Category: Federal government

I have attached the writing instructions. You have to choose one of the prompts given. The textbook is Dautrick, K., Yalof, D & Bejarano, C. THE ENDURING DEMOCRACY, Seventh Edition, CQ Press. 

Your objective for the assignment is to create a political party which will involve you informing the class about your organization and persuade them to vote for your party. You will understand how a political party/ party platform is created and a political party’s role in the election process. The following information should be included in your presentation:
1. Party Name: Example- Republican Party
2. Party Symbol: – A logo of your party
3. Party Slogan: Example- Libertarian Party: Minimum Government, Maximum Freedom
4. Party Mission Statement: Example- Democrats believe that we’re greater together than we are on our own—that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, when everyone plays by the same rules. Our party is focused on building an economy that lasts—an economy that lifts all Americans.
5. Party Platform: Issues: Where does your party stand? Pick 5-7 of the issues on the next slide to include in your platform. Explain your party’s beliefs in on each of the issues. I gave you some specific points under each issue to get you thinking. You may need to do some research first before commenting on them.
What is your Party’s Platform?
Foreign Policy- ISIS, U.S. involvement in Middle East, global war on terror.
Energy- Natural gas (Fracking), alternate sources of energy.
Health Care- Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare). Should the government provide healthcare to its citizens?
Environment- Should the Federal government be involved in protecting the environment? Should there be penalties for companies who pollute? Setting more land aside to be protected.
Immigration/ Border Security- Amnesty for illegal immigrants, punishment for companies who hire illegal immigrants. Building a wall on America’s border with Mexico.
Taxes- Tax increases or cuts for wealthy/ middle class/ poor, raising income tax %, or going with a flat tax (%) rate.
Gun Control: 2nd Amendment Rights – Stronger or more lenient gun laws.
Equal pay for women- Should companies be forced to pay women the exact same wages for the same job that a man does? Is this a decision for state governments, federal government, or private companies?
Raising the Minimum Wage- Should the current federal minimum wage of 7.25 an hour be raised? To what amount? Is this a decision for state governments, federal government, or private companies?
Education- School vouchers, common core standards- should federal government be involved in public education?
National Security- How will your party’s policies protect the country. Balancing citizens’ individual freedoms with national security.
You will create the project individually using PowerPoint. Please understand that you are creating your own political party. You are not giving me information on parties that already exist. This is your chance to be as creative as possible. 

*Formal Assessment Guidelines – Texas Policy Paper
Introduction
This activity is an opportunity for you to closely examine a contemporary policy issue facing the state of Texas. Over its history, the Texas government has had many conflicts with the national government as part of the dynamics under a federal system of governance. These disputes have heated up in recent years, and include immigration policy, education policy, environmental policy, social welfare policy and many others issues. Select one of personal interest and objectivelyoutline the nature of the dispute (i.e., this is not an opinion piece or editorial, you are to write dispassionately). This will allow you to work towards finding a solution.
Take into consideration constitutional disputes as well as political, economic and cultural differences. Look at the history underlying the dispute, how it is playing out within the governing institutions, and how you think the issue may be resolved, assuming that is possible.
Completing this activity is a mandatory component of this course. It serves as the standard course assessment for all GOVT 2306 students. Failure to submit this project in its entirety will result in a failing grade for the course. There are three steps to completing this project.
Step 1: Identify the issue and how both the US government and Texas government have been currently addressing it (historical perspective). 
Step 2: Gather a minimum of three scholarly research articles and additional news/current events relevant to the topic.
Step 3: Prepare a formal policy report that is a minimum of 1000 words (excluding cited text), which includes a discussion of the following:
A statement of the current policy
Reasons for initiating changes
Policy options to be considered
Pros and cons of each option
Recommended course of action
Reasoning for selecting that course of action
The grading standards used to assess the quality of your work for this policy paper will be detailed in a grading rubric, which will be provided during the semester.
It is strongly suggested that you use the library database at the start of the semester to begin researching a topic. This assignment requires carefully planning throughout the semester. Refer to the course calendar for the specific due date. The final draft is to be submitted via the submission guidelines identified by the instructor.