WEEK 14: The President and the Budget

This last week we looked at the budget process and the role of the president, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Congress and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in developing a Fiscal Year (FY) budget for the U.S. government. Along the way we discovered that a budget simply determines government activities for the coming year, specifies when they will take place and puts a price tag on them. We campared the annual budget deficit or surplus for the years 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2007 and the increase in the Gross National Debt and the Annual Interest on that Debt over those years. THe FY 2007 budget was examined and controllable outlays were defined and identified and contrasted with uncontrollable outlays which include the various government entitlement programs.



The homework assignment requires the student to review the actual U.S. Government Budget totals for FY 2008 that ended September 30, 2008. You can view the Joint Statement of Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury, and Jim Nussle, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2008 at this site and answer questions 1-4 of your homework assignment. Questions 5 & 6 are answered by reading the two articles attached to your homework assignment sheet entitled: "What Would Leo XIII Say About the Social Security System" and "Fiddling While Social Security Burns".

WEEK 13: THE PRESIDENT & THE COURTS

This week we examined the Federal Court System and the Constitutional dimension. Article 3 of the Constitution vests all judicial power in the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. The president nominates candidates for openings to the 800+ lower-court positions in the U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the nine member U.S. Supreme Court. These are life time positions and all of the presidential nominees must be reviewed and approved by the U.S. Senate. Because Presidents takes an oath to defend the Constitution and execute the duties of their office, they have a constitutional duty to see that laws are faithfully executed - not only laws passed by Congress, but also federal court decisions. If U.S. Marshals under the Department of Justice are unable to enforce these laws and decisions of the federal courts, presidents may use Federal troops or call the National Guard to Federal service, or both.


Two examples in the 20th century of Presidents using this power to enforce Federal court decisions occurred in September 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas when Federal troops were called up by President Eisenhower as described here. A second example occurred in 1962 when President Kennedy called out Federal troops so that James Meredith could be enrolled in the University of Mississippi. Part One found here outlines events leading up to President Kennedy's decision while Part 2 found here outlines the events surrounding the riots at Ole Miss and the shooting of 35 U.S. Marshals precipitating the calling in of Federal troops.


And in May 1970, closer to home, the Governor of Ohio called out the Ohio National Guard to the campus of Kent State University where students protesting the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces, clashed with Ohio National Guardsmen. When Ohio Guardsmen shot and killed four students on May 4, the Kent State Shootings became the focal point across the country for a nation deeply divided by the Vietnam War. See a video of this action here.

WEEK 12: Election Overview

This week we will be reviewing the presidential election vote and the latest results from the U.S. Senate races & House of Representatives. We will examine the demographics of voters and their preference for U.S. President & attempt to analyze and draw conclusions from this data. Later in the class we will begin a discussion of the President & the Courts by first looking at the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and then traveling to Franciscan University to hear a presentation on this Act in Cosmos & Damien Hall. Americans United for Life have a comprehensive discussion of FOCA here. Watch a You Tube presentation where President-Elect Obama promises to sign FOCA here.


Your homework assignment involves a number of questions on the Federal Court System and past Supreme Court decisions. All of your home work questions can be answered from the Almanac except question 6. To answer this question, go to the U.S. Supreme Court here and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th District here.

WEEK 11: ELECTION EVE

This week's class on Election Eve will focus on some of the issues that may affect the Presidential election such as absentee ballots & early voting, different methods to cast a vote, election fraud and the role of exit polls. We will look at projections for the Congressional races and the Presidential race & look at some trends that may give us a clue as to who the eventual winner may be. We will also examine a few close presidential races from the past and their outcome.


Don't forget to bring a snack to share for our Election Eve party. The McKeegans will provide juices and soda and parents can join us anytime after 8:30 PM when we will finish class and watch early returns and projections.

Homework Assignment for Week 11
Students are to read and answer questions about four columns or articles concerning this year’s election cycle. Paul Likoudis examines the role of the Catholic Vote in this year’s election in his article, “Catholic Consciences Under Siege” found here. Cal Thomas is his article “We the People” found here, examines what the federal judiciary would look like under a Barack Obama administration. And Thomas Sowell asks “Are Facts Obsolete?” in his article here. Finally, Ellen Goodman puts a Halloween spin on these last days leading to the election in her column “The Democrats’ Case of the Jitters” found here.During class on November 4, you will receive a homework sheet with questions to be answered from each of these articles.