News Post 5

Today I read an article on USA Today. This article was about Obama visiting a suburb in Louisiana that was devastated by the flood. In his speech that he gave, Obama talks about how in situations like this, politics and parties do not matter because all of America will need to pay attention to this crisis in Louisiana. Obama got a lot of hate for this from a lot of people, including Donald Trump, because he was seen at a golf tournament raising money for the democratic party instead of coming to Louisiana days before he actually visited. However, later in the article, it says that Obama stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has enough money to cover the costs of the flood.

News Post 4

Today I read an article on CNN that was talking about Trump's speech that he gave earlier in the week in Michigan. In this speech he said:

"You're living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed -- what the hell do you have to lose?"

In this attempt to woo African American voters into voting for him, he ended up actually offending them by categorizing an entire race by saying that they are all in poverty and are in need of help. He also asks the audience "What do the have to lose?" Many people found this offensive as well. The article says that this is not the first time Trump has talked about this 58%. 42.7% of this percentage are of people from ages 16-24 Who did have a job in July. This 58% is an incorrect statistic because not everyone in that percentage may be looking for a job. This also caused a lot of debate as well. 

News Post 3

In an article on USA Today, I read about Ethiopian Runner Feyisa Lilesa, celebrated his silver medal victory in protest. As he crosses 2nd at the finish line, Lilesa crosses his arms above his head as a sign of protest of the Ethiopian Government. Later on in an interview he ponders what might happen to him when he returns home from the 2016 Rio Olympics:

"If I go back to Ethiopia maybe they will kill me,” Lilesa said. “If not kill me, they will put me in prison. I have not decided yet, but maybe I will move to another country."

The government back in Ethiopia did assure him that he would not have to worry about any of those things happening to him upon his return.

It's crazy how in the US it is our right to say what we feel and speak out our opinions without feeling threatened. However, in other countries, people fear that an open mind may lead to their imprisonment or death.

News Post 2

Today I read an article on CNN titled "Judge Temporarily Blocks Obama School Transgender Bathroom Policy". This article talked about how a Texas federal judge issued an injunction that blocks federal Government agencies from acting against states that do no agree with the Obama Administration's policy on public bathrooms in schools. This policy states that people should go to whatever bathroom matches with their sexual identity; not their actual gender. Many people believe that this rule protects the countries transgender community, while others believe that it puts students' privacy and rights at risk. At first, if a state did not follow this policy there would be consequences. However, now that this Texas judge has spoken out, the court has overruled this policy. Many people are excited about this decision, but others are disappointed and see it as "a step in the wrong direction" for our country.

News Post 1

Today I read an article about how there were new cases of the Zika virus transmission found in Miami Beach. The exact  location of where the Zika Virus is spreading is called Miami- Dada County. Three of these new cases were travelers visiting the beach for vacation. The Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, reached out to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention for Help. He then announced that they will provide the public with the information that they need when it is needed. Because of this, the press is blaming Rick Scott for keeping this information hidden in order to keep a steady flow of tourism. This relates to government and politics because it concerns the health and well being of citizens. Also, the people of Florida have a right to know everything that is going on in order to prevent themselves and their children from contracting this disease.

Summary of Most and Least Religious States Article

In an article on Pew Research, an experiment was conducted to see how religious each state was. They measured how religious they were on four levels: worship attendance, prayer frequency, overall belief in God, and how important religion is in ones life. According to this article, a very religious state would score a 2 out of 4 or higher and a not so religious state would score 1 out of four. This study showed that most states in the south ( Alabama Mississippi, Tennessee, etc) scored exceptionally high while states in the northern parts of the country ( Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, etc.) scored very low.

I think that politicians would find this information very useful. This is because by knowing what level of religion each state represents, it will make it easier for them to target certain areas in the country with similar religious views. This is good because it could possibly help them win an election.

What I Have Done so Far!

I was really excited to start AP Gov this year because I am very passionate about our country's history and the way that problems were solved then and now. So far, we have taken a typology quiz to find out where we fit in political typology. We have also taken another quiz to find out how much we knew about the news around the world. After discussing our results on these quizzes, we were assigned to analyze data and determine what trend represented the data. This was very challenging because I have never done anything like it before. Lastly, I created this blog!

The News IQ Quiz: http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/

The Typology Quiz: http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/