When General Electric's legendary CEO Jack Welch met with his top-level managers several years ago, they complained that despite GE's emphasis on managing for the long-term, they were under too much pressure to produce short-term results. In response, Welch told them, "Anybody can manage short. Anybody can manage long. Management is balancing those two things."
Some Things I learned Today
Tax Increment Financing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_increme
Venture Capital - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_cap
Charter Schools http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs
Ohh my dear Friend,
I get it. Now I get it. That was the whole point. I was expecting it. I could never expect anything less of you.
Try as I may I can never explain what I hear when you don't say a thing. The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There is a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand, says you'll touch me whenever I fall. You say it best when you say nothing at all.
All day long I hear people talking about. But when you hold me near you drown out the crowd. Ohh Mr. Webster could never define what is being said between your heart and mine.
That smile....says...that touch of your hand....lets me know you will catch me. You say it best when you say nothing at all.
There is a truth in your eyes, that say's you will never leave me. And after all the time that has gone by.....it's still there......... :)
I get it. Now I get it. That was the whole point. I was expecting it. I could never expect anything less of you.
Try as I may I can never explain what I hear when you don't say a thing. The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There is a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand, says you'll touch me whenever I fall. You say it best when you say nothing at all.
All day long I hear people talking about. But when you hold me near you drown out the crowd. Ohh Mr. Webster could never define what is being said between your heart and mine.
That smile....says...that touch of your hand....lets me know you will catch me. You say it best when you say nothing at all.
There is a truth in your eyes, that say's you will never leave me. And after all the time that has gone by.....it's still there......... :)
- Cooking breakfast with my roomie - a veggie omlet and turkey bacon.
- Drinking a vanilla latte while reading Robert Dahl - How Democratic is the American Constitution
- Going to the Mall in Tyson's Corner
- Eating a big fat burger with French fries.
- Going grocery shopping.
So, is America a democracy or a republic? Is there a difference? Or is it both?
Let's see,
So a republic is a system in which people elect representatives to make policy and write laws, in contrast to direct democracy in which the people do these activities themselves.
A democracy is a form of government in which "the people rule." This can take place directly, through participation by the people in actual lawmaking, or indirectly through free elections in which the people choose representatives to make laws on their behalf.
Unitary Republic vs. Federal Republic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_sta
"Legitimacy is about trust. Establishing legitimacy is crucial"
P.S. I am really looking for ward to lunch time.... I get to try the five-bean soup I made yesterday! :)
- Radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affetions of the people. It was a revolution about ideas.
- John Locke's ideas on limited government and the social contract were esperially influential.
- The relationship between the governed and those in power was equivalent to a business contrat in which each side had obligations to fulfill or the contract would be void.
- The job of a representative (in Parliment or Congress) is to reflect the opinions of the constituents who elected him or her.
- People have natural inherent rights that that must be protected.
- Sovereignty must be divided. No sovereign power.
- "The People" should be self governing
- The consent of the governed was necessary.
- Would the ideas of self-government have flourished as throughly in the absence of a set of provocative events? (taxes)
- Revolution was needed to obtain their freedom, not to obtain it.
- Most influential economic groups of the day were the New Englad Merchants and the Southern Planters. But a change in taxation policy agitated them.
- British Government instituted policies designed to extract some revenue from the colonies.
- Passed by Parliment in 1765. This law required all legal documents, licences, commercial contracts, newspapers, and pamphlets to obtain a tax stamp.
- Stamp Act Congress went to Britain to protest
- A boycott of British goods finally caused the Britsh Government to eliminate the tax.
- Passed in 1967
- One of the acts suspended the New York Legislature because the colony had no followed the law of quartering souldiers.
- The Revenue Act imposed custom duties on colonial imports of class, lead, paint, paper, tea.
- Culminated in the Boston Massacre in March 1970 - British souldiers killed five colonists.
- Boycotts and merchants' refusal to import goods led to the repeal of all the Townshed duties except that on tea.
- Enacted in 1773
- Tea was believed to stimulate the economy
- This act allowed the British-controlled East India Company to export tea to America without paying the tea duty that had been imposed by the Townshed Acts. This made the Indian tea cheaper than Dutch tea which dominated the American market and was sold by the colonial merchants.
- The colonial merchants were squeezed out by the new law, because the East India Company used its own agents to sell the tea.
- The colonial response to this was the Boston Tea Party - in 1773 protesters prevented the unloading of the East India Company, and threw the tea in the harbor.
- British Response --> Intolerable Acts
- The acts closed the Port of Boston, restricted the power of the Massachussets Assembly and local town meetings, quartered souldiers, and exempted British officials from trial in Massachusets.
- 12 of 13 colonies banded together to establish the First Continental Congress. The Congress issued demands to the king in the form of a Declaration of Rights and Grievances and developed plans for the colonial resistance to what they deemd as an overbearing imperial government,
- Thomas Payne used phamplet "Common Sense" to arrouse opposition to the royal government.
- Second Congress build a new government by creating an army, approving issuance of currency, and establishing diplomatic and trade relatiosn with other countries.
- On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson
- The Declaration of Independence asserted the rights of life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are inalienable.
- Governernment cannot give these rights to us, we are born with them.
- When the government restricts these rights arbitrarily and unjustly the people have the right to a revolution.
- Nation vs Country. In colloquial language these tend to mean the same thing. But from a political science perpective a nation refers to a shared sense of understanding among a people, a shared sense that they are different and separate from other people, and that thyere are basic principles, values, and outlooks that united a certain people. The Declaration of Independence attempted to inspire a sense of nationhood.
- First attempt to draft a national constitution - Articles of Confederation
- Each state had to ratify the document.
- Ratification process was completed in 1781, and the Articles were in effects until 1789.
- Revolutionary War begun in 1775 and ended in 1783
- This document reflected a deep fear for centralized power, and provided a leading role for states.
- The central government was based in Congress. Members of Congress were selected by state legislatures.
- Laws were to be implemented by individual states.
- There was no Execute or Judicial Branch.
- This system made is difficult to pass legislation. A super majority was necessary 9/13 states. Changing the Articles required all 13 states to agree.
- Congress could declare war, but had no army.
- It would regulate trade with Native Americans, but not within states.
- It could borrow money or coin money, but could not tax.
- The system was depended on the voluntary cooperation of states.
- No coherent way to deal with forein countries.
- Economic treaties were negotiated by each individual state.
- Pulling together national army required pulling together each army from each state.
- This caused a great deal of trouble for the U.S. federal government. Leaders claimed it was "rule by the mob
LIMITED GOVERNMENT
- Limited Government - the idea that the scope of government activities shuld be narrow and that government should act only when the need is great and other sectors of society are unable to meet the need.
- In the USA, there is a weak sense of sovereign power. American government is structured so that one part of government can challenge and check other parts of government.
- Sovereign Power - the individual or institution in a political system whose decisions are bingin and unable to be overturned by other individuals or institutions.
- In America, there is no ultimate seat of power in the system at the national level - there is always some other way to try to dislodge a prior decision. There is no final decision maker.
- American citizens also have limited sovereign power. Yes, their opinion influences policy makers, and the people reserve the ultimate right to push for a rewriting of the Constitution or to enter a revolution. But on a practical, day-to-day level is is a limited sovereignty.
- When citizens don't like something, they can vote out members of Congress. But citizens can't vote out all members of Congress at once. Furthermore, the members of the federal judiciary and bureaucracy, who are unelected, are never up for direct public removal.
- Competing ideas not only challenge the American creed, but also are sometimes deemed "un-American."
- Political activist use this linkage to suggest that some ideas are not simply wrong, but that they are so out of tune with the American creed as to be "un-American".
- Segregating Americans according to social class is seen as a danger to national harmony.
- Assigning "classes" to people is associated with Socialism and Communism (big no no's in American)
- Because American political culture has such a strong emphasis on individual freedom, opportunity, and rights, how do you convence people to focus on the public interest intead of self-interest?
- Politicians often aim to reconcile the interest of the community with those if the individual.
- "Look after not only ourselves, but each other" - President Obama
- Alexis de Tocqueville suggested that one way Americans can reconcile the conflict between self-interest and public interest was by seeing how engaging in kind acts toward others and being concerned about the public interest could also serve as self-interest. Example: Volunteer for community service and do good things, and you will have another impressive line on you resume.
"I do not intend to apologize for these views....nor do I intend to disavow either my views or my church in order to win this election." - JFK
- Beliefs in individualism, liberty, property rights, and democracy, religion, ect. guide people in how they vote, how they want the government to spend their tax dollars, and who should benefit from such spending.
- Most Americans share a set of general presumptions about politics and most political debates operate within these general bounderies.
- Americans value people being treated the same under the law, being able to influence government, and havin equal opportunity to succeed in life. However, this does not mean that everyone will have or should have the same results.
- Individualism- an individual should be able to succeed to the maximum extent possible given their talents/abilities. "Be all you can be" The individual is the funcamental political unit in America. Note: The notion that the individual is entitled to a sphere of unfettered freedom is much less established in other countries than in the U.S.
- Americans believe that "our society should do what is necessary to make sure that everybody has an equal opportunity to succeed.
- By a 3 to 1 margin, Americans place the respoobility for failure to succeed on the individual rather than on society.
- Americans believe it is more important that government provide "as much opportunity as possible" than "creating a greater equality of income."
- Americans have a strong emphasis on individual responsibility.
- The people rule
- Government actions should reflect the will of the people.
- The consent of the governed. The notion of consent means that citizens have a right to abolish the government altogether if they conclude that it is using power inappropriately.
- Equal opportunity to influence the government.
- Equal treatment by the law. Laws, regulations, and penalties should be enforced regardless of the social stature of the individual.
LIBERTY
- Freedom from government restriction. When ever possible, government should leave people to do as they please.
- Natural rights are inherent, not something the government "gives" us. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
- But the government can restrict these rights when it imposes excessively with the rights of other individuals.
- People should be able to acquire, own, and use goods and assets free from government constraints, as long as their acquisition does not interfere with the rights of other individuals.
- With their talents and resources, individuals should be able to obtain property, goods, services, real estate, stocks - with minimal meddling by society or government.
- Individuals should be able to use their property without restrictions. Though the government should have acceptable restrictions to protect the property of others or protect some societal interests.
- Individuals should be be free to choose their religious faith.
- Government must not establish an official/preferred religion.
- The degree of religiosity is unusually high in the US.
- The general pattern around the globe is that countries that are wealthier, more developed, and industrialized tend to place less emphasis on religion belief.
- These ideals are not always followed or honored in practice, but yet the ideals (five mentioned above) endure.
- For a large part of American history women, blacks, hispanics, white indentured servants, non-propertied adult white males could not fully take advantage of "the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
- These groups engaged in social movements for individual rights, liberty, property, and participation in the democratic process, and eventually got it.
- These abstract principles DO matter.
- These ideals provide a starting point in our evaluation process regarding that actions/decision we should take.
- Political culture provides a general framework and a starting point to evaluate issues, candidates, and the actions of public officials.
- Location:Somewhere on Wisconsin Ave.
After applying cream foundation, blot your face with one side of a two-ply tissue. The paper absorbs moisture so the color won't fade, says Sam Fine, creator of the DVD The Basics of Beauty.
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