Saturday Check In

Class,

Just a reminder that you will be given a quiz on Key Court Cases on Monday. To see (and study) the quiz, go to the webpage and click onto "Workspace" and then select and download "Key Court Cases Quiz."

Also, for Monday Night's homework you will be assigned an FRQ on the Supreme Court. If you want a head start on that, go to webpage "Workspace" and select and download "Unit FRQ's" link. Start working on the 2nd FRQ (2000). Refer to your notes to answer that FRQ. By the way, you should print all of those FRQ's anyway because you will be responsible for answering them before the end of the year.

Thursday Entry

Class,
Thanks to most of you for working hard on the reading and worksheet in my absence. No Sabato quiz tomorrow. I will collect the APGOPO Judiciary worksheet tomorrow, first thing. If you didn't finish in class today, please have it completed for tomorrow's beginning-of-class collection. We will also watch a West Wing episode on Bartlett's Supreme Court Choice. There will be an accompanying worksheet. See you tomorrow!

Tuesday's Reading

Class,

Following our video completion ("12 Angry Men") and taking our quiz, we will tackle a fairly challenging reading, Hamilton's Federalist 78. It can be found under "Federalist 78" in the Government Workspace. Here's the link:

http://www.mtbarclay.com/mrbarclaysgovernmentclassalisalhighschool200708/id13.html

It would be to your advantage to print out the reading and attached questions, to have it ready for Tuesday's reading.

Cheers!

Happy V-D Day!

Hi Class,

Here's a present for you for Tuesday. Valentine's is a special day, after all:

http://www.mtbarclay.com/mrbarclaysgovernmentclassalisalhighschool200708/id13.html

Look for Subato Quiz Number 4 in Workspace. I am sure you will "ace" this little quiz after looking at it for 2 minutes. This quiz, by the way covers pages: 362-374.

We will finish "12 Angry Men" after our quiz. There will also probably some in class reading assignment (I've given up lecturing after a three day weekend, the first day back)...

See you Tuesday!

Tuesday Post

The Subato Reading for tomorrow's quiz will cover pages 352 to 355-Not lot of reading required, eh? A reminder as well to complete the Gideon v. Wainwright reading questions for tomorrow. We may have a discussion on the video/handout. Be prepared to be potentially called on....I may also lecture a bit tomorrow as well...Hasta Manana!

Bureaucracy Free Response Help

If you need help on the Bureaucracy FRQ, check out the Rubric below:

ALSO: Go to the third page of the Bureaucracy notes I printed out for you a couple of days ago. The section on "Influences on Bureaucratic Behavior" and "Controlling the Bureaucracy" has everything you need to answer the question....Good luck! P.S Skip tonight's judiciary reading on Subato. You can start those pages tomorrow night....

Bureaucracy Free Response Rubric:

PART A: 3 Points - One point each will be given for identifying three of the following:

¨ Recruitment and retention

¨ Personal attributes of bureaucrats

¨ Legal constraints

¨ Organizational restraints

¨ Presidential influence

¨ Congressional influence

¨ Interest Groups

¨ Media

¨ Courts

2 Points – One point each will be given for identifying two of the above.

1 Point – One point will be given for identifying one of the above.

PART B: 3 Points – One point each will be given for writing one developed example within each of three of the above categories. Possible answers include:

¨ Recruitment and retention: “good ‘ol boys” network, hard to fire a civil servant, loyalty to agency

¨ Personal attributes: more liberal than general public, activist agencies more liberal than traditional, i.e. FTC, EPA, SEC v Justice, Defense, Treasury

¨ Legal constraints: Hatch Act, Freedom of Information Act, Affirmative Action

¨ Organizational restraints: size, red tape, lack of incentives

¨ Presidential influence: appointment of top-level bureaucrats, firing power, budgets

¨ Congressional influence: funding, confirmation, appropriations, sunset laws

¨ Interest Groups: iron triangles, lobbying, client groups

¨ Media: scrutiny, watchdog role, “whistle blowers”

¨ Courts: injunctions, writs of mandamus

2 Points – One point each for developing two of the above examples within two of the above categories.

1 Point – One point for developing one of the above examples within one of the above categories.

PART C: 2 Points – Establish a position (efficient or inefficient) and support it with evidence (a concrete example)

1 Point – Establish a position

Bureaucracy Free Response Answer

Contrary to the 19th Century Spoils System where civil service employees were hired in exchange for political patronage, today's civil servants are hired based on the merit system. Despite greater professionalism in the today's ranks of federal employees, there are a number of influences (both internal and external) that affect employees' behavior, many contend, for the negative:

A. One major influence on federal employee behavior relates to recruitment and
retention. Many critics of civil service cite the existence of a "good 'ol boys' network which
protects those loyal to the agency. Statistics show that it is very difficult to fire a federal
employee, once that individual has been hired. While civil service tests are meant to ensure
fairness in hiring, critics also cite that promotions are sometimes performed informally
without consideration of testing and other "objective criteria" and is highly inefficient in choosing "the best person" for the job.

B. Another influence on federal employee behavior concerns personal attributes. Statistics
show that federal upper level management positions are often dominated by older, white
males. Minorities are often found in the lower, more clerical ranks of the Civil Service. Since many federal agencies are tasked to assist multi ethnic and multicultural clientele critics are correct to point out that a lack of significant representation in the upper management ranks has a bearing on the work that is accomplished; this can lead to inefficiencies.

C. Thirdly, organizational restraints have an impact on civil service behavior. Given the
sheer size of many federal agencies, a hierarchical structure is often the dominant means of
organization. The hierarchy many contend, is impersonal and leads many to accuse those
working within the structure, lacking sufficient motivation or innovative practices. Additionally, the larger the organization, the larger the amount of "red tape." Many critics say that federal agencies are wrought with overlong procedures and bureaucratic barriers. Instances of overlooked investigations and negligence are often found in the news. These inefficiencies can sometimes have live or death consequences for the agencies' clientele.

Many Americans like to complain about federal agencies and their bureaucratic procedures but largely depend upon the services that these agencies provide. Within any bureaucracy (public or private sector alike), hierarchy and red tape predominate. Federal agencies since they are largely funded with taxpayer dollars are far more convenient for Americans to criticize.