Rockie's Blog

After reading Chapter 5, the emphasis I chose for my blog reflection was interparty competition. The book defines this as a “two-party electoral competition” (98). This basically means that both republicans and democrats are put on the ballot. This is a great way for both republicans and democrats to vote for the candidate they feel best represents their interests regardless of political party. This section brings up the concept of a divided government, and a unified government. A divided government is when one political party controls one office while the other party controls the other office. A unified government is when the same political party controls both offices. Inter party competition gives the voters a chance to either unify or divide the government based on what they feel best represents their vision for the United States. Interparty competition “is healthy development in American politics” (98). The book also states that with interparty competition “citizen interest picks

Citizen participation is extremely important to my community partner. Without citizen participation, the organization wouldn’t exist. All the tutors are volunteers so without them, there wouldn’t be anyone to work with the kids. That’s the obvious answer but participation in voting is also pretty important for my community partner as well. The textbook states that “individuals with lower levels of income an education tend to participate less than wealthier, more educated individuals” (71). The book also states that “if some traditional nonvoters (such as low-income, less-educated citizens) went to the polls, then vote-seeking candidates would be forced to pay more attention to their interests, and public policy might be nudged in a different direction” (70). My community partner serves the citizens and children of the low-income, less-educated communities. If the people of those communities went out and voted, then maybe they would be heard and something would be done in order to le

It’s not a secret that state and local governments don’t always just seamlessly come together in order to resolve their issues. The textbook states that “the relationship between states and their communities are often strained. On the one hand, state government gives local governments life. States create the rules for their localities. On the other hand, state governments historically have not treated their local governments very well” (233). It all comes down to power, whether it be that the states are exercising their power over local governments, or how much power they’re giving local governments. The textbook states that “a state can supersede the local government within its boundaries” (233). The book also mentions “Dillon’s rule” (234) which basically means that local governments only have the power that states give them and if there’s any confusion or conflict, it is to be resolved in favor of the state. The state government has a history of using their power against their

Two hallmarks that I think are consistent with Reading Parters are “We honor the dignity and sacredness of each person” & “We develop holistic learning communities which educate for life”. I think all of them apply in some way but I find these two to be the ones that relate to Reading Partners the most. A lot of these kids are underprivileged and their reading skills are a result of that. They’re a product of their circumstances and they’ve been overlooked by the government. The fact that these children’s poor education is a result of their area code or their parents financial status breaks my heart which is why I’m so excited to be working w Reading Partners. These two hallmarks coincide with the fundamental beliefs of the founders and volunteers. The hallmark, “We honor the dignity and sacredness of each person”, related to Reading Partners because we don’t care where these kids are from, who their parents are, or what their background is like. We don’t believe that any of

Both state and local government are meant to be for the people but they have different functions. In the textbook (on page 26), they introduce the idea of factions which I think is one way to look at it. The book defines the factions as “groups that pursue their own interests without cover for the interests without concern for the interests of society as a whole” (26). I think of state and local governments as factions of the federal government. Obviously, state and local governments care about society as a whole, but their main responsibility is to their state and it’s inhabitants while the federal government is responsible for not just a single state, but all the states. This is a very simplistic way of looking at it but there are a lot more details involved in distinguishing federal government from state and local government. The Federal government is responsible for monetary concerns/issues, foreign commerce, treaties with other nations, war & safety, the postal system, et

I knew that I wanted the volunteer work I did to have something to do with kids & education. I have been fortunate enough to have attended private schools but for those who can’t afford them or don’t live in affluent neighborhoods, they don’t receive the same education or the same opportunities which isn’t right especially since the poverty stricken neighborhoods are the ones that are inhabited by mostly minorities. The quality of the education that we receive and the opportunities we’re given in academia plays a major role in the jobs we will have and the lives that we will live. So the fact that money or skin color plays a factor in the quality of the education a lot of kids receive breaks my heart and I knew that I wanted to be a part of the solution to this problem. I had a lot of trouble finding a community partner. I knew that I wanted to work with children and education. My aunt is involved with an organization that does work with kids and education in Ethiopia. Their

For this reflection, I’ve chosen to focus on the section titled Ethnic-Racial Composition, found on pages 13 and 14 in the text. I chose this particular section because it’s one that I feel is relevant to my every day life. My mother migrated here from Ethiopia, and I went to high school in the mission district so immigration is something that I’ve constantly been surrounded by. I’ve always been taught that the United States is a melting pot and that’s what makes this country so unique and so different. But given everything that’s been going on in the past couple of years it seems like that immigration isn’t something the United States is proud of. The textbook states that out of the 300+ million people who live in the United States, “ most Americans owe their nationality to some forebear who came here in search of a better life…” (p13). The statue of liberty has the words “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teemin