...Dianna Ross Political Science March 23, 2014 Assignment II Listen to the news with ears that are open only for the negative and one would come away from the conversation about the of 2009 wondering who in the heck is running the country. Over the last five years I have heard many opinions on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the statement declaring the stimulus as one of the biggest mistakes made by President Obama is in my opinion an inaccurate one. The Stimulus or The Recovery Act, was an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama. To respond to the Great Recession, the primary objective was to save and create jobs almost immediately. Secondly to provide temporary relief programs for those most impacted by the recession and invest in infrastructure, education, health, and renewable energy. The cost of the stimulus package was estimated to be $787 billion at the time of passage, later revised to $831 billion between 2009 and 2019. The Act included direct spending in infrastructure, education, health, and energy, federal tax incentives, and expansion of unemployment benefits and other social welfare provisions. It also created the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. The goal of the stimulus plan was not only to boost the economy but to increase confidence in and restore faith in the ability to grow the economy. The average...
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...State and Local Government Dr. U 2.2 State Constitutions: An Overview All state constitutions have a bill of rights, which are written protections for basic freedoms that mostly reflects the United States Constitution. The basic freedoms being the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to assemble. The right to bear arms is one of the rights discussed in the passage referring to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. On December 14, 2012 a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed at total of 20 children and six adults. Many states include provisions that guarantee the right to bear arms. Other states hold that right for people to bear arms in self-defense. The Supreme Court resolved the meaning of the second amendment in two important cases in 2008 and 2010. The District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court held that “The second amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia and to use that firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.” In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), a case challenging Chicago’s complete ban on handguns. The court held that “that the Framers and ratifiers o the fourteenth Amendment counted the right to keep and bear arms among those fundamental rights necessary to our system of ordered liberty. But the opinion also stated the second amendment right is not unlimited. Following that the state of New York acts quickly and the...
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...Introductory, Financial, and Statistical sections. Answer: True 3. The introductory and statistical sections of a CAFR are required to be audited. Answer: False 4. State and local governments are not required to prepare a CAFR. Answer: True 5. Combining statements are required whenever a non-major column is used in one of the fund financial statements. Answer: True 6. A complete CAFR includes combining financial statements to reflect major funds. Answer: True 7. In addition to the government-wide statements, governments are required to prepare fund financial statements for governmental, proprietary and fiduciary funds. Answer: True 8. In addition to the government-wide statements, governments are required to prepare fund financial statements for governmental funds only. Answer: False 9. The General Fund is not always considered to be a major fund when preparing fund basis financial statements. Answer: False 10. With respect to fund basis financial statements, governmental funds are considered to be a major fund when total assets, liabilities, revenues and expenditures combined are at least 10% of the total for the governmental funds category. Answer: False 11. With respect to fund basis financial statements, a government may only designate a fund to be a major fund if it meets the size thresholds established by GASB. Answer: False 12. With respect to fund basis...
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...Power of Government Alvin Woodall National Government 1103 The project that I choose was “The power and influence of political parties in state/ local government and how it has changed over the years.” I will show what powers state/local governments have and some of the changes that state/local government has gone through. What the state/local government did in the past. How political parties influence what goes on in state/local government in the present. How these powers and influence affect the people and what the people can do to control this power and influence of the political parties in state/local government. How the power of the state governor has changed since colonial times. What responsibilities the state government has to local governments. How the local governments influence the state government. Show the different kinds of local governments and what powers they have. How the state/local government political parties differ in what they think. I will show how County Governments, Town or Township Governments, Municipal Governments and Special-Purpose Local Governments work. What means political parties use to get the people to vote for them. How the political parties in state/local government could use their power and influence for the good or bad of the people. What Special-Purpose Local Governments are and how they help the community. How the power and influence the political parties in state/local government affect the national government and how this...
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...comes with its controversy, some argue that it is contaminating water sources and creating environmental concerns, while others say there is no proof of this despite many studies. Benefits of hydrofracking Hyfrofracking allows easy access to natural gas at a time where our country has growing energy concerns. It allows access to energy sources that can be extracted, processed and then used by a consumer. Hydrofracking has been bringing good paying jobs to regions that may have had a low standard of living. Sates such as South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming are a few states with large rural areas that have benefited from the huge job growth the hydrofracking has produced. 72,000 jobs were created in Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2011. Local governments are willing to take short cuts due to huge amounts of dollars coming into the local, and state pockets. Fines also could be assessed by local and state inspectors that can result in even more revenue due to high fines. Natural gas is one of the cleanest burning fuels we use today. Other fuels have maybe the same harmful process of extracting fuels but they also have just as a damaging affect once it’s burned. (Asia-Pacific Economics Blog, 2014) Disadvantages of Hydrofracking Techniques used in hydrofracking process use materials such as silica sand, these sand particles are known to cause lung cancer, if lung cancer is not the result some people have...
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...ABSTRACT Uganda is a country where the decentralisation policy started in 1997 which comes under the Local government act of 1997 . There had been lot of changes took place since the policy was initiated which was classified into four amendments in future . Uganda was one of the centralized state which is transforming into a decentralized one with the initiation of new decentralisation programmes . Decentralisation is one the main aspects in uganda which makes it a developing country in lot of aspects such as private , civil and public institutions by improving decision making participation among people , making the government regularities more transparent and convenience so that people can understand what was going through the government and also improving the basic service access . This paper mainly discusses about a current decentralisation programme happening in uganda. The paper also explain how the decentralisation policy helps in improving the service delivery in Uganda . HEADINGS TO BE USED * Introduction * Characteristics of Decentralisation in Uganda * Challenges and Oppourtunities of Decentralisation * The Legal Framework * Uganda’s Local government Structure * Service Delivery * Conclusion INTRODUCTION The first decentralisation policy of Uganda was all started in 1997 under Local Government Act of 1997 which had since undergone four amendments. The introduction part of the essay mainly focus on an outline about general decentralisation...
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...DETERMINANTS OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. AN INTERNATIONAL SETTING Lourdes Torres, Vicente Pina and Ana Yetano Submitted to: Dr. Saneya El Galaly Prepared by: Noha ElZalabani Intake: 40C - Heliopolis Paper Summary: The past two decades have witnessed an influx of new ideas and initiatives in the field of public management in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, which have led governments to undertake major changes in the way in which the public sector is managed in order to better meet citizen needs within expenditure limits. Anglo-American, Nordic and European Continental countries have come under increasing pressure to improve their efficiency and effectiveness and to reduce their demands on taxpayers while maintaining the quality of services and the welfare state. This paper seeks to acquire a deeper understanding of how some of these new ideas have worked in practice by examining the implementation of strategic management in twenty-three pioneer local governments in Australia, Canada, Spain, Sweden, the USA and the UK, countries which belong to different public administration styles. The goal is to identify both the factors that affect the implementation of strategic management and the advantages brought to the organization. For this purpose, experts' views on the implementation of strategic management systems in local governments have been analyzed, applying the Delphi method. The results...
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...a leave of absence if they want to run for elective office and, if elected, should they be required to resign or retire. It happens prior to every election. An employee of a local or state government agency decides to run for political office on the employee's own time only to find out that he will lose his job if he actually files to run for office. What would have been an election fight turns into an employment dispute. Some choose to withdraw their candidacy; some choose to continue their race at the expense of their day job, while some are given no choice at all. When a government employee holds or runs for elective office, there can be conflict of interest problems. The principal problem occurs when the government employee has to participate in a matter that directly or indirectly affects his or her agency or department. Whether there is a conflict depends on how direct the effect is. The covered employees are put in this position because of a federal law called the Hatch Act. The goal of the Hatch Act, passed in 1939, was to limit partisan political activity to ensure that there are not conflicts of interest. The Hatch Act limits the political activities of local government employees who are principally employed by programs funded in whole or in part by the U.S. or a federal agency. The government employee: Cannot be a candidate for public office in a partisan election [nonpartisan elections are okay, which is good for most municipalities, but not most counties; it is also...
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...and utilizing local and countywide resources. * December 14th, 2014 Contents Introduction3 County Profiles4 Clearfield4 Elk5 Fayette6 Indiana7 McKean8 County Regulations and Jurisdictions9 Government Stakeholders11 Transportation12 References13 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this resource guide is for local government officials to assess the structure of local and countywide transportation plans and resources. This will act as a framework or reference to assist in the planning and development of transportation services and infrastructures. The report also highlights potential resources and recommendations for the planning of master transportation improvements that will incorporate public health. As part of the effort to integrate health into transportation planning, it is crucial to consider the capabilities and resources of your own community in conjunction with private sectors and different levels of government. In addition, the goal of the program is to promote physical activity, and the connection between the environment we live in can both indirectly and directly impact our health. “Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities,” as defined in WHO’s “Health Promotion Glossary” (Nutbeam 1998). Comprehensive transportation planning with health in mind will be very crucial. Therefore it is important to understand our local or countywide...
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...Community: Constitutional Provisions Collaborative Learning Community: Constitutional Provisions The Arizona constitution defines the laws of the state as the effects it has on counties, insuring that all counties follow the same basic laws. While many of the funds for Arizona’s educational system come from the sale of public lands, in the early 1900’s, article ten specifies the sources of revenue and maintenance of state educational institutions. There is a possibility the community could gain the approval of the Governor to become a municipal corporation that is self-governing. The local governments are better able to handle the many differences (McClory T., 2010, p. 165). Counties The Arizona constitution guarantees that no one county would have more power than another; by keeping the officer’s terms, elections, and roles the same. The people of Arizona are ensured that they will continue to be directly involved with their government. If a decision is made to allow the counties with over 500,000 citizens, this situation could propose chapters to better serve their citizens. The Arizona constitution affects the counties of the state in various aspects which are outlined in article twelve of the document. Article twelve has nine sections that outline the laws which govern the counties of the state. Section one and two of the document identifies the organization of the counties; they will remain so unless a law change is made. In section three the roles...
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...Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT Manila EN BANC G.R. No. L-9637 April 30, 1957 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, plaintiff-appellant, vs. CITY OF MANILA, defendant-appellee. City Fiscal Eugenio Angeles and Juan Nabong for appellant. Assistant City Fiscal Arsenio Nañawa for appellee. FELIX, J.: Plaintiff-appellant is a foreign, non-stock, non-profit, religious, missionary corporation duly registered and doing business in the Philippines through its Philippine agency established in Manila in November, 1898, with its principal office at 636 Isaac Peral in said City. The defendant appellee is a municipal corporation with powers that are to be exercised in conformity with the provisions of Republic Act No. 409, known as the Revised Charter of the City of Manila. In the course of its ministry, plaintiff's Philippine agency has been distributing and selling bibles and/or gospel portions thereof (except during the Japanese occupation) throughout the Philippines and translating the same into several Philippine dialects. On May 29 1953, the acting City Treasurer of the City of Manila informed plaintiff that it was conducting the business of general merchandise since November, 1945, without providing itself with the necessary Mayor's permit and municipal license, in violation of Ordinance No. 3000, as amended, and Ordinances Nos. 2529, 3028 and 3364, and required plaintiff to secure, within three days, the corresponding permit and license fees, together with compromise...
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...Wichita Confronts Contamination Conlan, From Cooperative to Opportunistic Federalism Case 3 February 12, 2014 This week’s case study concerns the discovery of a contamination problem in Wichita’s downtown commercial and residential area. The case discusses what steps were taken to remedy the situation that were the most efficient and cost effective. The content area addressed by this week’s readings and case are focused on intergovernmental relations. Intergovernmental relationship is important to public administration because different levels of government offices need to work together to fulfill objectives that benefit the public. It is more beneficial to everyone involved for administrations to coordinate and collaborate together to resolve problems. Federalism, in part, is the system where federal government and state governments work together to the same end. The case takes place in Wichita, Kansas, in the summer of 1990. Acting for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported the downtown business district was sitting on an underground polluted lake, six square miles in size and fifteen feet below the surface. The area was called the Gilbert-Mosley site because the Gilbert-Mosley intersection was near the center. The lake was full of hazardous, commercial and industrial chemicals that caused cancer and other health issues. This discovery was very problematic for the revitalization of the declining downtown...
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...strengths of the of our current Texas Constitution include a weaker state government which leaves fewer chances of politicians abusing their power, it puts limits on taxing spending and borrowing which has helped to keep spending under control less taxes for Texans and no state deficit, and it creates a stronger local government. The weaknesses of the Texas Constitution include a lack of leadership over the executive branch, a weak Governor, difficulties for legislators to do their jobs due to many restrictions, it is inflexible with today and the future, it is too detailed, and it is too restrictive and poorly written. 2. Identify and discuss the make-up and functions of the County Commissioners Court. The County Commissioners Court’s members are made up of four elected commissioners for a specific precinct and a county judge. The county judge is the presiding county officer ad completes administrative and judicial functions. Every ten years the counties must redistrict. Some of the functions of the County Commissioners Court includes adopting the county budget, setting tax rates, providing a court house, providing jails and other county buildings, administering county health and welfare programs, and maintaining roads and bridges. 3. Compare and contrast the Strong Mayor and Council Manager forms of local government. The Strong Mayor Council concept is used by many large cites in the United States, but only Houston in Texas. The Strong Mayor concept is a...
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...Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you. From the age of four, I was accompanying my mother on her intense rounds of volunteer activities. The constant exposure to food drives, toy drives, and awareness-raising events created in me an intense desire to serve my local community, and to improve the quality of life of those around me. As I grew older, I became concerned about what I viewed as not enough connection and service within my community. I resolved not to let myself become apathetic or unaware of the needs of the people around me, but instead to become a leader who also inspired others to become involved. I began working independently as a volunteer with several organizations, particularly the Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC) and the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF). Through these groups, I have worked to serve underprivileged populations, to empower youth, and to increase public awareness of local and state issues. I have been fortunate to meet with local officials, such as Montgomery County’s County Executive Isaiah Leggit and County Council Member George Leventhal, and to witness firsthand how change is created within my local government. In addition to becoming politically aware, it has been important to me to give back to the community that has shaped me into who I am. Throughout the year, I work with MCMF to do food drives. During the holidays, I help make and...
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...be attained and the alleged public saftey, general welfare, etc. of the inhabitants of Makati. Also, the Resolution will only benefit a few individuals. Public funds should only be used for public purposes. Issue: WON Resolution No. 60 , re enacted under Resolution No. 243 of the Municipal of Makati is a valid exercise of police power under the general welfare clause. Held: Yes. Ratio: The police power is a governmental function, an inherent attribute of sovereignty, which was born with civilized government. It is founded largely on the maxims, "Sic utere tuo et ahenum non laedas and "Salus populi est suprema lex Its fundamental purpose is securing the general welfare, comfort and convenience of the people. Police power is inherent in the state but not in municipal corporations. Before a municipal corporation may exercise such power, there must be a valid delegation of such power by the legislature which is the repository of the inherent powers of the State. A valid delegation of police power may arise...
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