ReAl Or FaKe?

New government quiz...

Post something you learned and how you did on the quiz

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/?page=quiz.cfm

Are Video Games a Freedom Speech Issue? The Supreme Court is Set to Decide.

The Supreme Court will decide whether a California law that bans the sale or rental of violent videogames to minors will stand. The law was passed in 2005, but has never been enforced due to the questioning of its constitutionality.

Nearly a dozen states have expressed support for the CA law or have tried to pass similar legislation.

Those who support the law say that violent video games have been shown to cause violent thoughts and agression in children. Suporters say that parents should be able to decide if their children should be exposed to such games, not game makers or retailers. They believe that making it illegal to sell or rent the games to minors will help keep games out of the hands of children.

Opponents of the law point out that games already have ratings on them which allow parents to make decisions about games. They say that the rating system is highly recognized and well enforced, making this law unnecessary.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said," Videogames are fully protected speech ...and that the government can't regulate speech content if there are reasonably effective private rating systems and parental control tools that don't interfere with our First Amendment rights." They have urged the Supreme Court to protect the free speech rights of videogame creators and users.

This case is being touted as "the single most iomportant moment for games, and the pivotal issue for gamers, in the sectors history." Your thoughts?

Shame Kids into Better Grades?

Florida mom Rhonda Holder forced her 15 year old son to stand on a stret corner with a sign around his neck that said:

"I did 4 questions on my F-CAT and said I wasn't going to do it. GPA 1.22..Honk if I need an education"

The mom said she wanted to embarrass her son into taking his education more seriously. She said she has trioed taking things away, like hi phone, and nothing has worked. The 15 year old does not like to be embarrassed, so she decided to use embarrassment to try and get him to change.

She plans to make him stand on the corner everyday until his grades improve. What do you think? Will this work?

'I won't pay' movement spreads across Greece

They blockade highway toll booths to give drivers free passage. They cover subway ticket machines with plastic bags so commuters can't pay. Even doctors are joining in, preventing patients from paying fees at state hospitals.

Some call it civil disobedience. Others a freeloading spirit. Either way, Greece's "I Won't Pay" movement has sparked heated debate in a nation reeling from a debt crisis that's forced the government to take drastic measures - including higher taxes, wage and pension cuts, and price spikes in public services.

"The people have paid already through their taxes, so they should be able to travel for free," said Konstantinos Thimianos, 36, an activist standing at the metro picket line in central Syntagma Square.

In one of their frequent occupations of the toll booths on the northern outskirts of Athens recently, protesters wore brightly colored vests with "total disobedience" emblazoned across their backs, and chanted: "We won't pay for their crisis!"

A rash of political scandals in recent years, including a dubious land swap deal with a rich monastery and alleged bribes in state contracts - has fueled the rebellious mood.

"I don't think it's part of the Greek character. Greeks, when they see that the law is being applied fairly and to all, they will follow it too," said Nikos Louvros, the 55-year-old chain-smoking owner of an Athens bar that openly disobeys the smoking ban. "But when the law isn't being applied to some, such as when there are ministers who have been stealing, ... Well, if the laws aren't followed at the top, others won't follow them."

Mid-quarter Break

Any posts BEFORE this one will be counted toward the SEVEN that need to be done for quarter 3 midquarter. After midquarter, I will not count any posts made on these entries.

Government in Action --addresses

You may write a letter orsend an email to an elected offical concerning an issue that concerns you or a bill that is being voted on. TO EARN CREDIT....PRINT OFF A COPY OF YOUR EMAIL

Use this link to determine who YOUR state senators and representatives are.

http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/

Minnesota Cheeseburger Bill??

Republican Representative Dean Urdahl of Grove City, Mn introduced a bill that has been called the "cheeseburger bill." The formal name for the bill is "Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act." If passed, it would prohibit people who gain weight from suing food sellers and makers. It means you can't sue McDonalds if you get fat from eating their food.

There is debate about the need for such a bill. Minnesota has never had a lawsuit against a company over weight gain. Some think it is not an issue. Others say current law already prohibits such lawsuits.

Those in favor of the law say that other states have had such lawsuits and Minnesota could in the future. Others say the bill is needed to stop frivolous lawsuits which cost taxpayers and raises the prices of goods.

This bill has passed the Mn House of Representatives. It is moving through the Mn Senate and it is unclear whether or not it will pass or whether the governor will sign it.

What do you think?

Protesters rally for 6th day at Wisconsin Capitol

On Saturday, 68,000 protestors gathered in Madison ,Wisconsin at the capitol to protest new Wi. governor Scott Walker's plan to eliminate most public employees right to collectively bargain.

The Republican controlled state legislature seemed ready to easily pass this legislation, until Democratic legislators fled the state and went into hiding making a vote impossible because there was no longer a quorum.

Walker says he wants to eliminate some collective bargaining rights to help balance the budget of Wisconsin. Other governors in Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Florida and New Jersey are considering similar legialation, Minnesota is also proposing legislation that would limit collective bargaining rights.

Public schools in Madison, and many other districts throughout the state, were closed due to teachers who had taken time off to protest at the capital. Many union supporters from Minnesota and surrounding states have also joined the protests.

Which Founding Father are YOU?

Take the quiz and tell us your results. :)

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/?page=foundingFatherShort.cfm

Egypt Revolution...what was life like?

Yesterday we watched a 60 Minutes special on the revolution in Egypt. We did not really learn that much about what life was like under the autocrat Mubarak.

Research this and post something for us to read! What was life like for the people? Why did they revolt? How much control did the dictator have over their lives?

Freedom of Speech?

This is an interesting story....the 1st Amendment gives us freedom of speech, but we know that there are limitations on our individual rights. What do you think about this story? Are freedoms violated?

A high school English teacher in suburban Philadelphia who was suspended for a profanity-laced blog in which she called her students "disengaged, lazy whiners."

As she fights to keep her job at Central Bucks East High School, 30-year-old Natalie Munroe says she had no interest in becoming any sort of educational icon. The blog has been taken down, but its contents can still be found easily online.

Her comments and her suspension by the middle-class school district have clearly touched a nerve, with scores of online commenters applauding her for taking a tough love approach or excoriating her for verbal abuse. Media attention has rained down, and backers have started a Facebook group.

'Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy LOAFERS'
"My students are out of control," Munroe, who has taught 10th, 11th and 12th grades, wrote in one post. "They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire, and are just generally annoying."

And in another post, Munroe writes: "Kids! They are disobedient, disrespectful oafs. Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy LOAFERS." She also comes up with a colorful list of comments that she felt should be available on student report cards.

Munroe points out that she also said positive things, but she acknowledges that she did write some things out of frustration.

Munroe did not use her full name or identify her students or school in the blog, which she started in August 2009 for friends and family. Last week, she said, students brought it to the attention of the school, which suspended her with pay.

Munroe has hired an attorney, who said that she had the right to post her thoughts on the blog and that it's a free speech issue. The attorney, Steven Rovner, said the district has led Munroe to believe that she will eventually lose her job.

Thoughts?

You fix the Minnesota deficit

Go to this website and see what the options are for fixing the deficit...

http://www.minnpost.com/fix_minnesota_deficit/

What did you choose? Was it hard to make cuts? Describe what you did and you can earn GOVERNMENT IN ACTION credit.

How bad is Minnesota's budget deficit? Mega-bad

Minnesota is headed toward a historic budget deficit that could rock state government -- and the people who depend on it -- down to its core.

State budget officials put our deficit at $6.2 billion.

Unlike the federal government, the state is constitutionally required to balance its budget, a constraint that will force elected officials to consider options they've never looked at before.

"We can't tax our way out of this problem," said Senate Taxes Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook. "You cannot raise taxes by that much. You can't cut the state budget by that much, either. I would argue that everything -- every spending program, every tax -- has to be on the table. This will require a major re prioritization of programs."

What do you think about the state having to balance its budget every year? We can not carry a debt. Is this good or bad? Why?

Arizona Sues Federal Government

Arizona filed a lawsuit Thursday against the federal government for failure to achieve or maintain operational control of its border with Mexico and for allowing an "invasion" of illegal immigrants into the state that "cannot bear the staggering cost of protecting itself."

Arizona's complaint against the federal government echoes concerns expressed by many Republicans on Capitol Hill - that the administration isn't doing enough to curb illegal immigration. "The [Homeland Security Department] Secretary has not built at least 700 miles of fence along the border as required" by a law that was approved in 2006, the complaint said. "The Secretary has failed to provide for the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors to achieve and maintain 'operational control.'

Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer said the government should use its resources to protect Arizona from drug cartels that are using Arizona's borders for their operations.

What do you think? Should the federal government give more help to Arizona with this problem?

How much do elected officials know about their government?

For five years now, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute has been conducting a national survey to gauge the quality of civic education in the country. Elected officials who took the test scored an average 5 percentage points lower than the national average (49 percent vs. 54 percent), with ordinary citizens outscoring these elected officials on each constitutional question. Examples:

•Only 49 percent of elected officials could name all three branches of government, compared with 50 percent of the general public.
•Only 46 percent knew that Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war -- 54 percent of the general public knows that.
•Just 15 percent answered correctly that the phrase "wall of separation" appears in Thomas Jefferson's letters -- not in the U.S. Constitution -- compared with 19 percent of the general public.
•And only 57 percent of those who've held elective office know what the Electoral College does, while 66 percent of the public got that answer right. (Of elected officials, 20 percent thought the Electoral College was a school for "training those aspiring for higher political office.")

Overall, our sample of elected officials averaged a failing 44 percent on the entire 33-question test, 5 percentage points lower than the national average of 49 percent.

What do you think about this? Should our elected officals know more about our government?

Constitution Quiz

Use the link to take a quiz on the Constitution. How did you do? What did you learn that you did not know?

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/?page=quiz.cfm

BiZzaRe LaWsUiTs

A Washington state sheriff's deputy sued Burger King and one of its franchises for $75,000 over something he definitely didn't order with his Whopper. That could end up being one expensive lunch. Let's take a look at some other bizarre lawsuits that have made the docket.

- An L.A. cop sued Victoria's Secret (for an undisclosed amount) over injuries inflicted when she tried on a thong.

- Nebraska's longest-serving state senator filed an unusual lawsuit against a higher power.

- A Washington, D.C., judge sued his dry cleaners for $65 million over a lost item. What became his nickname?

- In Cleveland, a part-time paralegal sued NBC for $2.5 million because a sequence from one of its shows (now defunct) made him physically ill.

- A Wisconsin man sued his cable company for providing four years of free service that had unwelcome effects on his family.

- A woman sued Universal Studios in Florida for $15,000 because one of its featured attractions was too scary for her.

- A Michigan man sued Anheuser-Busch for false advertising when what the ads depicted didn't actually happen after he drank the beer. Pick a case and find out the details...post them in a response for us all to read.