AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

    

American Government I – Week #2 Assignment 

Federal Budget Activity 

This week we learned about how laws get made by the legislative branch of our government. One of the biggest laws that regularly gets made by Congress is the Federal Budget.. The Federal Budget is a law that spells out how the government will spend its money. This is a huge power that Congress has that is often called, “The Power of the Purse.” If the 

Congress doesn’t give the government money to do something in the Budget, the government won’t have the resources do what it might want to do. 

Part 1 – Create Your Budget 

To create your budget, you must use the website: The Debt Fixer 

Note: if the CRFB Debt Fixer website is not working, you may use the Federal Balancing Act: An Interactive Budget Simulation website in its place. You are still required to turn in screenshots of your choices. 

Once you are at The Debt Fixer website and ready to begin click the “next” button. (Use the images below to help you navigate the site.) 

 

Begin to make your budget selections by selecting various check boxes. Click the “i” icon next to each line item if you want more information about any particular budget line item. 

  
Once you have sufficiently addressed each of the specific budget line items and arrived at the tab labeled “results,” click the printer icon beneath the text that says “Print and follow the on- screen instructions detailing how to export your results as a document. 
  

Do not forget to also submit your essay. You can upload multiple files in a single assignment submission. If you need help with this please contact your student advisor or instructor. 

It is strongly recommended that you use the Chrome or Firefox web browser for this activity. If you are having trouble getting your final results to display or are having difficulty exporting your final results as a PDF file, please try the following steps:
(1) Use the Chrome or Firefox web browser. 

(2) Take and upload screen shots of your budget selections to Blackboard along with your essay for this assignment.
(3) Contact your instructor to make alternative arrangements. 

Part 2 – Federal Budget Activity Reflection Essay 

In at least 500 words answer the following questions: 

 Provide a justification of the budget choices you made within one of the following categories: Defense, Domestic, Social Security, Healthcare (you may NOT choose to focus on the categories labeled: “Budget Path,” “Other,” “Revenue,” or “Tax Expenditures”). In this defense you must address possible counter arguments to the budget decisions you made. If you are spending more under this category how are you going to get new revenue or gain public support for more deficit spending? If you are cutting funds – what are you going to do with these surplus funds? 

  

•   Discuss how this assignment impacted your understanding of the budget process, and the debates between the parties and within Congress have regarding the federal budget? Do you think anything should be done to streamline the current budget process?
   
•   Discuss how difficult this would have been to do this activity as a group project – what budget issues would have been contentious? How could you have come to a compromise?
  Don’t forget to upload your pdf file of the budget as well as the text of your essay in your assignment submission. Both parts of this assignment at once must be submitted for grading.
  View your assignment rubric.
   

AmericanGovernment I – Week #2 Assignment

Federal Budget Activity
This week we learned about how laws get made by the legislative branch of our government.

One of the biggest laws that regularly gets made by Congress is the Federal Budget.. The

Federal Budget is a law that spells out how the government will spend its money. This is a huge

power that Congress has that is often called, “The Power of the Purse.” If the

Congress doesn’t give the government money to do something in the Budget, the government

won’t have the resources do what it might want to do.

Part 1 – Create Your Budget

To create your budget, you must use the website: The Debt Fixer

Note: if the CRFB Debt Fixer website is not working, you may use the Federal Balancing Act: An

Interactive Budget Simulation website in its place. You are still required to turn in screenshots of

your choices.

Once you are at The Debt Fixer website and ready to begin click the “next” button. (Use the

images below to help you navigate the site.)

Begin to make your budget selections by selecting various check boxes. Click the “i” icon next to

each line item if you want more information about any particular budget line item.

http://crfb.org/stabilizethedebt/

http://usa.v1.abalancingact.com/

http://usa.v1.abalancingact.com/

Once you have sufficiently addressed each of the specific budget line items and arrived at the

tab labeled “results,” click the printer icon beneath the text that says “Print and follow the on-

screen instructions detailing how to export your results as a document.

Do not forget to also submit your essay. You can upload multiple files in a single assignment

submission. If you need help with this please contact your student advisor or instructor.

It is strongly recommended that you use the Chrome or Firefox web browser for this activity. If

you are having trouble getting your final results to display or are having difficulty exporting your

final results as a PDF file, please try the following steps:

(1) Use the Chrome or Firefox web browser.

(2) Take and upload screen shots of your budget selections to Blackboard along with your

essay for this assignment.

(3) Contact your instructor to make alternative arrangements.

Part 2 – Federal Budget Activity Reflection Essay

In at least 500 words answer the following questions:

 Provide a justification of the budget choices you made within one of the following

categories: Defense, Domestic, Social Security, Healthcare (you may NOT choose to

focus on the categories labeled: “Budget Path,” “Other,” “Revenue,” or “Tax

Expenditures”). In this defense you must address possible counter arguments to the

budget decisions you made. If you are spending more under this category how are you

going to get new revenue or gain public support for more deficit spending? If you are

cutting funds – what are you going to do with these surplus funds?

 Discuss how this assignment impacted your understanding of the budget process, and

the debates between the parties and within Congress have regarding the federal

budget? Do you think anything should be done to streamline the current budget

process?

 Discuss how difficult this would have been to do this activity as a group project – what

budget issues would have been contentious? How could you have come to a

compromise?

Don’t forget to upload your pdf file of the budget as well as the text of your essay in your

assignment submission. Both parts of this assignment at once must be submitted for grading.

View your assignment rubric.

../01_Instructional_Designers/WrittenAssignmentRubric.htm

Each week, you will be asked to respond to the prompt or prompts in the discussion forum. Your initial post should be 75-150 words in length, and is due on Sunday. By Tuesday, you should respond to two additional posts from your peers. 

The Gerrymandering Game

In 1812, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry had passed into law newly drawn Congressional districts to favor his party (the Democratic-Republican Party). Critics charged that the one particular district looked like a salamander leading the Boston Gazette was first to use the word “Gerry-mander,” which was a combination of the Governor’s last name and the amphibian creature. Ever since, the drawing of congressional and state legislative districts has been an important tool used by both political parties.

Consistent with the 14th Amendment, every ten years after the decennial census (decennial is a fancy word meaning every ten years), the state legislatures redraw both state legislative and congressional districts. Just as Governor Gerry and the Democratic-Republicans did in 1812, today, both Democratic and Republican partisans use reapportionment (the process of drawing new districts) to create state legislative and congressional districts to the advantage of their respective parties.

First, go to the website: 

www.ReDistrictingGame.org

Click the Link “Play the Game” to play “The ReDistricting Game.” Complete the various district drawing challenges in the game! CAUTION: this game is very addicting!

After playing the game, make a discussion post addressing the following:

· What was your experience with the Gerrymandering game? Did anything surprise you?

· Is it possible to create a “neutral,” “fair,” or “equal” system for drawing legislative districts? What would be “fair”? What would be or “equal”? What would be “neutral”? How would “neutral,” “fair,” or “equal” be objectively defined and measured?

· Could Gerrymandering actually be a good thing?

Part 2 – Essay on the Meaning of Liberty

As we read in our lectures this week, philosopher John Locke asked: “If a man in the state of nature is free, if he is absolute lord of his own person and possessions, why will he give up his freedom? Why will he put himself under the control of any person or institution?”

John Locke’s answer was: “that the rights in the state of nature are constantly exposed to the attacks of others. Since every man is equal and since most men do not concern themselves with equity and justice, the enjoyment of rights in the state of nature is unsafe and insecure. Hence each man joins in society with others to preserve life, liberty, and property.”

In at least 500 words answer the following questions:

·         In your own words, what is freedom? (*Note: dictionary definitions of the word freedom will not be accepted)

·         In your own words, what is liberty? (*Note: dictionary definitions of the words liberty will not be accepted)

·         Does your definition of freedom agree with Locke’s definition of freedom? Why or why not?

·         Does your definition of liberty agree with Locke’s understanding of liberty? Why or why not?

·         John Locke argues that freedom and liberty are very different things. Do you agree or not? Why or why not?

·         Finally, how did these ideas of liberty and freedom connect to the creation of the Constitution?

Please note: APA formatting and citations rules apply to this and all essays in this course.

okechukwustanislaus@yahoo.com

okechukwustanislaus@yahoo.com