Homework answers / question archive / Final Paper Assignment – GOVT 2305 This Paper is Due on April 9th at 11:59 PM Take this assignment seriously

Final Paper Assignment – GOVT 2305 This Paper is Due on April 9th at 11:59 PM Take this assignment seriously

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Final Paper Assignment – GOVT 2305 This Paper is Due on April 9th at 11:59 PM Take this assignment seriously. I will grade it very thoroughly. Many students are surprised at how nit-picky I am with the grading, but this is your warning. You have most of the semester to work on it. It is worth almost 1/3 of your final grade. Please take it very seriously when you are writing it because I will be taking it seriously when I am grading it. I recommend that you read and reread it several times before you turn it in. Read it out loud. Does it sound correct as you are saying it? I would also recommend that you have someone else (or multiple people) read it before you turn it in. Does it make sense to them? Lastly, read the paper and compare to the final paper assignment. Did you answer every, single question in the assignment? Did you provide enough detail? The more detail the better. If you did not spend at least 10 hours on this paper, you are probably not going to do well. This is not a joke. This written assignment is designed to help you think critically about the national government and enhance your skills at evaluating images as required under Dallas College’s guidelines for core learning objectives. This paper will consist of six required written components. Each of these parts should be at least one-half page in length. In addition, you can (but are not required to) have an introduction and a conclusion. This means that the body of the paper should be 3-5 pages in length. If the paper is shorter than 3 pages or longer than 5 pages, points will be deducted. The paper should be written in the order that is listed in this assignment. Before Beginning the Paper Before beginning this assignment you will need to familiarize yourself with the images and articles found on this course’s eCampus page under “Final Paper Assignment.” This paper can not be completed without accessing this material. If you are having problem with eCampus contact: 1-866-374-7169 1 Content Requirements 1. Describe what the graphs look like visually. Pretend that the reader is not able to see the graphs and give as much detail as possible. (VL 1) 2. What information are the graphs presenting? What are the graphs telling you about? Take the information that is presented visually and communicate it to the reader in written form. (VL 2) 3. What does the information presented in these graphs mean for the United States Government and the country? How might government spending (outlays) affect the federal budget deficit? How might the federal budget deficit impact the economy (GDP) now, in the past or in the future? (VL 3) 4. Using multiple sources please provide an explanation for why the United States’ Federal Government is in debt. Please present several possible explanations for the problem. Address which explanations have the strongest arguments and which have the weakest arguments and why. (CT1 and CT 2) 5. Of the arguments that have been presented, which do you prefer and why? What are other possible factors that might influence our national debt, but are not addressed in your perspective? Based on your beliefs about the national debt what course of action do you think should be taken to decrease the debt? What are some possible reasons why you might be in error? (CT 3 and CT 4) 6. Assuming that the course of action you recommend is taken by the United States Government, what do you believe the consequences would be? Do not just think about the consequences it would have on the national debt, but also on the United States budget as a whole and the affect if would have on the day-to-day lives of average Americans. (CT5) Information in these sections should be specific. Avoid phrases like “good,” “bad,” “everyone,” “everything,” “nothing,” and especially “I don’t know.” 2 Communication Requirements A. Make sure you communicate clearly with the reader. Assume that the reader knows nothing about the subject. B. This is a paper about the government. Government has its own vocabulary. Make sure that the terminology that you use is correct in the context of your paper. If you’re not sure about the meaning of government related terms, your textbook can be a good guide. C. Follow the structure and order of the paper as listed in this assignment. D. Many parts of your paper require information from outside sources (meaning – “not you”). Make sure that you give proper credit to where you obtained the information, and to put the information in quotes if it is an exact quote. E. Use proper grammar. Follow standard rules for writing. Paper Structure The paper should be typed with 12-point font, double-spaced and should have one-inch margins on all sides of every page. No title page is required, but list your name and the title on the first page. Any other information you give in a heading will not count toward the length of the paper. Grading Standards – Plagiarism Warning Plagiarism is not acceptable. If even a part of one sentence is found to be copied word-for-word this will be considered plagiarism and the student will receive a 50 for the paper. There are no exceptions to this rule. Do not copy and paste. Also, changing one word in a sentence still counts as plagiarism. Rewrite sentences several times to make sure it is in your own words. 3 Grading Standards - Content The paper’s content is worth 250 of the 300 total points of this paper. -This paper’s main body has six sections – For each section that is not included in the paper, 40 points will be deducted. - If section requirements are not completely addressed, 20 points will be deducted. - For every section that does not meet the one half-page minimum standard, 20 points will be deducted. - If I find the information presented in a section to be unclear or confusing, 20 points will be deducted. (A maximum of 40 points will be deducted per section). - For quotes over ONE sentence, 20 points will be deducted. -If you do not cite your sources, 50 points will be deducted (Unless it is a plagiarism issue; see above plagiarism warning). - For each direction that is given in the assignment but is ignored by the student, 10 points will be deducted. -For every fourth of a page that the report is short of three full pages, 10 points will be deducted (up to 40 points per page). 4 Grading Standards - Grammar Grammar is worth 50 out of the 300 total points of this paper. Each of the following will count off two points apiece: - Incorrect Capitalization - Incorrect use of Lower Case - Not Separating/Indenting a Paragraph - Misspelled Word - Incorrect word choice - Words in the wrong order - Missing word - Incorrect Punctuation - Using Abbreviations (Including “etc.”) Each of the following will count off five points apiece: - An Incomplete Sentence - A Run-On Sentence. - An Awkward Sentence (A sentence that is difficult for me to understand). - A Confusing Sentence (A sentence that I don’t understand what it is saying). Grading Standards – Other Requirements -Students caught plagiarizing will receive an automatic score of 50. No Exceptions -This paper is worth a minimum of 50 points (if it is at least three pages long and on topic). This Paper is Due on eCampus April 9th at 11:59 PM 5 The images you will need for this assignment can be found in the link listed below. There are five images on this website, but the images you will need to use are the third and fourth images. The images are not numbered so you will need to count down from the top of the page. The images are interactive, so you can play around with them a little bit to gain the information that you will need for the paper. If you have any questions please contact me. American Government Assignment Images Running Head: BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS Budget Graphs Analysis Institution of Affiliation Name of student Date 1 BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS 2 Budget Graphs Analysis 1. Visual Graph Description There are a total of five graphs that have been used to give representations of the 2019 national budget. Two of the visual representations are in the form of pie charts, while the other one bar graph and two line graphs. Different colors have been used to try and help in the identification of various elements represented. The figures represented can be described as: Figure One This is a horizontal bar graph that compares the revenue and the outlays that were recorded for the year 2019. The bar representing revenues is blue in color, while that representing the outlays is green in color. The outlays bar has been split into three sections, each representing a distinct representation. The bar representing revenue is a single bar with no divisions. On the horizontal axis, the amounts in dollars have been shown. On the vertical axis, “FISCAL YEAR 2019” has been written. Figure 2 In the first pie chart, there are five subdivisions which each represents different revenues that have been recorded by the country. The pie chart is made up of two circles; a small inner circle surrounded by a bigger circle. At the center of the chart, the various revenues are shown while the other details are found between the two pie charts. The colors used in this diagram are the different variations of the green color. Figure 3 The second diagram is made of two circles, an inner circle, and an outer circle. There are a total of seven sections between the circles. At the center of the diagram, the description of what the different sections are made up of has been stated. The individual sections are differentiated BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS 3 by a small space that is white in color. The main color used for this diagram is color blue which has been made in different variations to make it easy to distinguish the sectors. Figure 4 This line graph is dark purple in color, which shows the variations were experienced in the different years in terms of budget deficits. The budget deficits in units are on the y-axis while the years are on the x-axis. Figures on the vertical axis range from -10 to 5. The years on the horizontal axis are from 1970 to 2010, but the graph line continues to run past the year 2010. Figure 5 It is light purple in color, and the graph line runs from left to right and shows an upward rise between the elements being compared. On the vertical axis, values range from 0 to 80 in number. The horizontal axis has years which are represented from the year 1970 to 2010, but the graph line continues to run past the year 2010. 2. Information Represented in the Diagrams Figure 1 The first diagram represents revenues and outlays in trillions. The value of revenues is 3.5 trillion dollars, while the value of outlays is 4.4 trillion dollars. Outlays are divided into mandatory, discretionary, and net interests. The net interests are valued at 0.4 trillion, discretionary interests are at 1.3T, and mandatory outlays were valued at 2.7 trillion dollars. The value of outlays exceeds the value of revenues that have been earned. Figure 2 In this figure, the total value of revenues is broken down to the various numbers of contributors that add up to 3.5 T dollars. Individual taxes are the main contributors, which sum up to 1.7 T BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS 4 dollars. Payroll taxes are the second-largest contributors with 1.2T, followed by other revenues valued at 271 billion dollars and corporate income taxes. Figure 3 In the diagram representing the outlays, the total outlay expenditure is valued at 4.4 billion dollars. The outlays are divided into three; net interest, mandatory and discretionary expenditure. Net interest is valued at 375 billion dollars. Mandatory spending is made up of defense and non-defense spending. Defense spending takes up most of the non-discretionary spending with an estimate of 676 billion dollars. Non-defense figures are at 661 billion dollars. Under mandatory spending, the largest spending is social security at 1T, Medicare at 664 billion, Medicaid at 409 billion, and other expenditures at 642 billion dollars. Figure 4 In the diagram, the annual deficits and surpluses have been shown from 1970 to 2019. There were deficits experienced from 1970 to 1990. From 1990 to 2000, the GDP percentage rose steadily and began to decline and rise from year to year. The worst deficit was recorded in 2010, but the deficits began to reduce. The upward reduction then reduced as the years passed by till 2019. Figure 5 The diagram shows an increase in the number of debts held by the public as compared to the sum of annual surpluses and deficits. The trend is that there has been an increase from 1970 to 2019 in every current year as compared to the previous. BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS 5 3. Meaning of the Information to the United States of America The information presented in the graphs is important since it will help in making the decisions that affect the country. Through understanding the outlay patterns, plans to help reduce expenditure costs can be identified to help reduce budget deficits. Deficits or surplus in any budget is usually obtained by subtracting outlays from revenues in that particular year (Alex, 2012). Where budget deficits have been recorded, the government may look for other sources of revenue to supplement the budgets. This explains why the United States government is in debt. Sources of funding deficits include borrowing internally from businesses, individuals, selling treasury securities and bonds to the public. If government operates beyond its means, then it will lead to deficits in the budget. The revenues collected by the government are supposed to cater to all the expenditures. If the governments' expenditure exceeds revenues, then the government will have to borrow, which increases the debts that the country owes. 4. Reasons why the United States of America is in Debt The main reason as to why the USA government is in debt is because the government spends more than the revenues it collects inform of taxes. The main sources of revenue that the federal government uses to bring in incomes are mainly individual income taxes and payroll taxes (Sudakova, 2019). These are the major contributors to government revenue, while other sources like corporate income taxes are also contributing to these revenues. From the information presented in the diagrams, the government tends to spend more on mandatory spending, followed by discretionary spending. National debt involves the total amounts of money that the government owes others and the different departments it runs. The national government’s debts continue to increase if the BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS 6 government will fund different departments and activities. In 2018, the federal government had spent more than half of its revenue funding discretional activities. Such issues need to be addressed if the national debt is reduced (Congressional Budget Office, 2020). Other than spending more on recurrent expenditures, the government should find ways to reduce these expenditures. The debt of the USA government is large mainly because congress continues to implement tax cuts and encourage deficit spending. When deficit spending continues to increase, the government will not be able to pay back all these debts leading to poor economic positions. 5. Other factors that influence the National Debt Other factors that influence national debt include poor fiscal and economic planning. When a government policy is focused on participating in more expenditure than the amount of revenue earned, the chances are high that it is likely to lead to an increase in national debt. The USA is one of the leading economies in the world, and it ought to have good debt management. The other factor as to why the national debt is high is because the debt is high as compared to what the country produces. In order to deal with this problem, the government will have to review the fiscal policies and, more so, how the government spends its revenues. This is the key to addressing issues to do with the national debt and will help to manage the costs involved in the process. 6. Recommendations National debts usually have a negative impact on the economy of any given country (Kula, 2019). The federal government should come up with ways that will ensure that they operate within their means. Excess expenditure allocations in the budgets should be looked at, and the government should allocate available funds depending on the availability of funds. BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS Discretionary outlays need to be re-evaluated, and where necessary, the cost should be cut. Mandatory outlays should also be looked at, and ways to reduce unnecessary costs should be implemented. Accountability in government spending will help reduce excessive spending. This will, in turn, reduce deficits and can even lead to a surplus. 7 BUDGET GRAPHS ANALYSIS 8 References Alex. (2012). Recessions, Budget Deficits and Austerity: A Comment on the USA and European Economies. EUROPEAN RESEARCH STUDIES JOURNAL, XV(Issue 3), 81–88. Congressional Budget Office. (2020, April 15). The Federal Budget in 2019: An Infographic | Congressional Budget Office. Www.cbo.gov. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56324 Kula, M. C. (2019). The behavior of U.S. States’ debts and deficits. Public Sector Economics, 43(3), 267–289. Sudakova, N. (2019). American R&D Budget Policy: Trends and Forecasts. USA & Canada: Economics – Politics – Culture, 49(10), 54–77. The images you will need for this assignment can be found in the link listed below. There are five images on this website, but the images you will need to use are the third and fourth images. The images are not numbered so you will need to count down from the top of the page. The images are interactive, so you can play around with them a little bit to gain the information that you will need for the paper. If you have any questions please contact me. American Government Assignment Images The images you will need for this assignment can be found in the link listed below. There are five images on this website, but the images you will need to use are the third and fourth images. The images are not numbered so you will need to count down from the top of the page. The images are interactive, so you can play around with them a little bit to gain the information that you will need for the paper. If you have any questions please contact me. American Government Assignment Images EXAMPLE Student's Name Theme: Competing Ethnic Mexican Worldviews in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 1920-1970 During the twentieth century several important economic and political shifts in the U.S.- Mexico borderlands caused ethnic Mexicans (Mexican nationals and U.S.-Mexicans) to rethink their position in the region, nation, and world. Between the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the Chicano Movement in the long decade of the 1960s, Mexican nationals and U.S.-Mexicans used cultural productions to articulate their sense of belonging. There were three competing worldviews during this time. Two of these were sponsored by centralizing states. The U.S. state and Mexican state were interested in securing the political and cultural allegiances of this transnational community. The other worldview tried to articulate a sense of political and cultural belonging outside of authoritative nationalisms. 1. Flaco Jimenez - "La Piedrera" (1928) Flaco Jimenez was an accordion player from San Antonio who popularized a regionally specific genre of music, the Texas-Mexican Conjunto. The conjunto paired the European accordion with the guitar and bass. This music became popular among the growing working-class ethnic Mexican population in the early twentieth century. Regardless of citizenship, both groups identified with the music, using it to establish political connections and establish community. This type of music helped bridge cultural chasms that were emerging among the community by the 1920s. Increased migration from Mexico had augmented the numbers of Mexican nationals and there was an intra-community debate surrounding the construction of "Mexicanness" in the U.S. 2. Lalo Guerrero - "Los Chucos Suaves" (1942) Guerrero was born in Tucson, Arizona but eventually found his way to Los Angeles, California. Once there, Guerrero, in addition to musician Don Tosti, helped popularize the “Pachuco Boogie Woogie." By the 1940s, Mexican-American nativity had dramatically increased since its nadir in the 1920s. These youths were born in the U.S. and attended American schools. They were bilingual and bicultural. The song "Los Chucos Suaves" exemplifies the cultural changes of the Pachucas and Pachucos. The song does not have an accordion and it is not a traditional Latin American format. Instead, the song is inspired by American jazz, yet still retains a Latino flair. The maracas, the bass line, and the use of Caló, or the Pachuco slang illustrate the cultural fluidity of these Mexican-American youths who see themselves as both American and Mexican, but not solely one. The lyrics stress the bicultural reality of Mexican-American youth in the 1940s by stating Pachucas and Pachucos can dance a wide variety of dances-cumbia, rhumba, guarache-but also the boogie-woogie and jitter-bug. Music as History a. Choose a topic you would like to explore through music (e.g. changing gender roles, the social acceptance of drug use, portrayals of sexuality in American culture, etc.) b. Choose a time period (1950-1995; 1965-1975; etc). c. Choose five songs that best exemplify the change you are examining. d. In a word document, in chronological order, list the name of the song, the year it was written/released, and a paragraph explaining the meaning and importance of the song you chose to the social change you identified. 3. Beto Villa - "El Primero" (1948) Villa's band was emblematic of a new genre of music that began to develop in the Southwest in the middle of the twentieth century, the Mexican-American orquesta. While the conjunto was primarily working class music, the orquesta was the chosen style of a small but influential middle-class Mexican-American community. This music was associated with groups like the League of Latin American Citizens and the American G.I. Forum. While these were early civil rights organizations, their members also subscribed a particular type of social conservatism that stressed assimilation, capitalism, patriotism, and conservative gender roles. The Mexican- American middle-class in the mid-twentieth century was conservative in political, social, and cultural outlook. They would have thought the Pachuco Boogie Woogie scandalous and the conjunto low class. Villa's orchestration, his choice of American influenced rhythms, and his hiding, and in some cases eliminating, of the accordion shows the assimilationist bent of the Mexican-American orquesta. 4. Pedro Infante - "Dicen Que Soy Mujeriego" (1948) Infante was part of a larger shift in Mexican culture beginning after the institutionalization of the Mexican Revolution. After the subsidence of violence, the revolutionary state set out to create a new coherent Mexican nationalism, a project that had plagued the nation through the nineteenth century. Building on indigenous and socialist themes, the Mexican state believed they could create, as Jose Vasconcelos wrote, a “raza cosmica," or a cosmic people. In other words, integration not racial segregation would be the foundation for the new nation in the twentieth century. The combination of the indigenous past and the industrial future would help forge a new nation. In an effort to create this new nationalism, the Mexican state began to promote Mariachi music domestically and internationally. Mariachi music had previously been a regional music but started to transform into a national symbol. Through film and radio the Mexican state popularized the music because its themes reflected key tenets of Mexican political and social identity: bravery, virility, chivalry, humility. Songs like "Dicen Que Soy Mujeriego” foreground men as central social and political actors. Their power was manifest in their sexual virility and their virtue in their chivalry. While in reality the charro was a mythical figure of the past, he was a national metonym, an example of what every Mexican man was supposed to be. These films and songs were promoted in the United States as well and were popular and influential. 5. Carlos Santana - "Oye Como Va" (1970) By the mid-1960s, some Mexican-American youth began calling themselves Chicanas and Chicanos. The term, with a history rooted in a working-class migratory history of the twentieth century, was used as an affirmation of identity and culture and as a term of resistance to assimilation. Chicanas and Chicanos saw themselves as a community that had unique transnational and indigenous qualities that would allow them to fight back capitalist penetration and colonial conquest. Building upon a long history of cultural syncretism, they believed that cultural mestizaje was a crucial ingredient to social resistance. Santana's music adopts these themes. Santana combined American rock, Afro-Latino rhythms, and Mexican culture into a transnational ethnic Mexican music. For this generation, his music, along with others like El Chicano, was the soundtrack to the revolution. [You will write a concluding Paragraph) 22:30 ally-production.s3.amazonaws.com chivalry, humility. Songs like "Dicen Que Soy Mujeriego foreground men as central social and political actors. Their power was manifest in their sexual virility and their virtue in their chivalry. While in reality the charro was a mythical figure of the past, 2 was a national metonym, an example of what every Mexican man was supposed to 2. These films and songs were promoted in the United States as well and were opular and influential. 3 of 3 5. Carlos Santana - "Oye Como Va" (1970) By the mid-1960s, some Mexican-American youth began calling themselves Chicanas and Chicanos. The term, with a history rooted in a working-class migratory history of the twentieth century, was used as an affirmation of identity and culture and as a term of resistance to assimilation. Chicanas and Chicanos saw themselves as a community that had unique transnational and indigenous qualities that would allow them to fight back capitalist penetration and colonial conquest. Building upon a long history of cultural syncretism, they believed that cultural mestizaje was a crucial ingredient to social resistance. Santana's music adopts these themes. Santana combined American rock, Afro-Latino rhythms, and Mexican culture into a transnational ethnic Mexican music. For this generation, his music, along with others like El Chicano, was the soundtrack to the revolution.