Chapter 9 Political Institutions -After referring to Policy Advocacy Challenge 9.1 (p. 289), students will locate web sites of their home Congressional Representative and Senator. Compare and contrast their web sites with respect to the (1)quality of information provided
(2) as well as the extent the web site has an ideological bias. (refer to table 1.1 pg 16 and pgs. 51-54)
Also find and examine the web site of your state’s Governor, asking the same questions.
Of the three web sites, which did you like the most and which did you place at the bottom of the list?
Use the following textbook and cite your sources and page numbers - Becoming an Effective Policy Advocate: From Policy Practice to Social Justice (4th Edition)
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For this assignment, I located the Senator and Congressional Representatives of New York state which is m home town. The two senators of New York state are Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer. The Congressional Representative is Carolyn Mcarthy. Both websites of each offer you adequate and sufficient information. They both offer you information on social issues such as the senators website offers you information about the economy, health care, education, etc. The Congressional Representatives website also offers information about education and health care but this particular website gives you more choices of issues to choose from and read about, whereas the senators website is a little more narrow. Information on each website is adequate and they offer a lot of information. Both seem to focus from a liberal point of view with their focuses both being on social justice and their views of health care. On Senators Kirsten Gillibrand's website, she makes reference to the economy. She states that economic development and job creations were her first priority when she became senator. Congressional Representative Carolyn Mcarthy makes reference to the health care issues. It says that she has been working hard to provide a well trained and strong forced health care workforce that can meet growing demands. Governor David Paterson also has a lot of information on his website as well, only this information doesn't really seem to be about anything besides his speeches and bill reforms.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn McCarthy [Representing New York's Fourth Congressional Unit]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2010, from http://carolynmccarthy.house.gov/
Kirsten Gillibrand [New York State Senator]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2010, from United States Senator Web site: http://gillibrand.senate.gov/
My home state is California. My State senators are Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. First website I went to was the Senate website. Then I went to California.gov, whitehouse.gov, and house.gov. The most effective one in my opinion was the senate website. The most effective one was the Senate.gov because they had portals that led to each state and when you click on it you can find other information. When I went to the house website,it was effective but not as effective. There are 53 Representatives that California currently has. I did enjoy that when you clicked on each congressional representative it lead you to their own website. Each of there websites presented their district and issues in the district. The whitehouse.gov site lead gave me a look at everything as a whole, this website seemed like the main site and every other one was a branch off from it. Each website focused mainly on their main issue and what their purpose was. The most effective was the senate website because it felt easier to find things. I think they all were good sites because they all served their purpose.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.senate.gov/
http://www.house.gov/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
http://www.california.gov/
New York Senate- http://www.nysenate.gov/
ReplyDeleteU.S. House of Representatives- http://www.house.gov/
New York Governor- http://www.ny.gov/governor/
Above are the links to three different websites to familiarize one’s self with political institutions in New York State. Of the three websites I believe the New York State Senate's website is the best because everything appears to be easily accessible. On the website it has when the senate is in session, what is happening this week in senate, issues and initiatives, and the committee members along with their contact information. The New York State Senate ideologies appears to be somewhere between conservative and Libertarian.
The second best website is the U.S. House of Representatives. This website is a government website so it has to have more information than a state website. This website also gives the names and state of each representative, along with links to their offices to view what issues they are currently working on. This website is great but because there is so much information you have to look around more. The U.S. House of Representatives ideologies are more liberal but have some conservative ideologies as well.
The bottom website is the New York State Governors site. This site is dry, boring, outdated, and in need of a makeover. There is not a lot of information about what the governor does, and how he is improving New York. It is unclear what his ideologies he represents.
Chapter 9 Political Institutions
ReplyDeleteOverview:
For those of you who are unfamiliar, I was born in the wonderful country of Nigeria. Here, things are done seemingly different then the way that I have now come to learn. The Senate is the "upper house" of the National Assembly of Nigeria. 109 senators make up the Nigerian assembly. In Nigeria, there are 36 different states. Of the 109 members of the Senate, a division of three different districts emerge. Each district elects one senator. The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate. His chief function is to guide and regulate the proceedings in the Senate. The current Senate President is Sen. David Mark of the People's Democratic Party.
Senators:
Senator Ike Ekweremadu (also listed below) is the only senator (that I could find) that has his own website dedicated to him. His site enlightens and attempts to gather the citizens of Nigeria, by providing a site that can be interactive as well as informative. His website is entitled: http://www.senatorikeekweremadu.com/
Here are a list of some of the Senators that Nigeria has as well as the state in which they rein in office: "Senator Ita Giwa, Senator Makarfi, Senators Obasanjo-Bello, Kanti Bello (PDP, Katsina North), Ahmed Makarfi (PDP, Kaduna North), Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu North), Senators Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu West), Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross River Central), Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello (PDP, Ogun Central), Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (PDP, Cross River South)" http://allafrica.com/stories/200807090002.html
Congressional Representatives:
Congressional representatives of Ed Royce from California and Donald Payne from New Jersey are said to be moving to Nigeria . According to a spokesperson for the department of states, explains further that a number of international delegations will be going to Nigeria (some are already in place).
http://www.outcrybookreview.com/NigeriaNews2.htm
Overview of Websites:
The websites that I visited were very informative. I did have a bit of trouble finding information on the Nigerian Government. Of the information that I sought out, I found that a lot of the information was incorrect. I got the majority of my information for my response from family members. They served to be a great deal of help. I believe that I did not find much information on the Nigerian Government simply because of the state of the Country. Although Nigeria has overcame a lot and has crossed many hurdles, technology is still not as advanced as it is in the US. Despite of this, I still managed to produced as much information as I could.
Websites:
http://www.outcrybookreview.com/NigeriaNews2.htm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200807090002.html
http://www.senatorikeekweremadu.com/
I am from the state of Alabama. The two senators are Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. There are 7 representative: Representative Jo Bonner (R - 01) Representative Bobby Bright (D - 02) Representative Mike Rogers (R - 03) Representative Robert B. Aderholt (R - 04) Representative Parker Griffith (R - 05) Representative Spencer Bachus (R - 06) Representative Artur Davis (D - 07). In looking at the sites I saw that the senators site was more appealing where the representative site was a basic layout. The information that both sites gave was very different. The senators sites had many different sections that could be looked at such as missing children in the Alabama but the representative site had only basic information such as contact information.
ReplyDeleteThe governors site was also appealing and allowed for anyone to watch videos of previous speeches he has made. There are also other links provide resources and public records.
Out of the three I would put the Senators first (Richard Shelbey then Jeff Sessions),
the governor's site third, and the representatives site last.
http://shelby.senate.gov/public/
http://sessions.senate.gov/public/
http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=congressmerge&state=al
http://governor.alabama.gov/yourgov/yourgov.aspx
The two senators are Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. Alabama’s representatives include Rep. Jo Bonner, Rep. Bobby Bright, Rep. Mike Rogers, Rep. Robert B. Aderholt, Rep. Parker Griffith, Rep. Spencer Bachus, and Rep. Artur Davis. Alabama Governor is Bob Riley. “The Alabama House of Representatives is comprised of 105 members. Each member represents a district of approximately 40,000 people. The members of the House are elected to four-year terms. Members of the House must be 21 at the time of their election, and must have been citizens of Alabama for three years, having lived in their respective districts for at least one year immediately preceding their election.” (House of representatives. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/house.html.) The Governor’s website was appealing and provide videos to watch along with great information.
ReplyDeleteThe websites that I research were interesting. Every website provided great information and resources. Senator Shelby website included area of missing children from Alabama. I also saw an area of the listing of colleges in Alabama. Senator Shelby had an area for bill information and it gave information on how a bill becomes a bill. There was an area to send the Senator an email. Senator Jeff Sessions had a more appealing site. His site featured videos, pictures, legislative resources. Senators Session provided headline news around Alabama and as Senator Shelby, Senator Session can be contacted through email. I found the senators websites to be more appealing and informative. I had a small problem finding the Representative pages at first.
Richard shelby. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorShelby.EmailSenatorShelby
Jeff sessions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sessions.senate.gov/public/
U.s. senate. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.senate.gov/g House of representatives. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.alabama.gov/sliverheader/Welcome.do?url=http://www.house.gov/ eneral/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=AL
House of representatives. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/house.html
The two senators from my state are Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. Alabama’s representatives include Rep. Jo Bonner, Rep. Bobby Bright, Rep. Mike Rogers, Rep. Robert B. Aderholt, Rep. Parker Griffith, Rep. Spencer Bachus, and Rep. Artur Davis. Alabama Governor is Bob Riley. “The Alabama House of Representatives is comprised of 105 members. Each member represents a district of approximately 40,000 people. The members of the House are elected to four-year terms. Members of the House must be 21 at the time of their election, and must have been citizens of Alabama for three years, having lived in their respective districts for at least one year immediately preceding their election.” (House of representatives. (n.d.).
ReplyDeleteRetrieved from http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/house.html.) The Governor’s website was appealing and provide videos to watch along with great information.
I think that all of the websites that i used were very informative and a great and easy way for me to find knowledge about state politicians. I think that the websites did exactly as they were supposed to, and they were somewhat appealing as well.
http://shelby.senate.gov/public/
http://sessions.senate.gov/public/-bin/news
http://governor.alabama.gov/yourgov/yourgov.aspx
http://www.michigan.gov/gov
ReplyDeletehttp://www.senate.michigan.gov/
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MI
The governor of the state of Michigan is Jennifer Ganholm. The two senators are : Carl Levin (D) and Debbie Stabinow (D). There are 15 representatives: They are Bart Stupak (Representative of the First District), Pete Hoekstra (Representative of the Second District), Vernon J. Elhers (Representative of the Third District), Dave Camp (Representative of the Fourth District), Dale Kildee (Representative of the Fifth District), Fred Upton (Representative of the Sixth District), Timothy Walberg (Representative of the Seventh District), Mike Rogers (Representative of the Eighth District), Joseph Knollenberg (Representative of the Ninth District), Candice Miller (Representative of the Tenth District), Thaddeus McCotter (Representative of the Eleventh District), Sander Levin (Representative of the Twelfth District), Carolyn Kilpatrick (Representative of the Thirteenth District), John Conyers Jr. (Representative of the Fourteenth District) and John D. Dingell (Representative of the Fifteenth District).
All three of these websites are facilitated by the government and give relevant uodated information about the state of Michigan constantly. These websites all offer the same information almost. Howevever, the governor's website is much more in depth and has announcements for the entire state. The senator and representative websites are more geared to just politics and elections. On the governor's website, all questions regarding laws, new policies, department of state etc are listed. I enjoyed this website more because it was more informative and eye catching.
Congressional Representative website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=AL
Senator website:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=AL
http://sessions.senate.gov/public/
http://shelby.senate.gov/public/
Governor website:
http://www.governor.alabama.gov/
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(1)quality of information provided
The quality of information provided on the Congressional Representative website was impressive. It listed the two senators for the state of Alabama: Sen. Jefferson Sessions (R-AL) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). The website also listed the seven District Congressional Representatives for the state of Alabama: Rep. Jo Bonner (R-AL1), Rep. Bobby Bright (D-AL2), Rep. Michael Rogers (R-AL3), Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL4), Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL5), Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL6), and Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL7). To review more information on each politician, one can click on the politician's name and find the following information: congressional service, sponsorship analysis, voting record, money and influence, committee membership, and bill sponsorship and cosponsorship. In addition to the six categories of information just stated, one can also view the approval rating for each of the two senators. Lastly, this site gives a map of the state of Alabama with the seven districts clearly marked in different colors. One can zoom in and out on the map. This site was very adequate.
On the Senators' website, the names of the two U.S. Senators for the State of Alabama were listed. To retrieve more information about the senators, one can click on their names and find the following information: constituent services, legislative resources, press shop, about Jeff or Richard, strategy sessions, office locations, contact information, photo gallery, media center, and information about issues that each senator supports. The design of this information on each senator's page is different. Both of them are adequate and give appropriate information about the senators.
On the Alabama state governor's page, one will find information: from the newsroom such as press releases, speeches, columns, 'in the news', photos, videos, and RSS; about your government such as resources, public records, appointments, and scheduling; and on issues in focus.
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(2)extent the web site has an ideological bias.
All of the sites posted information that the politicians believe the people want to hear. They don't tell the negative impacts of their plans. Also, the sites reflect the ideals of the parties that each politician represents--conservative of liberal.
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Of the three web sites, which did you like the most and which did you place at the bottom of the list?
Of the three sites, I liked the Congressional Representative site the most because of the map. I place the senators' pages next because they give so much information. Lastly, I rank the Governor's page third because it gives less information than the others.
ttp://www.michigan.gov/gov
ReplyDeletehttp://www.senate.michigan.gov/
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MI
The governor of the state of Michigan is Jennifer Ganholm. The two senators are : Carl Levin (D) and Debbie Stabinow (D). There are 15 representatives: They are Bart Stupak (Representative of the First District), Pete Hoekstra (Representative of the Second District), Vernon J. Elhers (Representative of the Third District), Dave Camp (Representative of the Fourth District), Dale Kildee (Representative of the Fifth District), Fred Upton (Representative of the Sixth District), Timothy Walberg (Representative of the Seventh District), Mike Rogers (Representative of the Eighth District), Joseph Knollenberg (Representative of the Ninth District), Candice Miller (Representative of the Tenth District), Thaddeus McCotter (Representative of the Eleventh District), Sander Levin (Representative of the Twelfth District), Carolyn Kilpatrick (Representative of the Thirteenth District), John Conyers Jr. (Representative of the Fourteenth District) and John D. Dingell (Representative of the Fifteenth District).