• Voices of the people

  Americans attach great significance to the right to vote. But the privilege of voting, so basic to democratic government, is a right that took many Americans centuries to achieve. In comparison to many nations in the world, voter participation in the United States is declining. Studies show a relationship between voting and a person's age, education, and economic status. In addition to voting, citizens participate in the political process through community and campaign activities, and by participating...

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• The fourth estate

  On a daily basis, more Americans connect to politics through the news media than through the activities of parties or groups. The press brings events and problems into public view, serves as a channel through which political leaders can address the public, and scrutinizes political behavior for evidence of deceitful, careless, or corrupt acts. The increasing tendency of the media to probe into all aspects of a politician's life, private as well as public, has made many officials less candid and forthcoming...

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• The living constitution

  A look at the Constitution in contemporary terms reveals a short document-7,000 words long-shorter than every state constitution except Vermont's. Only thirty-three of the more than 11,000 amendments that have been proposed have been approved by Congress and submitted to states. Twenty-seven have been ratified. Nevertheless, the Constitution is an unfinished work that has evolved through less formal methods of change-congressional legislation, presidential actions, judicial review, custom and use

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• Frames of reference

  The United States is a country marked by divergent political views. Political attitudes formed early in life seldom change dramatically, however the basic framework is etched and refined by life experiences. The Vietnam War in the sixties, the Watergate scandal in the seventies, reaction to the impeachment of President Clinton reflect the powerful role public opinion plays in the politics of this country. In fact, the scientific measurement of public opinion has become a permanent fixture of the...

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• The most basics of rights

  Without government, people live in a state of anarchy. With unbridled government, men and women may live in a state of tyranny. The civil liberties imbedded in the Bill of Rights place specific limitations on governmental power. For example, the basic rights addressed in the first amendment-freedoms of religion, speech, press, and assembly-cannot be abridged or taken away. But the Bill of Rights, like the rest of the Constitution is relatively brief. Broad guidelines are set forth in the language...

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• The power imperative

  Although agencies are subject to scrutiny by the president, Congress, and the judiciary, bureaucrats are able to achieve power in their own right. They often develop an "agency point of view" because of their expert knowledge, support from clientele groups, and backing by Congress or the president. This episode, featuring among others former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and former Secretary of State James Baker, depicts the nature of the federal bureaucracy and the politics that surrounds it.

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• Preserve, protect and defend

  It was a sparkling September morning in New York City. The familiar cacophony of taxi horns and street vendors greeted commuters as they emerged from the subway. No one anticipated that in a matter of moments the city-the country-would be under attack. Since 11 September 2001, the protection and defense of the United States has occupied center stage. This episode looks not only the nation's response to the terrorist attacks, but also examines the defense and "peace keeping" policy of the country...

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• Questions of sovereignty

  Explores American federalism-the system of relationships among the U.S. government; the fifty state governments; and town, city, and county governments-and compares it to other ways of ordering relations between central governments and local units

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• American experiment

  Narrative story of the settlement and early days of the colonies, culminating in the fight for independence and the evolution of a constitutional framework of government for the new United States. Comments of scholars interwoven with excerpts from writings of those who were on the scene

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• Flavour Flavour

  2002

  Album

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  Moody Blues A night at Red Rocks

  Opname van concert in de Red Rocks Arena op 9 september 1992

  Fictie

  Film

• Alexandra Morton Listening to whales

  what the orcas have taught us

  Engels | 309 pagina's | Ballantine Books, New York | 2002

  Gedrukt boek

• Everyone says I love you

  Musical rond een bijzondere familie tegen de achtergrond van Manhattan, Parijs en Venetië

  Film

• The complete keyboard works

  NM | 2002

  Album

• Oliver Morton Mapping Mars

  science, imagination, and the birth of a world

  Engels | 357 pagina's | Picador USA, New York | 2002

  Gedrukt boek

• Balancing act

  When the Great Depression struck in the 1930s, there were no programs in place to stabilize and stimulate the U.S. economy. Businesses cut back on production, investors fled the stock market, depositors withdrew their bank savings, and consumers slowed their spending responses that only made the situation worse. This episode focuses on the economic role of government focusing on its promotion and regulation of economic interests, its fiscal and monetary policies, the politics of economic decision...

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• American heritage

  American politics today cannot be understood apart from the Latinos heritage. Government does not begin over again with each generation; it builds on the past. In the case of the United States, the most significant link between past and present lies in the Latinos founding ideals. This episode examines the key principles that have shaped American politics since the countries earliest years

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• Campaign trail

  Today, party organizations are alive and well in America, but they are no longer the driving force in contemporary campaigns. Much of what transpires is more accurately described as candidate-centered politics in which office seekers raise their own funds, form their own campaign organizations, and choose the issues on which they will run. This episode looks at organizing and financing campaigns through the eyes of candidates, strategists, managers and critics

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• The federal workplace

  Modern government would be impossible without a bureaucracy. The government's enormous administrative capacity makes it possible for the United States to have such ambitious programs as social security, environmental protection, interstate highways, and the postal service. In fact, it's the only practical way of organizing large-scale government programs. Yet the bureaucracy is also a problem. Even those who work in federal agencies bemoan its rigidity and costliness. Today's civil servants, governed...

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• The first branch

  The founders of the American republic believed that the bulk of power exercised by a national government should be in the hands of the legislature. Article I of the Constitution is both highly specific and vague about the powers Congress may exercise. This episode follows three current and past members of Congress through the election process and their early days in office. It examines the differences between the ways the Senate and House of Representatives operate, the every-ten-year redistricting...

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