PROJECT CITIZEN

American Political System

Five useful concepts in describing and understanding the American Political System are

Liberalism-derived from the word “liberty”, we focus on individual rights and freedoms.

Constitutionalism-We accept the Rule of Law, which means everyone must obey the Constitution, even those at the highest levels of government.

Democracy-We believe in the idea of “popular sovereignty”, or the idea that the ultimate powers of government lie in the people.

Republic-In most cases, decisions about government are made by our representatives rather than by direct vote.

Federalism-In our country, power and responsibility are shared and divided between a national government and state and local governments.

Participation

To keep our society running and to preserve the healthy functioning of our government, we must play active roles in our system of self-government. To play such a role, we must

Understand our system of government

Have knowledge, skills, and willingness to participate

Be committed to the fundamental values and principles of American democracy

Participation

Let’s improve our capacities to participate competently and responsibility in the American political system, including learning to monitor what government is doing and its effects on us. To do this, we will take on a class project.

Participation

For the project, we will1. Identify problems that government could

address in our community2. Conduct research on the problem3. Identify alternative solutions to the

problem and weigh their advantages and disadvantages

Participation

4. Propose a solution to the problem that requires government action and does not violate provisions of our state and federal constitutions

5. Propose an action plan to influence the appropriate governmental agencies to consider or adopt our solution to the problem

6. Record results of our work on a Presentation Board and a Documentation Binder

7. Present results of our work to appropriate government agencies

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

Private Sphere-part of society in which friends and family associate to pursue their private interests

Civil Society-where people associate or interact voluntarily to pursue interests that they share. These associations may provide an effective means for monitoring and influencing government.

Government-Include formal governmental institutions at local, state, and national levels. They include government in all three branches, legislative, judicial, executive.

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

Practice: identify whether each event takes place in

a. The private sphereb. Civil societyc. Governmentd. A combination of the above

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

A local school board changes graduation requirements

Susan becomes a member of the Girl Scouts

Carmen and her friends go out to a movie Marco’s family and friends have a picnic

on the 4th of July Sara and her two sisters join a labor

union

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

The Sierra Club lobbies state legislators to pass environmental protection laws

The state legislature passes a law limiting the use of cell phones while driving

Citizens join a taxpayer’s association in an effort to get government to lower taxes

The federal government awards a contract to a private company to repair sections of an interstate highway

A city council passes a law establishing smoke free zones in public parks

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

Sometimes we don’t agree who should take responsibility due to our political or personal opinions and perspectives. Federalism Anti-federalism

Activity-Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

Identify which area of society should take responsibility for dealing with the following common problems:

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

Ensuring children from birth to three years old eat nutritious food and develop healthy hygiene habits

Ensuring that children receive equal educational opportunities

Promoting the moral development of young children

Caring for the elderly Protecting the borders of the country

Private Sphere, Civil Society, and Government

Maintaining streets in cities and towns Providing medical care for the indigent Protecting people from criminal activity Upholding the moral standards of the

community Building highways, bridges, and dams Protecting the country from external

attack Promoting economic prosperity

Public Policy

What is it? A concept or set of ideas that guides a course

of action or a procedure used in dealing with public issues or problems

Part of laws, rules, regulations, or procedures used by government to fulfill its responsibilities to protect the rights of the people and to promote the general welfare.

Public Policy

Serves to distribute certain benefits and burdens of society, manage the allocation of resources, and manage conflicts.

Governments at local, state, and national levels create public policies, carry them out, and manage disputes about them.

Procedural Justice

Rules for the formation and implementation of policies to insure wise and fair policymaking. Procedures include

Openness to public scrutiny Relevant and accurate information provided to

the public Fair notice Expert assistance when needed Supportive witnesses and the opportunity to

examine opposing witnesses An impartial hearing The right to appeal

Activity-Applying the definition of Public Policy

Which of the four descriptions below best categorizes the situations listed?

A. A public policy solution to a problem by a government institution

B. A public policy solution to a problem by a government institution cooperating with civil society

C. A solution to a problem dealt with by public policy and by civil society each acting independently

D. A solution to a problem by civil society acting alone

WRITE THESE DOWN

Applying the definition of Public Policy

Government funding of medical research, interstate highways, and higher education

Providing assistance to the poor through government issued food stamps and the voluntary contributions of church members

Providing education by religious institutions to promote their specific moral standards

Creating the Department of Homeland Security by the federal government to protect the country from the threat of terrorism

Applying the definition of Public Policy

Community groups taking disadvantaged urban youth on rural outings

Providing training to neighborhood watch groups by law enforcement agencies

Providing food and shelter for the homeless by both state government and private groups

Community groups arranging for young people to visit elderly members of the community who live alone and lack social contact

Applying the definition of Public Policy

Federal government providing tax incentives to businesses for them to locate in areas of high unemployment

Authorizing public funding of charter schools by a board of education

Activity-Creating Solutions to Community Problems

Public Policy solution

Community Problems

Civil Society Solution

City funds program to offer vouchers for food and clothing from local merchants

Poor families in the community need food and adequate clothing

A civic organization runs a food and clothing drive and distributes the items to the needy

School-aged children are out on the streets late at night

Parents are not using child protective car seats properly

The lake in the community is polluted and filled with litter

Owners of a professional football team want to build a stadium in the city

Community Problems

Identifying problems in your community-the following is a list of expectations often requiring public policy solutions to change in our communities:

Providing safe, clean schools, and a good education for all students

Supervising and caring for young people in the community Providing essential services to community members Promoting safety and security Promoting public health Promoting and maintaining jobs and businesses in the

community Protecting the environment Maintaining community standards of decency Protecting basic rights of citizens

Our Project: Identify problems to be dealt with by Public Policy Discuss problems in our community As a group, choose a problem to explore Conduct a survey in community to

determine public opinion Research problem Begin creating a Documentation Binder Decide as a class which project to do

Researching the Problem

What is problem? Who needs to address it? (we are looking

for problems that only government needs to address)

What has been tried before to solve it? What does government have to do to

deal with it? Are there policies to deal with it?

Selecting a Project

We are looking for a project that Should be addressed or resolved by

government acting alone Is important to you and your community You can gather enough information about

it to develop a good project You might actually be able to address or

resolve the problem by proposing a public policy to government officials at the local, state, or federal level

Current Policies ?

Examine current policies. Advantages? Disadvantages? Does it need to be improved or replaced? What disagreements about policy exist? Are there proposed policies? If so, what are

they, what advantages or disadvantages are there, and what disagreements exist?

What other sources of information do we need to explore?

Sources of Information

Libraries Internet Newspapers Professors and Scholars Lawyers and Judges Interest groups or other organizations Individuals affected by problem Legislative offices Administrative offices

Guidelines for research

Phone calls-no more than one student may make the phone call, so it is important that records be kept of the call

Interviews-one student should call to set up an appointment. A small group may conduct the interview (no more than 3)

Letters-One letter at a time. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope

Analyzing Information

We will work together to analyze the information.

We will develop a portfolio and presentation on the subject in four working groups

Analyzing Information

1. Explaining the problem2. Identify alternative policy solutions to

problem and their advantages and disadvantages

3. Develop a public policy solution for the class to propose

4. Develop an action plan that lists the steps your class should take to gain government acceptance of the policy you are proposing

Presenting the information

Required: Presentation Board-Four panels, one for

each group Documentation Binder-Four sectionsOptional: Powerpoint-Four slides or sections Website-Four sections Video-Four sections

documentation section

action plan

class policyalternative policies

problem

Know your Allegiance-Activity

Neighborhood City of Suffolk Virginia United States World

City-wide Exploratory/Stakeholder Meeting

Suffolk’s History

Suffolk was founded by English colonists in 1742 as a port town on the Nansemond River in the Virginia Colony.

Early in its history, Suffolk became a land transportation gateway to the areas east of it in South Hampton Roads.

Long surrounded by Nansemond County, Suffolk progressively became an incorporated town in 1808 and an independent city in 1906. In 1974, it combined by mutual agreement with the former county, which had become an independent city (City of Nansemond) 18 months earlier. It included the former outlying unincorporated towns of Holland and Whaleyville. The newly consolidated cities assumed the name of Suffolk, creating the largest city in geographic area in Virginia.

Peanuts grown in the surrounding areas became a major industry for Suffolk. Notably, Planters' Peanuts was established in Suffolk beginning in 1912. Suffolk was the 'birthplace' of Mr. Peanut, the mascot of Planters' Peanuts.

In modern times, Suffolk remains a major peanut processing center and railroad and highway transportation hub. It hosts a diverse combination of industrial, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and hospitality businesses, as well as active farming. Suffolk experienced a boom in its high tech economy given the presence of the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) facility located in northern Suffolk.

Just the Facts…Size 430 sq. mi.Population (2010)***** 84, 585 (+32.8% since 2000)Employment* 34,354Median Age**** 36.0Households**** 23,283

Families****17,718

Population Density****159.2 per/sq. mi.

Residential Median Sales Price (2009) $255,000

2010 Median Household Income***** $57,546

Civilian Labor Force (2009) Suffolk*** 42,323

Hampton Roads Region/MSA ** 789,507

Unemployment Rate Suffolk** 6.7%

Unemployment Rate Virginia**6.4%

*2008 ACCRA Demographics ** U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics Dec, ‘10 ***Virginia Employment Commission Dec, ‘10****American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau 2010, referenced at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk,_Virginia ***** Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Demographics and Workforce Group, www.coopercenter.org/demographics

Who We Are…Households* 23,283

36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them 55.1% were married couples living together 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present 23.9% were non-families 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or

older Avg household size was 2.69 Avg family size was 3.09

Age Distribution* 27.8% under the age of 18 7.1% from 18 to 24 31.1% from 25 to 44 22.5% from 45 to 64 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older 47.8% of population are males 52.2% of population are females

*American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau 2010, referenced at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk, Virginia

Suffolk’s Diversity

Our geographic diversity is a mixed-rural geographical classification which encompasses portions of rural, semi-rural, urban and suburban areas in our 430 square miles.

Our racial diversity* includes: White 52.3% Black or African American 42.7% Hispanic/Latino of any race 2.9% Two or more races 2.3% Asian 1.6% Native American 0.3% Pacific Islander 0.1% Other 0.8%

*Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Demographics and Workforce Group, www.coopercenter.org/demographics.

Education in SuffolkSuffolk Public Schools: 14 Elementary Schools 4 Middle Schools 3 High Schools 1 Alternative School

Independent and Faith Based Schools: Nansemond Suffolk Academy First Baptist Christian School

Community Colleges:• Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Higher Education Center • Paul D. Camp Community College (PDCCC)• Tidewater Community College (TCC)

Regional Public School (career & technical ed):• The Pruden Center for Industry and Technology

Mayor: Linda Johnson Chuckatuck: Mike Duman Cypress: Charles Brown Holy Neck: Jeffrey Gardy Nansemond: Leroy Bennett Sleepy Hole: Robert Barclay Suffolk: Charles Parr Whaleyville: Curtis Milteer