Veto Corleone: Congress will make an offer Obama can refuse (or is it can't?)

The whole point of checks and balances is to prevent one branch of the federal government from gaining too much power over the lawmaking process.  That is why the President has the ability to, after Congress has passed a law, just say no (veto power).  There is one way Congress can fight back though, by overturning his veto.  Read (or listen to) this NPR segment about the possibility of a veto override from Congress in the next two years and answer the following questions:

1.  What are the numbers need in both the House and the Senate to override a Presidential veto?  Do you agree with the host about whether or not it will happen?  
2.  Where in the Constitution is the veto override power outlined?
These last three questions require a little more research:
3.  What President has the notorious distinction of having the most vetoes overridden by Congress?
4.  Why will Obama veto any more sanctions against Iran?  Explain his reasoning.
5.  What am I referencing in the title of this post? (it's a terrible pun but I couldn't help myself)

State of the Union address

Tonight is the annual State of the Union address, one of the President's constitutionally enumerated powers.  Watch the State of the Union and adress the following questions:
1. What was the general tone of President Obama's address?  Why do you think he took this approach?  Idenitfy the specific excerpt from the Constitution that gives him this power.
2.  Much of President Obama's agenda in his last two years will likely not be passed, as the Republicans are now in control of both houses of Congress.  Do you think this influenced his choice of words or the agenda he was trying to promote?  Why or why not?  Cite specific examples from his speech that support your answer.
3.  Identify one or more statements that President Obama made in the SotU that you most agree with.  Explain why you agree.  Be specific in both the ID and the explanation.
4.  Identify one or more statements that President Obama made in the SotU that you most disagree with.  Explain why you disagree.  Be specific in both the ID and the explanation.
5. What do you think is the most pressing issue in America today?  Why do you think it is so important? Is it something that President Obama talked about in his SotU? If so, what did he have to say?  Do you agree? Why?

Tax cuts: What do you think?

Read this article from NPR about a recent change in Congressional analysis of the impact of tax cuts.  Republicans say that tax cuts increase government revenue by giving more money to job creators, boosting the economy and increasing the tax base.  Democrats believe that tax cuts decrease government revenue through foregone revenue.  What do you think and why?  Explain the reasoning behind your belief.  Does trickle-down economics work?  Why or why not?  Is this just a ploy by Republicans to "institutionalize Republican ideology into the budgetary process" or is it a legitimate analysis of possible economic impact and cost of a piece of legislation?  Explain your reasoning for your answer.  This is a good introduction to the Laffer curve, a concept you will learn about in AP macro.  Essentially the questions is, do tax cuts increase or decrease government revenue?  Answer all of the questions posed above and tell me what you think.

The 114th Congress

Watch the clip below and answer the following questions about what a new Congressman must do in their first days in office.  Answer these on your own, you will not get credit for an answer that is not thorough and does not answer the questions fully.

• Describe what a new member of Congress must do to set up his office. Why is it so difficult?
   
• Explain the importance and process of committee assignments for new members of Congress.
   
• Describe the orientation process for new members of Congress. What types of things do they learn at orientation?

Unit 4 FRQ topics

Possible FRQ topics include but are not limited to:
1. Selective incorporation
2. Bill of Rights
3.  Civil Rights amendments
4. Significant court cases

Should the CIA use "enhanced interrogation"?

This week the Senate released a report on the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques by the CIA to obtain information from terrorists after 9/11. It is a largely scathing report that contends the CIA mislead elected officials abotu the extent to which torture was used to obtain information. Senator Feinstein believes that these tactics are "deeply misguided," while former VP Dick Cheney says the report is "full of crap." There have been many responses to the release of the report, so what do you think?  Answer the following questions AND respond to another post to receive credit.

1. Do you think that, as a policy, torture should be condoned by the US government? What if it yields only a minimal amount of usable information?

2. Do we lose a moral high ground if we use torture or do you think that we should try to obtain information to protect Americans by any means necessary?

3. Do you think the Senate should have released the CIA report on enhance interrogation? Do you think the allegations of misleading government officials or the actual torture is a bigger issue?

Immigration reform: Will it happen? If so, then how?

President Obama took executive action on immigration, effectively allowing around 4 million illegal immigrants to "come out of the shadows" and obtain temporary legal status.  Now, 17 states are suing Obama over this action.  The implications of his actions have yet to be fully determined and there are people on both sides of this argument.  Clearly both sides want something done to reform immigration, but there is major disagreement on Obama's approach.  Read the linked articles for background, and answer the following questions about the debate:
1.  Do you think what Obama did was unconstitutional?  Why or why not?  Explain your reasoning, citing text from the Constitution in your answer.
2.  Aside from the constitutionality of his actions, do you agree with what he did?  Should illegal immigrants be given legal status, even temporarily?  Why or why not?
3.  What are three main reasons why there is a push to reform America's immigration policies?  Be specific in your answer.
4.  Should Congress shut down the government by blocking appropriations bills to prevent Obama's actions from having an immediate effect?  Why or why not?