multiple Choice

Thursday May 18 - Essay 1

Friday May 19 - Essay 2

Your final assignment for the year is to complete whatever articles are left in the reading packet. There are 11 left. You need to show me evidence that you have read them in the form of margin notes, highlighting, Sack Yourman, or any other note taking device.

On Monday May 15 guidance counselors will be in to collect information about any scholarships you may have received.

Tuesday May 16 is the Blood Drive.

Ch 6 Fill Ins Correction

2006-04-01T20:10:00.000-05:00

A few of you have e-mailed to point out the error on fill ins quiz #7 for ch 6. The answer is de facto. It is marked wrong because of the italics. No points lost.

ASSIGNMENTS

2006-03-29T22:13:00.000-05:00

With approximately six weeks until the AP Exam, the assignments to complete this course have all been posted. Go to the appg.us website to see all of the due dates and other information.

Test Review

2006-03-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

REVIEW FOR TEST BUREAUCRACY, CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS

examples of independent regulatory agencies SEC, ICC, FRB, FCC, NLRB, FTC
target audience of the media masses
most competitive races - presidency
criticism of electoral college 2000 popular winner not electoral winner
definition of patronage getting a political job as a favor
3 points of iron triangle bureaucrats, interest groups, congressmen
purpose of the Hatch Act protect federal employees from political pressures
why people are likely to vote political socialization
members of prez campaign staff pollster, policy & media advisers & consultants
electoral college used to elect prez & veep
examples of govt corporations Amtrak, TVA, USPS, CPB
bureaucracies include hierarchy, SOP, formal rules, specialized tasks
ind exec agency vs. ind reg agency
criticism of fed bureaucracy
purpose of Pendleton Act civil service based on merit
NVRA encourages voting allows voter registration at DMV
open primary party members can vote for another partys candidates
Buckley vs. Valeo personal money can be unlimited
low voter turnout people too busy to vote, college age is lowest
national convention formally nominate candidates for prez & veep
amendments extending suffrage 15, 19, 23, 26
nonindependent bureaucratic agencies responsible to
executive branch employment (chart analysis)
role of political parties in elections influential, but not as much power as they had in the past
rules & regulations for elections set by individual states
most common method for states to choose candidate closed primary
organization whose primary activity is raising money for campaigns PAC
how the vast majority of civil servants get jobs civil service exam, apply through OPM
frontloading early prez primaries seem more important
regulations of Election Reform Act of 1974
most important reason campaign costs have increased TV ads
amendment outlawing the poll tax 24
voting behavior class based activity
if nobody wins a majority of electoral votes House of Representatives elects the prez
soft money money used for party building activities
electoral trends suffrage opportunities have increased over history
bureaucrats advantage over prez continuity of service
check on bureaucracy Congress does not appoint agency heads
criticism of media too negative, relies too much on polls, talk radio too conservative, defines the campaign agenda rather than the candidate

Missing Assignments

2006-03-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

On Friday you may have received an update on your missing assignments. or many of you, there seems to have been a mistake, and I am working to correct it. That is, you aren't really missing the work that I reported to you. See me on Monday to clarify individually!

The test for the Bureaucracy, Campaigns, & Elections will still be this Wednesday March 29th. We will review in class on Monday & Tuesday. A review list will be distributed. I will post it online later today.

Don't forget the 3rd marking period ends this Friday. All work must be in by then, including make up quizzes and the test!

Campaign Information Online

2006-03-23T07:48:00.000-05:00

These are the websites that will help you complete the task in class:

FEC.gov
opensecrets.org
Politics1.com

Tomorrow's quiz will be a short answer format, similar to the bureaucracy quiz. You will be able to choose 5 out of 7 questions to answer. Here are the 7 topics:
1. Campaign finance limits
2. Popular vs. electoral votes
3. Party alignment in elections
4. Voter requirements
5. Types of TV ads
6. Campaign teams
7. Technology in campaigns

Quiz & Test

2006-03-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

We will have another short answers quiz on Friday March 24th, covering campaigns and elections.

We will have a test on Wednesday March 29th, covering the bureaucracy and executive branch, and campaigns and elections.

We will be in computer room 122 on Thursday March 23rd.

Ch 13 & 14 Assignments

2006-03-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Everything Due Monday, March 20th!

Chapter 14 multiple choice
Chapter 14 true/false
Chapter 14 fill ins
Chapter 13 multiple choice
Chapter 13 true/false
Chapter 13 fill ins

CHAPTER 14 Textbook Questions

1. What are the personal and organizational aspects of a campaign?
2. What are the pressures and hazards of the nomination campaign?
3. What are independent expenditures? What are the constitutional issues and concerns surrounding them?
4. Discuss candidate debates. How effective are they? Are they truly debates? How might they be changed to make them more effective and useful?
5. Can the press be 'handled'? Does 'spin' work? How do the media cover political campaigns?
6. Discuss the structure of a political campaign and the personnel involved.
7. Discuss the types of media and advertising a candidate may choose to utilize.
8. What are the rules regarding campaign finance for presidential elections? Do they wirk? Why or why not?
9. What are PACs and how do they affect the election process?
10. Discuss the 2000 presidential campaign and election.

CHAPTER 13 Textbook Questions

1. Explain the various types of primary. How are they similar or different and why would a state choose one variant over another?
2. Discuss initiative, referendum, and recall. Why do we have them? How pervasive are they?And what are some examples of recent uses of each?
3. What impactr could regional primaries and front loading have on the process of nominating a president?
4. What is the electoral college? Why is it often the subject of reform proposals?
5. What is incumbency advantage and what events serve to lessen it?
6. Compare and contrast the nature of primary and general elections for both congressional and presidential elections.
7. Discuss the changing nature of the party conventions and how the Republican and Democraticconventions are similar and different.
8. Discuss the role of party in presidential elections and the nature of party alignments.
9. Analyze the nature of congressional elections from 1994 to 1998.
10. Discuss voting behavior and voter turnout. Who votes and why? What voting patterns exist?Why is voter turnout so low? Does low turnout matter?

Chapter 14 PowerPoint notes
Chapter 13 PowerPoint notes

Chapters 13 & 14

2006-03-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

The current topics we are covering are "The Campaign Process" - chapter 14, and "Voting & Elections" - chapter 13. Assignments will follow.

Stay current with information on the Suozzi campaign for Governor.

Quiz

2006-03-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

Short Answers quiz on the bureaucracy on Friday, March 3rd.

Chapter 9 - Executive Branch and Bureaucracy - Due Dates

2006-02-24T06:43:00.000-05:00

1. Chapter 9 Textbook questions due Monday Feb 27th. You may hand them in hand written.

2. Online quizzes due Thursday March 2nd.

Multiple Choice

True False

Fill Ins Quiz

3. Click here to download the PowerPoint notes for Chapter 9.

* If you have lost the text questions, here they are:

1. How did the Civil War, the New Deal ,and WWII affect the nature and size of the bureaucracy?

2. What was the spoils system and how did it lead to civil service reforms? What were those reforms?

3. Compare and contrast iron triangles and issue networks.

4. Does the bureaucracy make policy? Discuss two ways that it does or does not.

5. Discuss three methods by which the bureaucracy can be held accountable.

6. Discuss the roots and development of the federal bureaucracy.

7. What is the formal organization of the bureaucracy and what are the main functions of each agency, commission, or department? Give examples.

8. Discuss the nature of bureaucratic policy making.

9. Discuss the checks and balances the president, Congress, and the judiciary have on the bureaucracy. Which techniques are used most often and which are most effective and why?

10. What problems plague bureaucratic politics and what reforms have been aimed at addressing them? How effective have these reform efforts been?

Sack Yourman # 33 due Thursday 2/9

2006-02-08T07:43:00.000-05:00

The test for the Presidency chapter is also SCHEDULED for Friday 2/10.

Evaluation of the President's website

2006-02-03T08:10:00.000-05:00

Evaluate www.whitehouse.gov. This is the website of the position of the President, not the personal website of George W. Bush.

1. Describe the layout of the homepage. What information is avilable on the website?
2. Who is this website targeted for? What evidence supports this?
3. What information is offered on the website that you did not expect to see?
4. What information is missing that you did expect to see?
5. If you were the webmaster/editor/consultant, what would you add/delete/change from the website?

You may handwrite or type and print your answers in class.

BONUS* Send a question to the White House through the interactive page. http://www.whitehouse.gov/interactive/interact_1.html

Ch 8 PowerPoint Notes

2006-02-01T06:43:00.000-05:00

There was a bad link ont the website to the notes. I have corrected it.

Click here to go to the announcements page.

Chapter 8 Assignments

2006-01-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

The assignments for The Presidency chapter have been posted.

Quizzes are due on Tuesday January 31st.

Textbook questions are due on Friday February 3rd.

The annual State of the Union Address is on Tuesday night Jan. 31st. Make plans to watch it!

Remember, it takes "hard work" to do well. You may even have to work on weekends.

DEBATES

2006-01-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the final day of the debates.

Kudos to those that worked hard to prepare for these presentations, there have been some really great arguments this week!

Last weekend's take home test will be the last graded assignment for marking period 2. You will receive those grades this Friday. (For those that are not on the trip.)

The marking period ends on Wednesday, January 25th. Any assignments or extra credit work should be in by that time.

POLITICAL PARTIES RESEARCH DAY TWO

2006-01-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today's task will be to prepare for an in class DEBATE!
You will each "join" a political party and research the arguments your group has in preparation for a debate on Thursday and Friday this week.
Details for "joining" will be discussed in class.
Each party will have two leaders that will meet with the other parties' leaders to decide which issues will be fair game for the debate, and then detailed research can commence. Details should include statistics, survey results, and any other arguments a party might use to support their position. This research will come from any source; do not limit yourself to the party websites. A good place to start is Issues2000.org

Don't forget ch 12 textbook questions are due tomorrow! There is a 3 point penalty for e-mailing it without handing it in on paper.

POLITICAL PARTY RESEARCH

2006-01-08T22:55:00.000-05:00

We are in the computer lab room 120 on Monday and Tuesday to work on a task researching various political parties in America today.

An organizer will be distributed in class. You may write on separate paper for more space.

Click here to go to a list and summary of all of the national political parties. http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

New Chapter Assignments

2006-01-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

CHAPTER 12 - POLITICAL PARTIES:

Online Quizzes are due Monday January 9th.

Textbook Questions are due Wednesday January 11th.

There will be a research task component to this chapter.

There will also be a writing assignment. (ESSAY!!)

The next test will cover chapters 12 and 16. That date should be the 13th or 17th.

Vacation Assignment

2005-12-22T08:10:00.000-05:00

First of all, good job on the presentations!
You should complete two Sack Yourmans over the vacation.
Reading Packet # 55 & # 59. They are due when we get back on Jan 3, 2006, or you can e-mail it.

Merry Merry!

Create an Interest Group Task

2005-12-14T06:53:00.000-05:00

For the remainder of this week we will be working on the Create an Interest Group Task in the computer lab. Presentations will begin Monday!

New Chapter - Interest Groups

2005-12-05T19:20:00.000-05:00

The assignments and PowerPoint notes for "Chapter 16 - Interest Groups" have been posted. Click here to go to them.

Ran Li on Newsday.com

2005-12-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

Newsday.com: LI students awarded $100,000 in Siemens Westinghouse prizes

Test Date

2005-12-02T06:48:00.000-05:00

Don't forget the test on Congress has been moved to Monday the 5th!

Congress Test

2005-11-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

This Friday, December 2nd will be the date for the Test on Congress. Expect AP multiple choice questions as usual. Review sheet will follow.

New Due Dates

2005-11-18T08:21:00.000-05:00

New assignment:

Sack Yourman articles # 30 & 31 in the reading packet. Due Nov 27.

Change of due date: Chapter 7 textbook questions due Nov 23.

Gobble Gobble!

Congress Online Task

2005-11-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

In class assignment today:

Locate the websites of Schumer, McCarthy, and Clinton.

1. What committees are these representatives on?

2. What do these committees do? (Be specific for each committee.)

3. What other information do these representatives websites provide?

4. What additional information would you want to see added to these websites?

5. Check out other representatives websites and see the differences or similarities.

Resources online:

http://House.gov

http://Senate.gov

http://rollcall.com

http://cq.com

http://hillnews.com

http://congress.org

New Chapter * 7 * Congress

2005-11-13T21:15:00.000-05:00

Assignments have been posted, and you can download the PowerPoint notes.

Extra Credit

2005-11-07T13:29:00.000-05:00

The research paper on a Supreme Court case is due by this Thursday, November 10th if you want the credit for this (1st) marking period.

Click here to see the assignment.

TEST REVIEW

2005-10-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

Civil Liberties and The Judiciary Review Sheet - We will have an in class review session on Wednesday, but you are urged to attend the extra help period Monday afternoon and even Tuesday. I will not be available after school on Wednesday! This is a major exam that will have a substantial impact on your marking period average! It is worth a MILLION POINTS!!

Supreme Court Cases

2005-10-27T16:23:00.000-04:00

Long list of cases This site has a long, undetailed list of many of the cases you need to know.

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

2005-10-27T16:19:00.000-04:00

Landmarkcases.org This site can help find information on some of the cases on the list.

Test Date

2005-10-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

The scheduled date for the test on Civil Liberties and The Judiciary is now Thursday, November 3rd. I will post topics in the next day or two.

The Supreme Court cases dealing with Civil Liberty topics should be common knowledge for you by the beginning of next week. (hint - matching quiz)

CHAPTER 5 POWERPOINT NOTES

Chapter 5 Assignments

2005-10-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

Chapter 5 - CIVIL LIBERTIES - quizzes and textbook questions have been posted.

Click here to download the PowerPoint notes for Chapter 5.

Click here to see a list of Supreme Court cases you are expected to know! They will be quizzed (matching) and tested.

There will be another round of group work and presentations for this topic!

The next test will cover chapters 10 and 5 together. Figure about two weeks from now.

Chapter 5

2005-10-17T16:52:00.000-04:00

Good job on the presentations!

As I mentioned in class today, the next topic will be Civil Liberties, chapter 5 in the textbook if you want to start reading. I will be posting all the assignments this evening.

We will complete the free speech video in class tomorrow.

JUDICIAL BIOGRAPHY TASK

2005-10-10T21:01:00.000-04:00

We will be working on a task this week in class.

As a group of 3, you will be assigned one of the 10 current Supreme Court justices or nominee. Your task will be to prepare a brief biography on this person to present to the class on Friday October 14th.

The biography should include some personal background on the person, but the major focus should be on his or her judicial role. Here are some questions to guide your research:

What is their background experience?
When and how did they get to the Supreme Court? (President, vote count, etc.)
What is their judicial philosophy? (activist/restraint)
What is their political philosophy? (liberal/conservative)
How are they perceived by the public?
What are their key issues or topics?
What has been their biggest news as a Supreme Court Justice?

Here are some links to help you:

Your presentation time will be limited to 4 minutes. Imagine it is a segment on a national news show and this is all the time you have. You must cut to the most important information you can think of and clearly share it.

Your presentation may include visual or technological aides (handouts, posterboard, PowerPoint, video, internet) but is not required. 4 minutes is the key!

Good luck!!

UPDATE

2005-10-07T10:59:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder about upcoming class stuff:

Tuesday Oct 11: Vocabulary quiz - Judicial terms listed on page 379 of text.

Wednesday Oct 12: Two Sack Yourmans due.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we will be in the Computer Lab room 122 researching and preparing biographical presentations on the current Supreme Court Justices. You will be working in groups and presenting your information to the entire class on Friday, Oct 14.

Judicial Sack Yourmans

2005-10-06T19:38:00.000-04:00

Go ahead, admit it. You're extremely excited to be completing a few more Sack Yourmans. Well here they are:

1. Federalist Paper # 78 - by Alexander Hamilton.

2. "Brennan vs. Rehnquist" - # 45 in Polity Reading Packet (page 306)

These are both due by Wednesday, October 12, 2005. You may hand them in or e-mail them.

By the way, if you have forgotten the format for Sack Yourman, scroll down this blog to around September 13th.

Supreme Court Docket

2005-10-03T06:39:00.000-04:00

The Supreme Court begins its 2005-2006 term today. There are a number of cases already on the docket(schedule), and the calendar of cases to bring arguments has already been set for the month of October. The first case scheduled to be heard today is IBP, Inc. v. Alvarez, Gabriel, et al. / Tum, Abdela, et al. v. Barber Foods, Inc.

While you are in the computer lab today, visit this website:

http://docket.medill.northwestern.edu/archives/cat_20052006_term.php

It provides links to the cases on the docket this term. Your task:

Choose any 5 of these cases and for each:
1. What is the name of the case? (A vs. B)
2. What is the constitutional or federal issue of the case?
3. Give a little background of the case.
4. What happened in the lower courts?
5. Anything particularly interesting about this case?

Finding information on these cases will take a bit more searching on your behalf than the link I provided above. This link is a great starting point, but you may need to go a bit further online to complete this task. (Hint: When you click on a case, go to the bottom of the screen to the link that takes you to the lower court decision.)

Good luck, see you on Thursday!

CHAPTER 10 TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

2005-09-27T15:27:00.000-04:00

Please print and bring your answers to these questions to class on the due date - Friday, September 30th. If you have a printer problem, let me know by Wednesday and we will arrange something.

Chapter 10 Assignments

2005-09-21T21:53:00.000-04:00

The next round of notes, online quizzes, and textbook questions have been posted on the appg.us website.

Dates:

Chapter 11 quizzes - 2 days ago - 9/19

Chapter 11 textbook questions - yesterday - 9/20

Blue/Red article - today - 9/21

Ideology task/essay - Friday - 9/23

Test Chapters 1 & 11 - Monday - 9/26

Chapter 10 quizzes - Wednesday - 9/28

Chapter 10 textbook questions - Friday - 9/30

”飓风已经升至5级

2005-09-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

The News in Chinese a> Just in case you were looking for the latest headlines in Chinese...

National Council on Public Polls

2005-09-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

20 Questions A Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results This is a great guideline for determining the reliability of a poll. We will evaluate poll questions in class tomorrow.

I'm in a Generous Mood...

2005-09-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

After you receive your graded chapter one textbook assignment, you may earn extra points on it by adding to the incomplete responses you may have handed in.

This is not the norm, take advantage of it!

Graded Assignments

2005-09-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

I apologize to anyone that hasn't received their chapter one questions grade yet. I am going to print out everybody's work and return it with the grade on it, so that you can see where you earned and lost points. This supercedes my previous comments in class about e-mailing your grade to you.

Due Dates

2005-09-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

Don't forget this week's due dates:

Today: Ch 11 quizzes
Tuesday: Ch 11 Text questions
Wednesday: Article questions
Friday: Ideology Task

Panel Suggests Ways to Improve Elections

2005-09-19T22:45:00.000-04:00

ID card to vote? How come the first paragraph says the card is free but the fourth paragraph says it is $20?

Compassionate Nation

2005-09-19T22:41:00.000-04:00

Katrina Donations Pass $1 Billion Mark No matter how many times we hear criticisms about our country and our people, it is nice to see that we are compassionate about our fellow Americans strife.

No "GOD" in Pledge?

2005-09-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

Judge Backs Case Seeking End of School Pledge - New York Times A federal judge in California has once again opened the door for the discussion on the pledge.

FIGHT!

2005-09-14T20:49:00.000-04:00

At a high school in Houston, Texas, local students and New Orleans evacuees aren't exactly getting along. Please feel free to comment on this one.

Next Chapter

2005-09-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

I really want to get into the Supreme Court current events in class, but I want to make sure we get some in depth ideological understanding before attempting complex discussions on the implications these nominations may have on our future.

Was that enough big words in one sentence?

We will focus on Chapter 11 next (Political Socialization), and Chapter 10 after that. (Judicial Branch) I have posted assignments for Chapter 11 on the main website. Check the Assignments Page for due dates and the Announcements Page for the notes.

More on the Roberts' hearings

2005-09-13T20:43:00.000-04:00

A Strong Performance by a Clear Favorite This article indicates that Roberts is in a good position after the first day of direct questioning.

Supreme Court Nomination

2005-09-13T20:38:00.000-04:00

Some Democrats Disappointed Roberts not more forthcoming The Senate Judiciary Committee started questioning nominee Roberts today, and Roberts did not answer some questions that might give a "preview" of future cases that may come to court. He said he wants to allow the litigants in such cases a fair chance at the time they come to court, and not pre-judge them ahead of time.

Primary Elections

2005-09-13T20:33:00.000-04:00

Turnout Appears to Be Low in New York City's Primary - New York Times This article reports exactly what we were talking about in class today; that people don't vote!

Sack Yorman Article

2005-09-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

This is the link to the article:

http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/APGOV_Political%20Culture.htm

Read this article and complete a Sack Yourman reading organizer.

Who or what is Sack Yourman?

It is a method of taking notes when reading an article or essay, or something else short. Here are the points:

Subject: What is the topic?
Generalization: What is the main idea or thesis?
Details: 4-6 points throughout the article that support the thesis.
Significance: Why is this article important?

Typed and printed or hand written or e-mailed.

DUE Wednesday September 14

Did I get your work?

2005-09-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

Many of you are asking if I received your work. I probably did if you received it in your own inbox. I will be checking them all on Monday so I can let you know by that evening. I am still in the process of going through the forms you sent and recording your e-mail addresses. Some of you sent more than one so I am going over things twice.

Hope you had a good weekend! See you tomorrow - lecture notes!

Google Talk

2005-09-08T19:40:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all that have completed Friday's assignment already! Many of you have informed me that Google Talk isn't working for you. Like I said in class, don't worry about it. It will not be a requirement for this course.

P.S. Good job to those that have completed the online quizzes that are due on Monday! The bulk of your time will be spent on the Textbook questions, so this is effective time management for you.

Online Quizzes

2005-09-07T16:12:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention this in period 5 today:

The online quizzes will not work if you are using AOL to access the internet. You must be using the internet through Internet Explorer or another web browser. (Like Netscape or Opera) Most computers have Internet Explorer (the big blue "e" on your desktop)

If you are having any trouble, too bad. I mean contact me!

Political Culture Article

2005-09-07T10:35:00.000-04:00

Political Culture in America

Read this article and complete a Sack Yourman reading organizer.

Who or what is Sack Yourman?

It is a method of taking notes when reading an article or essay, or something else short. Here are the points:

Subject: What is the topic?
Generalization: What is the main idea or thesis?
Details: 4-6 points throughout the article that support the thesis.
Significance: Why is this article important?

Typed and printed or hand written or e-mailed.

DUE Wednesday September 14

Major Topics in Current Events

2005-09-07T06:34:00.000-04:00

Since current events are intertwined with the curriculum of this course, there are some major topics in the news that will drive our classwork at this point:

Supreme Court nominations and hearings - controversial, political process that is essential to our checks and balances system of government.
Government response to Hurricane Katrina - There are issues of federalism, the bureaucracy, and civil rights.
War on Terror/Iraq - Presidential power, the will of the people, and the role of congress.
The Media - How much are they controlling what we know about these events?

5 presidents are on a plane

2005-09-05T21:26:00.000-04:00



	Five presidents are on a plane: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. George Washington says, "I will make someone happy!" and throws a dollar bill off the plane. Then Abraham Lincoln says, "I will make five people happy!" and throws 5 one dollar bills off the plane. Then Thomas Jefferson says, "I will make 500 people happy!" and throws 500 one dollar bills off the plane. Then George W. Bush says, "I will make the whole world happy!" and throws Bill Clinton off the plane.

Congresswoman McCarthy comments on gas price gouging

2005-09-02T22:44:00.000-04:00

Price Gouging!Everybody knows this is blatant price gouging. Consumers (us) are bearing the brunt of it, politicians at all levels are 'calling' for investigations of it, but the oil companies are going to continue to laugh at us as long as we continue buying SUVs and don't change our driving habits. The only aspect of the economy that never seems to get hurt are these oil companies, because they just charge us more, and we just keep buying. We are a nation of suckers. Myself included. Does anyone want to take over my SUV lease?

The Silence Is Deafening

2005-08-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

Right on, Neil.

Americans Unite

2005-08-31T10:51:00.000-04:00

I hope that the unfortunate situation caused by Hurricane Katrina will bring America together in a positive way. It often takes a tragedy to unite us as citizens and see the bigger picture; that we need to put our differences aside and work as a team to move on and live as a united force.

CIA - The World Factbook

2005-08-29T14:54:00.000-04:00

Geographical and statistical data about every country in the worl.

New APPG website

2005-08-23T14:46:00.000-04:00

I have completed the new website for class.

My Personal Blog

2005-08-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

Gruebs
This is my blog, complete with personal opinions and commentary on the issues. This is the stuff you might not hear me say in class.

First Gov

2005-08-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

The First Gov website is the U.S. Government's official web portal.

Welcome APPG Students!

2005-08-16T10:13:00.000-04:00

Class updates and readings will be posted here regularly.