The Phillipines

More than 10,000 people have been estimated dead since the devastating blow of Typhoon Haiyan. Being the strongest Typhoon ever recorded, Haiyan left major parts of the Philippines in ruins and millions of people displaced, without home or shelter.

The United States and Britain are two of many countries rallying military troops to deliver goods and support to the suffering victims. What could we do in the Bend community to help this cause? My first thought would be to instruct all teachers and all managers of companies and businesses to have a mandatory meeting in which the devastating effects of the Typhoon are displayed for students and employees to see. Awareness is key to a successful response. In these meetings people would see the great need for potable water, food, and money to be used for any need once there. We could set up a community-wide charity in which people could donate the mentioned items to a named organization called something like "Typhoon Haiyan Life Preservation Charity". There would be a big warehouse rented out for people to drop their stuff at. Each individual could register their name and email along with their donation to receive updates and shipping order status to feel more personal in their assistance and reassured that their donation makes it to the designated cause. Of course, a portion of the money donated would have to go towards transportation and practical causes to actually deliver the goods. A charity is very beneficial because it stimulates positive feelings in the giver, a sense of pleasure that one is doing good. Not only that, but charities can issue out tax receipts to donors ad also receive favorable income tax treatment. One very successful charity is called Water Missions International. They provide safe clean water to developing countries and disaster sites. Here are their cost statistics: Income Statement (FYE 09/2012) REVENUE Contributions Contributions, Gifts & Grants $7,367,272 Federated Campaigns $0 Membership Dues $0 Fundraising Events $204,897 Related Organizations $0 Government Grants $0 Total Contributions $7,572,169 Program Service Revenue $0 Total Primary Revenue $7,572,169 Other Revenue $-8,729 TOTAL REVENUE $7,563,440 EXPENSES Program Expenses $5,444,127 Administrative Expenses $422,706 Fundraising Expenses $669,248 TOTAL FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES $6,536,081 Payments to Affiliates $0 Excess (or Deficit) for the year $1,027,359 Net Assets $6,458,514 A neat invention for future disasters would be a shuttle car that scans huge amounts of destructed land and buildings at once and pinpoints the exact location of any human survivors. We could save lives that might not be saved otherwise.

Sam Evrin 1972-74 (Unfinished) Sam Ervin was the former Senator of North Carolina before he was assigned as chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, when he became a household name. He was known for his southern lawyer charm and expertise on the Constitution, and played a pivotal role in the events that led up to the resignation of President Nixon. Watergate scandal was a political scandal in the 1970s in the United States. It resulted from the break-in of the Democratic National committee headquarters in Washington DC. This scandal led to the resignation of the then American president Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974. As chair of the committee, Ervin investigated a number of issues regarding Watergate including surveillance camera footage and wiretapping. He requested access to the tapes, believing that they would either disprove or confirm suspicions that the press had knowledge of and approved efforts to cover up the break in. Nixon refused to comply with his request, citing executive privilege of separation of powers at his defense. However, Ervin rebutted with the statement, “the select committee is exercising the constitutional power of the Senate to conduct the investigation, and the doctrine of the separation of powers of Government requires the press to recognize this and to refrain from obstructing the committee” Another statement Ervin made in regards to the suspicions of Watergate was,“If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were in effect breaking into the home of every citizen of the United States. And if these allegations prove to be true, what they were seeking to steal was not the jewels, money or other precious property of American citizens, but something much more valuable -- their most precious heritage: the right to vote in a free election.” Ervin played a very influential role in exposing the truth of what happened at the Watergate and his likeability was key in helping him to this success. Sources: http://www.ask.com/question/what-was-the-watergate-scandal The Washington Post Encyclopedia Britannica www.history.com

Federalism and the Power Struggle

Federalism is a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land of people. It is a system of shared power between units of government. Categorical grants are the main source of federal aid to state and local governments. They can only be used for specific purposes and have increased federal power in regards to the state because they come with strings attached. Federal mandates direct states or local governments to comply with federal rules under threat of penalties or as a condition of receipt of a federal grant. States suddenly have to budget more funds for the project just to receive federal money, increasing federal government power. On the contrary, other types of grants help to increase state power relative to the federal government. Block grants are federal grants given more or less automatically to the states or communities to support broad programs in areas like community and social services. The Tenth Amendment also increases the power of the states in that it declares all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, not prohibited to it by the states, are reserved to the states, respectively, or the people.

Changes to the Constitution

The Constitution is most commonly amended by the formal process of Congress proposing the amendment with a 2/3 vote in each house, and then state legislatures ratify the amendment by a vote of 3/4 of the states. Another formal process, in which has only been used once for the Tewnty-first Amendment, is by a 2/3 majority proposal in Congress, but rather than the state legislatures ratifying it, a state convention ratifies it by a vote of 3/4 of the states. There are two other formal methods that have never been used. The Constitution can also be informally changed without touching the document. An informal method in which the Constitution can be amended is through Judicial Interpretation. It can profoundly affect how the Constitution is understood because the Constitution usually means what the Supreme Court says it means. For example, in 1896 the Supreme Court decided the Constitution allowed racial discrimination,and several years later overrode it claiming it unconstitutional. Technology is also a means of informal Constitutional change because it has spurred the development of mass media that can rapidly reach huge audiences. The bureaucracy has gained importance with computers that help serve the public. Electronic communications and the development of atomic weapons have increased the significance of the president's role as commander in chief, thus increasing his power in the constitutional system. An example of informal change by technology includes proceedings of both the House and Senate are both now on TV, which influences the political agenda. Informal methods are most often used over formal because it takes less time and doesn't require actual altering of the document.