Blog #4: What involvement should US government (state and federal) have in a case like Terri Schiavo's.

In my opinion, the Terri Schiavo should not even set foot on Capitol Hill. I believe personal issues such as this one should be settled accordingly between the family members. If they cannot come to a conclusion themselves then maybe take it to some sort of a court. The thought of the U.S. government controlling the choice of whether a person in a vegetative state is allowed to live or die is just not right. They should have no say at all in it. When it was voted that she should be allowed to remove the tube that should not have been the main reason it was carried out. Obviously at some point the government may have to step in and settle the families differences (and obviously there were some big differences) but the government can not have all the say. I think the Terri Schiavo case was for the most part carried out in a fair way. It is important to make sure that these type of decisions are not in the government's hands.

BLOG Post #3: What are the similarities and differences between the Honor Code at MBA and the US Constitution?

There are a few similarites between the Constitution and the Honor Code. They both are the main bodies of "structure" that people follow. The government must obey the rules of the Constitution just like all MBA students must obey the honor code. Our government is built on the ideals of the Constitution and MBA is based on the rules stated in the honor code. The Honor Code preserves MBA's honor and integrity just as the Constitution preserves the U.S.'s fair government. The Constitution can be changed with amendments by the people of the U.S. The honor code (I think) can also be changed with petitions from teachers or students. Although in somewhat different ways the Constitution and Honor Code are similar.

Blog #2: What is the pupose of government? Does politics support or impede that purpose?

The purpose of government, in my opinion, is to enforce rules and laws in a fair way to its people. Government should be able to keep its people safe and ensure happiness through freedom. Government should be a good thing and clean of internal crime and corruption. This however is totally unrealistic due to politics. It is unfortunate that the body of government that is put in power to keep our country clean and safe is filled with corruption, scandal, and crime internally. As I learned today in class, almost every politician essentially accepts a bribe when people send their party money in exchange for benefits for that person. Although many of the elected members of the government end up doing some form of good for our country others lie simply to gain power. They take advantage of bad situations and lie their way into office. Politicians have become masters of trickery and often never follow through with what they claim they will. Having said that, many politicians have real ideas and dreams that they would like to carry out. Many politicians do attempt to make good things happen simply for the benefit of the country rather than to get money, help friends, or become famous. Obviously without politics government would basically be non-existent but the potential of government would be so much greater with a "cleaner" group of politicians." Politics in America need a serious moral clean up in order to have the right to govern its people and keep them safe.

Blog Assignment #1: What I hope to learn in U.S. government this year

This year I hope to gain a clearer understanding of the U.S. government in general. I always find myself lacking in knowledge of current events. It is hard to discuss and debate with my friends because I either don't know what is going on around me or do not clearly understand what is going on. I hope this course, if anything, allows me to understand the motives of political leaders as well as getting a better picture of how our government works. Hopefully after this course I can be a person who will know what he is talking about in the world of politics!