Essay 14

The president has a number of executive powers that allow him some influence over domestic policymaking in Congress. For example, the president has legislative powers, including the power to veto a law, pocket veto a law, or sign legislation to pass a law. This means that even if congress passes a law, the president can veto it and send it back, thus influencing Congress to change, alter, or throw out the proposed change to policy. The president is also the Commander in Chief, which means he or she has the power to call into service the National Guard, and in times of emergency may be given the power by Congress to manage national security or the economy (LLI).
The President also has limits on his/her ability to influence policymaking, however. For example, mandatory spending in which spending is not controlled by annual
budget decisions, limits the president because budgetary constraints make it
difficult to accomplish policy goals.
Party Polarization, or increased interparty differences, also limits the president in that
the opposing party may block policy
goals there is a lack of moderates with whom to build coalitions.


2008-2)A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

-The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy.

-Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policy making in Congress.
*Mandatory spending
*Party polarization
*Lame-duck period


http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_gopo_us_sgs.pdf

Essay 13

Congressional Deportation is the reallocation of the number of representatives
each state has in the House of Representatives. Reapportionment increases or decreases the number of seats a state has in the House/Congress. More representatives mean that a state has more influence, as the number of representatives in each state increases or decreases a state's number of electoral votes.
Congressional redistricting is the drawing or redrawing of congressional district lines.
During this process, politicians often "gerrymander"or manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class.
Politicians may choose to "pack" or "crack" representatives in district territories, depending on the circumstances. Packing clumps representatives of a party in a single district, allowing the other party to win the remainder of the districts. Cracking splits distributes representatives among multiple districts, to prevent them from constituting a majority. Two of politician's main goals of using this tactic are to enhance the political party strength and minimize the opposite party's strength and to protect incumbents.
Two limits that the United States Supreme Court has has placed on congressional redistricting include that districts must be equally populated, and district lines must be connected.


2008-1) Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.
(a) Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is important to states.
(b) Define congressional redistricting.
(c) Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting.
(d) Describe two limits that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.


http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_gopo_us_sgs.pdf

Oil Spill

"Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.In this episode of "60 Minutes," crewmember Mike Williams describes his horrific experience just barely escaping the "Deep Water Horizon" explosion.He says the destruction of the "Deep Water Horizon" had been building for weeks in a series of mishaps. The article sheds light on the consequences to human life by BP's decision to bypass safety precautions in order to save money.

"Video: The Spill | Watch FRONTLINE Online | PBS Video." PBS Video. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.This PBS Frontline video on the 2010 Oil Spill in the gulf of Mexico investigates the cause and effect behind the disaster as well as the response from BP and the company's executives.

"The Oil Spill’s Effects on Wildlife." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.This article from the New York Times gives facts and statistics about the environmental effect of the BP oil spill in 2010. A noted increase in the deaths of turtles, dolphins, and birds have been reported since the spill, and concerns for a multitude of other marine species are explained. Cleanup materials and separation chemicals may be the lesser of two evils as both are potentially harmful to wildlife. The article reveals how the spill cost more then just human lives.