In his speech president trump emphasized the involvement of the law enforcement and first responders, thanking them for their bravery in the face of danger.  Really pulling towards the emotional investment of those who lost friends and family. President Trump made the right decision of following his speech and not going of on his own like observed in Puerto Rico. This is significant for him because of his track record with going off on his own. With the reading from the speech, Trump focused on the aspect of a united country. “ In the depths of horror we will always find hope in the men and women who risk their lives for ours”. With the emphasis of our hero’s he addressed the different senators from both parties and the governor, which to me was a move that came in from the left field. Addressing both parties and implying a notion of Bipartisan cooperation between the parties in time of a crisis. Which seems to be one of the only times both parties fully cooperate. Moving from the recognition of the political members present, Trump goes back to the men and women who risked their lives, Recognizing a select few individuals who were injured or killed while trying to help others. “ Dashed into a hail of bullets to rescue strangers”. Utilizing impression emotional language, the president addressed those involved and respectfully thanked the men and women who acted so bravely during the shooting. 

Reading from the script and thanking the men and women. Although his approval rating has been dropping in every state. The way he conducted himself during the speech leads to believe that he is learning more about the way politics work and how he is developing more in his position.

Sam Wilson B2

1. What are the official requirements for the civics credit for future high school seniors?

2. How do these new courses differ from the current set of classes offered?

3. How does the curriculum of these new courses differ from the current curriculum offered?

4. If Mr. Stokes is unable to answer these questions, who is the best person to ask these questions of and where would I go about contacting this person?

The basis of this project was the newly-passed legislation that the 2017 Nevada Legislature passed regarding graduation requirements for current juniors and classes beyond. This state-level political process affects students on a local level. Mr. Stokes is of a position on the local government level, meaning that he represents the school district on a local level. His office is here, in Carson City. 

From Mr. Stokes, I was very kindly informed of several things:

In addition to his response, Mr. Stokes also attested to the legislation of Senate Bill 249 of the 2017 legislative session that “...requires high school pupils to enroll in one-half unit of credit in economics and limits American Government to one-half unit of credit.” As stated by the superintendent, “These provisions go into effect July 1, 2022.”

It is to be noted that throughout his correspondence with me, Mr. Stokes continually referred me to the bills and their locations on the Nevada State Legislature’s website, should I desire to examine the specific language conveyed for each document. Following his annotations of the legislation, the question remains in my head: “If the provisions are in effect in 2022, how and why does the bill affect the class of 2019 with split government and economics courses?”

For those interested in viewing a full transcript of my discourse with Superintendent Stokes, you may view it here.

A5 

As an act of civic participation, I went to a public forum discussing the details of the Yucca Mountain Deal as well as actions several groups have taken to try to prevent the deal. One of the largest issues is the hyperpluralism that controlling the situation. Both factions, most people in Nevada and several key politicians against the Department of Energy, have rooted themselves so deeply that neither have even considered a compromise. Rather the group against the DoE has developed 299 contentions to the Yucca Mountain Repository plan, enacting their freedom of protest. These contentions will take about 400 hearing days (about 5 years) to be reviewed and then a decision will be made whether the plan will continue or be suspended again or perhaps cancelled. Currently, the project is inactive after receiving a full restart from federal courts and also receiving no new funding from Congress between the years 2011 to 2016.  A large blow against the anti-Repository group is the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 which has received bipartisan support since its conception. This act will expedite the project and have the Department of Energy start a temporary storage program. The bill will be voted on in Congress in October of 2017. The facts provided against the repository plan has shed light on why most Nevadans do not approve of the project. First, the nuclear material must be contained safely for one million years as per the agreement for the project. Should this not be the case then the whole of Yucca Mountain and the groundwater beneath it may be contaminated by radiation. The containment must not only withstand time but also external forces that may affect the repository. One of the most shocking forces mentioned is the potential for an aircraft to potentially crash into the mountain whether in an act of terrorism or accident. However, this contention and others presented could be held to scrutiny as that situation seems unlikely and farfetched. This forum served as a refresher course and another forum will be held as further details on the plan are finalized by Congress.

 

     October 2nd 2017, President Trump gave a speech for the tragic event that happened in Las Vegas, Nevada. He speaks of the event as a sad, shocking, and grieving moment in the United States. 

     Sunday October 1st, the state of Nevada was attacked, this event occurred at a country music concert, outdoors. This not only affected the people of the victims, but everyone around the United States that had watched videos or saw the news. The next day our President, Donald Trump, spoke for those who sacrificed their lives to save others and the first responders; the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police station. “The speed in which they acted is miraculous and prevented further loss of lives” said Trump. 

      The shooting was announced as it was happening, so many innocent bystanders were trying to enjoy their lives. They were trying to enjoy the good country music. Most people nowadays have electronics, that photo, video you name it, it's probably got it, or close to it. The electronics have improved government. Think, when we first started out having no TV or any electronically device we would here the news about something that happened weeks ago. Today, the “media” can get any information that is deemed important, to anyone within seconds. 

      For example, the Las Vegas Shooting. At the time, I was in Anaheim, California. The same night it happened, I heard what happened and was devastated. We had turned the news on to see what was going on and all you could hear was PRAY FOR VEGAS, or MASS SHOOTING IN VEGAS. We couldn't get away from it. We were in California, not Nevada. Had the media not been there to report what was happening, we wouldn't have found out until a couple days after. 

      The media is important. They have a process, a process in which they only allow certain information out at a time. Or who can get a story out fastest. These processes are called Gatekeeping and Horse Race journalism. The gatekeeping was the decision that allowed the media to announce the fact that there was a mass shooting, the horse race journalism was the first report of the story. These two processes come in when President Trump decided to speak, as well as the event itself. 

   

Link for meeting: http://carsoncity.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=631

Melanie Proctor B2

       This issue pertains to what we are learning class, as this meeting was a linkage institution event. The meeting at the Brewery Arts Center linked the government decisions with the public to spread the awareness and help us make connections to what laws are being passed around us. It also acts as the media, informing the people of what debates, choices, and decisions the government agrees upon.

       I have many questions pertaining to the alternate methods Mr.Halstead plans to use to save Yucca Mountain. If the government decides to go with the plan of the underground granite, how much would it cost to build a single chamber, and how long would it take to finish it? Another valuable question to add on top of the case is how much toxic waste is actually going to be pumped into the mountain? Are we talking about tons, megatons, and how much space will it be able to fill up?

Picture is on Logan Smedes post

This event was put together for the purpose of veterans to be recognized and included in the legislative process for a day. This event specifically allowed for veterans and citizens to participate in the state legislative process and see how the process is carried out. Veterans are invited to be assigned to a specific legislator for a session. I was present as a spectator in the viewing area of the room while the legislators carried out a meeting. The meeting started with a color guard and the pledge and then the legislators went straight into review. They reviewed certain documents and voted on whether or not they should be changed. This showed a representative democracy by voting through representatives and platforms. The documents were brought to attention by the public and then democratically voted upon by the representatives. The media was also represented and present throughout the event taking photos and asking questions to the veterans who were present. This connected the public to the event by being a connecting platform. What I learned was that the legislative process is very official and very slow. Everything was very precise and formatted. I also learned that every legislator there has his or her own individual opinion and vote on items. I expected it to be very boring and almost like a courtroom where there are only a couple people who matter however I was very wrong. Almost every legislator got to voice his or her own opinion on every matter, as well as they got to shout out their own groups that they were representing. There was also a “master of ceremonies” who narrated what was happening which was very helpful, as well as a judge that made sure that everything was orderly and efficient. I still wonder how often certain topics get reviewed or brought up again. Also how it works when a legislator cannot be present to the meeting, do they have to send a representative or does the vote just not get voiced? Overall this was a very cool event to be a part of and to get to see what happens behind the closed doors in the state capitol.

Adam Daniels (A3)

Jacob Wolz B2

On October, 12th 2017 I got registered to vote.The process was quick and very straightforward. I registered online through the Nevada Secretary of State web page and carefully read all that was expected of me while filling out the from, and printed two copies, one to keep and one to mail to the Carson City Clerk’s office.

 Exercising my right to register to vote as an adult gave me responsibilities, and choices that I needed to make. I was given six boxes to choose from that would decide what party I registered under, of the choices I chose the Libertarian Party. I chose this because I fall into a moderate category on the political spectrum, and the agenda being pushed by the Libertarian Party is the one I most closely agree with on solutions to issues. 

 The process of Registering was quick and painless, I visited the Nevada Secretary of state webpage and followed each laid our instruction. I learned that people who make the argument for registering to vote as a long process is likely a complaint derived from laziness, and lack of care for the Local, State, and National Government levels. In the next election term I am excited to use my vote wisely, but I'm still left with a few questions. Will I need to renew this paperwork as I move forward in life, or is this a one time document? I anticipate to gain clarity of these questions as the next election term approaches, the countless linkage institutions can easily answer all my questions.