Battleground: Government and Politics

Battleground: Government and Politics

by Kathleen Uradnik, Lori A. Johnson, and Sara Hower, editors

Greenwood Press, 2011

Reference Section, Call Number: JK275 .B37 2011 (2 vols)

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"Government and politics is an area in which there are no "right" answers, but much room for debate. Battleground: Government and Politics allows students and general readers alike to consider key political debates from all sides and to arrive at their own considered convictions, based on a firm understanding of the issues and points of view involved.

"This two-volume work explores dozens of the most contentious issues in contemporary life, issues that impact how our government is run today and how it will be run in the future. Each topic is examined in a balanced way, providing not only an overview of the issues involved, but an objective assessment of the stance of all sides. Readers can use these entries as thorough and solid summaries of the most contentious controversies in contemporary society, or as starting points for more in-depth research into the debates." (from Publisher website)

Selected by April Ibarra Siqueiros, SWC Librarian

Website of the Week

Open States: Discover Politics in Your State

https://openstates.org/

Open States is a collection of tools that make it possible for citizens to track what is happening in their state's capitol by aggregating information from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. 

To begin, you can either enter an address or select a state to see recently passed bills and detailed legislator information. Bill, legislator, committee and event data is collected from official sources, linked at the bottom of each legislator, bill, vote, committee or event page. 

The data is available to be downloaded from the Open States website or app.

Review by April Ibarra Siqueiros, SWC Librarian

This Week in CQ Researcher

Political Conventions by Tom Price, August 8, 2008


Have they outlived their usefulness?

The Democrats and Republicans share a fundamental goal for their upcoming national conventions: to produce scripted television shows that will boost their candidates’ prospects in the general election without showcasing any intra-party squabbling. If the important decisions are made before the conventions begin, ask some politicians, political scientists and critics in the media, why bother to hold them?

Convention supporters argue that the gatherings are needed in case a nomination isn’t settled beforehand. The conventions also make decisions about party rules that can affect which candidates get nominated. And conventions are the one time every four years when the parties become truly national organizations, with delegates and activists from around the country mingling face-to-face.

Are national political conventions obsolete?

Should superdelegates be abolished?

Should an orderly primary election schedule be established?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Remote Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Campaign Finance Reform by Thomas J. Billitteri,

June 13, 2008

Have efforts to rein in political donations failed?

As the 2008 presidential contest continues, the campaign finance system is in upheaval. Six years after Congress passed the landmark Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act to help curb the influence of unregulated “soft” money in politics, the so-called McCain-Feingold law is facing court challenges and persistent claims that it infringes on free-speech rights.

• Has BCRA failed?
  
• Are small donors creating a new campaign finance system?
  
• Should the Federal Election Commission be overhauled?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Remote Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Women in Politics by Kenneth Jost, March 21, 2008.

Does gender bias hurt female candidates?

The number of women holding political office in the United States has grown substantially over the past two decades. But even with a record number of 86 women in Congress today, men still outnumber women by more than 5-to-1.

Within Congress, female lawmakers have helped bring greater attention to some issues affecting women, families and children, but partisan divisions have thwarted some of their initiatives.

• Do women candidates face political disadvantages because of their sex?
  
• Has the increased number of women in political office affected public policy?
  
• Should women cast a “gender ballot” to try to correct the underrepresentation of women in public office?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.