In Philip Stiefer blog post about Lobbyist Out of Control he states that "Lobbyists and political action committees are a real threat to the democratic process and leave the average voter powerless." I would have to somewhat argue against that.
Lobbying is the ability to be able to convince/persuade legislators and officials in government to vote one way, or to advocate for a cause. I think that that is totally okay. We are in a democracy, and everything is based on voting. And everyday people are trying to change other people's opinions on a topic. It also happens alot in Congress. Lobbying is just a smaller scale of persuading. Instead of trying to convince a whole crowd, you can focus on one official at a time. Then start to move to other officials. Lobbyist are usually someone who is in an intrest group. These people do a good job by being able to inform the legislator about certain types of informations. And the lobbyist can provide a good stong base if the legislator picks up the idea from the lobbyist. I don't believe that lobbyist affect average voters. Lobbyist just affect the decisions of people in office.
PACs are a threat to the democratic process, but not really. PACs are just a collection of peopls money. People like intrest groups, corporations and unions. And there is a restirction that say that someone can only donate up to $5000. Which really isn't that much. Also that PACs only make up about 30% of the overally funds of a campaign. Which again is really not that much.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Cyber Security
While the U.S. has undoubtedly transformed and benefited from the rapid advancement of technology, the new era has allowed the passage and creation of a new breed of criminals: cyber thieves and hackers.
The internet now plays a major role in the everyday functioning of societal and business activities. The ability to transfer and store information instantly across a cyber medium can be found in the millions of Americans' daily usage of online banking services, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Amazon to name a few. Sophisticated individuals or groups of them who have the knowledge and means to do so can now take advantage of such activities for their own unlawful monetary and personal gains. Identity theft, computer fraud, and spam attacks are quickly replacing the worries of what once used to be primarily burglaries and vandalism. Cyber thieves are stealing identities and personal information from unknowing victims and hackers pose not only a home threat, but an enormous military threat in their abilities to backdoor systems and destroy information and data. So what is the US government doing to address the problem?
I believe that U.S. government has the same responsibility of protecting their citizens in the safety of their own computers just as much as protecting Americans in their own homes. Police patrol the streets and respond to any attack on life or property, so I don't think a cyber police force should not be too much to ask for.
One of the things I see that Obama does not get enough credit for amidst all the criticsm on the economy is his awareness of the problems that will soon largely face the new generation. Obama recognized the critical issue of cybersecurity and paved the way for a new dimension of focus in crime by creating a Cybersecurity Czar and starting new policies concerning it.
The US government is at least taking a step, a very good step, in the right direction. Cyber crimes statisically are rapidly rising with each passing year and if not already, this will be a huge issue in the mind of the public. It will be the US government's job to continue to adapt to the changing environment and keep its promise to protect its citizens whether it is on the streets or on the web.
The internet now plays a major role in the everyday functioning of societal and business activities. The ability to transfer and store information instantly across a cyber medium can be found in the millions of Americans' daily usage of online banking services, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Amazon to name a few. Sophisticated individuals or groups of them who have the knowledge and means to do so can now take advantage of such activities for their own unlawful monetary and personal gains. Identity theft, computer fraud, and spam attacks are quickly replacing the worries of what once used to be primarily burglaries and vandalism. Cyber thieves are stealing identities and personal information from unknowing victims and hackers pose not only a home threat, but an enormous military threat in their abilities to backdoor systems and destroy information and data. So what is the US government doing to address the problem?
I believe that U.S. government has the same responsibility of protecting their citizens in the safety of their own computers just as much as protecting Americans in their own homes. Police patrol the streets and respond to any attack on life or property, so I don't think a cyber police force should not be too much to ask for.
One of the things I see that Obama does not get enough credit for amidst all the criticsm on the economy is his awareness of the problems that will soon largely face the new generation. Obama recognized the critical issue of cybersecurity and paved the way for a new dimension of focus in crime by creating a Cybersecurity Czar and starting new policies concerning it.
The US government is at least taking a step, a very good step, in the right direction. Cyber crimes statisically are rapidly rising with each passing year and if not already, this will be a huge issue in the mind of the public. It will be the US government's job to continue to adapt to the changing environment and keep its promise to protect its citizens whether it is on the streets or on the web.
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