Points of View: Readings in American Government and Politics

by DiClerico, Robert; Hammock, Allan

• ISBN13: 9780073403908
• ISBN10: 0073403903
• Edition: 11th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-21
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

The eleventh edition ofPoints of View: Readings in American Government and Politicsprovides instructors and students with a manageable and accessible selection of readings that present succinct, thoughtful, and diverse perspectives across a broad range of issues in American Government today. This comprehensive reader features contrasting viewpoints on current political debates and traditional topics of interest in contemporary American Government courses. By providing two opposing positions for each topic,Points of Viewchallenges students to examine and appreciate differing perspectives.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
To the Instructor	p. xi
Democracy	p. 1
How Democratic Is America?	p. 2
How Democratic Is America? A Response to Howard Zinn	p. 14
Rebuttal to Sidney Hook	p. 26
Rejoinder to Howard Zinn	p. 30
The Constitution	p. 32
An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States	p. 33
Charles Beard and the Constitution: A Critical Analysis	p. 38
Federalism	p. 44
Unfunded Mandates	p. 44
Unfunded Mandates: Laws That Bind Us Together	p. 45
The Federal Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: "Lost in the Weeds"	p. 48
Gay Marriage: A Matter for the States or the Federal Government?	p. 52
"States, Right?" Not in the Gay Marriage Debate	p. 53
Hands Off Constitutions: This Isn't the Way to Ban Same-Sex Marriage	p. 55
Public Opinion	p. 58
Polling Matters	p. 59
Leaders Should Not Follow Opinion Polls	p. 65
Voting	p. 71
Turnout in the 2004 Presidential Election	p. 72
Compulsory Voting Is the Best Way to Keep Democracy Strong	p. 79
Nonvoting Is Not a Social Disease	p. 83
Campaigns and the Media	p. 89
TV Ad Wars: How to Cut Advertising Costs in Political Campaigns	p. 90
Damned Spots: A Defense of Thirty-Second Campaign Ads	p. 93
Elections	p. 97
Nominations	p. 97
Choosing Our Choices 2004	p. 99
The National Primary: An Excellent Idea	p. 103
The Regional Lottery Plan: America's Missing Constitutional Link	p. 106
The Electoral College	p. 111
A State-Based Plan for Electing the President by National Popular Vote	p. 112
Arnold: Terminate This Gimmick	p. 114
Political Parties	p. 119
It's His Party: Bush Republicanism Is Here to Stay	p. 121
Back to the Future: The Re-emergence of the Emerging Democratic Majority	p. 124
Interest Groups	p. 134
Power in America: Who Has the Power?	p. 135
The Forces That Set the Agenda	p. 143
Congress	p. 148
Representation: Redistricting	p. 148
Redistricting: A Bipartisan Sport	p. 149
You Can't Compete with Voters' Feet	p. 151
Representation: Legislative Role	p. 155
The Legislator as Delegate	p. 156
The Legislator as Trustee	p. 160
The Legislator as Politico	p. 163
Legislative Process: The Filibuster	p. 167
It's Time to Change the Filibuster	p. 168
Defending the Dinosaur: The Case for Not Fixing the Filibuster	p. 174
The Presidency	p. 178
How the Presidency Regained Its Balance	p. 179
You Go Too Far, Mr. President: The Founders Would Disapprove	p. 181
All Hail ... King George?	p. 185
Bureaucracy	p. 189
Downsizing the Federal Government	p. 190
The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy	p. 198
Courts	p. 206
The Supreme Court and Judicial Review	p. 206
A Jurisprudence of Original Intention	p. 207
What Did the Founding Fathers Intend?	p. 213
Judicial Selection	p. 219
The Senate Is Supposed to Advise and Consent, Not Obstruct and Delay	p. 220
Of Course Ideology Should Matter in Judicial Selection	p. 227
Civil Liberties	p. 235
Free Speech	p. 235
Mandatory Student Fees Do Not Abridge Freedom of Speech	p. 236
Mandatory Student Fees Violate Students' Right to Free Speech	p. 242
Freedom of Religion	p. 245
Keep "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance	p. 246
Remove "Under God" from the Pledge	p. 254
Criminal Rights	p. 257
"We're in the Fight of Our Lives"	p. 258
Just Make It a Fair Fight	p. 262
Civil Rights	p. 274
Affirmative Action	p. 274
Law School Admissions: The Case for Affirmative Action	p. 276
Law School Admissions: The Case Against Affirmative Action	p. 281
Gender Equity	p. 285
Wrestling with Title IX	p. 286
We Must Preserve Equity for Women in College Athletics	p. 290
Abortion	p. 296
Abortion Politics: The Case for the Right to Privacy	p. 297
Abortion on Demand Has No Constitutional or Moral Justification	p. 309
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