Vocabulary for Unit on Congress

Column 1 done for Tuesday April 5th, 2nd column complete for Wednesday April 6th, 15 point vocab quiz on Thursday April 7th.

        Congress (Legislative Branch)

1. Bicameral                                                                         12. Quorum                         

2. Sessions                                                                          13. Cloture

3. Apportionment                                                                14. Oversight

4. Gerrymandering                                                              15. House Leadership

         a.Packing                                                                             a. House Speaker

         b.Cracking                                                                           b. Majority Leader

5. Franking Privilege                                                                    c. Minority Leader

6. Immunity                                                                                 d. Party Whips

7. Exclusion                                                                          16. Senate Leadership

8. Censure                                                                                     a. President

9. Filibuster                                                                                   b. President pro tempore

10. Incumbent                                                                             c. Majority Leader

11. Constituents                                                                           d. Minority Leader

Have a great break,

Mr. Thompson

Minnesota 2010 Census Results



The above maps (which are hyperlinked in case you can't read them very well on this post) appeared in the Rochester Post-Bulletin Saturday and show population data about our fair state based on the 2010 Census. This data is used for among other things to determine how many representatives each state gets in the US House of Representatives which in turn determines how many electoral votes each state gets. The good news is we will keep our 8 Representatives in the House and consequently we will keep our 10 electoral votes. (Early predictions had Minnesota losing 1 seat in the US House and thus 1 electoral vote as well.)  Feel free to comment on the population data.


Mr. Thompson

What is the Prosperity Index?

I came across this "measure" in a recent Time magazine ("Are America's Best Days Behind Us" March 14, 2011) and thought this would be perfect for you guys. This website is very interactive. Click on the map in the top right to access how the countries of the world are measured based on their "prosperity". Just below that you can access comparisons of 2 or more countries in a wide variety of measures. Feel free to play around with this site and then post. Your comments should include what you discovered, the region/country(s) of the world you were investigating and a short reflection on what you learned.

Have some fun learning about US + the rest of the world we inhabit.
Mr. Thompson

Constitution and Amendments Review Sheet

Below is the review for our 2nd test on the Constitution and Amendments.

Constitution Review

US Govt.   40 points     35 Multiple Choice + one 5 point essay. (2 choices=pick one)

Terms to Know

Constitution                                  6 Basic Principles                        Implied Powers

Preamble                                               Popular Sovereignty           Expressed Powers

        Know the 6 Goals                         Federalism                         Elastic Clause

Articles                                                 Separation of Powers         Necessary + Proper Clause

Amendments                                         Checks + Balances             Full Faith + Credit Clause

Bill of Rights                                          Limited Gov’t.                    Supremacy Clause

                                                             Judicial Review

You need to know the terms and concepts from the Amendments (you are responsible for Amendments 1-10, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26.) Don’t memorize the Amendments by number.

Slander                                                 Libel                                Petition

Probable Cause                                    Reasonable Cause            Double Jeopardy

Freedom from Self-Incrimination           Eminent Domain

Miranda Warning                                  Due Process                    Grand Jury

Trial Jury                                              Criminal                           Civil

Bail                                                      Fine                                 Suffrage

Capital Punishment                               Poll Tax

You need to know the content of the 7 Articles. Refer to the quiz we took in class.

Be familiar with the process to add an amendment.

Last big assessment before end of 3rd quarter. Do well!

Mr. Thompson

Minnesota's Budget Dilemma

Above is a graphic that represents Minnesota's current spending in its state budget. Almost 72% of the budget (which is about $38 billion) is consumed by K-12 Education and Health and Human Services. It is projected that Minnesota will have a deficit of $5 billion and it must be balanced.

If you would like to cut spending, the pie chart provides you the options you may cut money from.

In case you were wondering about raising taxes to balance the budget, here is a link that ranks Minnesota in terms of how much we currently are taxed by our state and local governments compared to other states. A 2nd link that compares Minnesota's income compared to our tax burden as well as similar data from the other states.

Feel free to comment on how you might choose to balance the budget or on any of the tax or income data. If your suggestions are great, please contact Governor Dayton (Dem) and the Republican-held state legislature as soon as possible.
Mr. Thompson

Libya’s stalled revolution

It seems the "revolution" in Libya has been pushed to the backburners a bit with the news in Japan. However I don't know that it would be responsible to forget about what is happening in this African nation. This BBC article provides some common questions and answers to those questions that you may be wondering about.

A 2nd article discusses the US response to a proposed "no-fly" zone over Libya. Should US planes be flying over Libyan air space?

Mr. Thompson

U.S. nuclear safety in focus after Japan quake

With the earthquake and tsunami in Japan triggering the subsequent "meltdown" at one of Japan's nuclear facilities, questions have been raised about the United States and our use of nuclear power. What should the United States do with nuclear enrgy as we face rising gas prices, potential health threatening concerns in the wake of Japan's crisis, increasing global demands for fossil fuels and a limited supply of them, questions about how to dispose of nuclear material safely after it has been used, etc? The link to an article you may be interested in as governments try to answer these questions. The article also has several links within it that can access some video and other news stories that may be of interest.

Mr. Thompson

Is It Time to Tap the Strategic Oil Reserves?

An article from a couple of days ago. Feel free to offer what you would do if you were President Obama in the face of $4.00 gas prices. Be sure to explain your reasoning and support with content from the article.

Mr. Thompson

Schedule of upcoming events

Here is a list of important "stuff" upcoming for those of you who like organization and are "planners ahead"
Tuesday 15th /Wednesday 16th  (depending on section) Quiz on 6 Principles of Constitution 15pts
Friday 18th  Quiz on 7 Articles of Constitution 10 pts
Monday 21st Retake of Quiz on 7 Articles of Constitution (in case first attempt failed)
Monday 21st review for Unit 2 Test on Constitution
Tuesday 22nd    TEST ON CONSTITUTION  40 points

End of quarter is fast approaching.
Mr. Thompson

Article from class discussion today

Below is a link to an article that ran today in newspapers all over the US about our government's decisions about Guantanamo Bay detainees. Feel free to read the article and respond with a short comment about the content and how it applies to our discussion of Constitutional principles.If you choose to respond be sure you put your name after your comments so I can recognize those who have chosen to respond. NO ANONYMOUS POSTS!

Guantanamo detainees

Mr. Thompson

Big day on Monday

Hey there US Government students:

Couple of notes:
1. We did pretty well on our first test. However it is traditionally the easiest. Don't let your guard down.
2. Monday is a big day as your test corrections from Test 1 are due and your Constitution packet is due at the beginning of class. This must be completed as I am collecting it Monday done or not.

Have a great weekend,
Mr. Thompson