Amanda Labrado

PLSC 210
Prof. Lee Miller
01/24/10
Homework #1
How to contact your representatives
1. In what city do you live in?
San Bruno, Ca
2. Provide the name, phone number, and website address of your elected representatives:
(a) California state assembly – Jerry Hill, (650) 349-1900 (District Office),
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a19/default.aspx
(b) California state senate- Leland Y. Yee, (650) 340-8840 (District Office),
http://dist08.casen.govoffice.com/
(c) U.S. House of Representatives- Jackie Speier, (650) 342-0300 (District Office),
http://speier.house.gov/
(d) U.S. Senate (both)- Dianne Feinstein (D), (415) 393-0707,
http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ Barbara Boxer (D), (415) 403-0100,
http://boxer.senate.gov/
Why do we need a government?
1. Explain what is meant by sovereignty:
Sovereignty refers to the absolute power and authority to make laws; A sovereign body
would be able to command a group of people, but they would be unable to have any
influence upon the sovereign. “The sovereign is the highest and final decision maker w/in
a community”. Most importantly, “sovereignty is a theoretical construct”, a sovereign is
not omnipotent just b/c it has the right to make laws (Hague & Harrop 17). A “body” is
either Sovereign or Not Sovereign.
2. What is the difference between a state and a nation?
A state is a group of people in a given territory whom are subject to a single government
which holds authority and/or the power to use force over its subjects; On the other hand,
a nation pertains to a group of people that wish to be called so and belong to a shared
homeland. A nation uses or invents a culture to justify their right to self-determination or
sovereignty; a nation is formed when it has resolved to achieve “control over its own
destiny, whether through independence or devolution”(Hague & Harrop p.17).
What forms of government are there to choose from?
3. Define the following terms:
(a) Direct democracy-Citizens meet to discuss and resolve “matters of common interest”;
and all could participate excluding women, slaves, and foreigners.
(b) Representative democracy-Citizens elect politicians to “represent [themselves], their
districts, and parties”; the politicians represent them in elections.
(c) Liberal democracy-A limited government constituted of laws and controlled by
citizens whom hold elections, “based on universal suffrage”, freely, fairly, and
 regularly and [who’s] “elected rulers are subject to constitutions that usually include a
statement of individual rights” (Hague & Harrop p.49).
(d) Illiberal Democracy-Rulers are elected fairly but “govern with few limits” and pay
little attention to individual rights; illiberal rulers often use the media to their
advantage and “interfere with the market or the rule of law” to ensure re-election or
harass their potential political opponents.
(e) Authoritarian rule-“Any form of non-democratic rule” in which a state’s “leaders rely
on control[ing …] the military, patronage, and [the] media” for the purpose of
maintaining their position through the obedience of its citizens.(Hague & Harrop
p.61&63)
1. (a) What are the key characteristics of a fascist political system?
• “extreme glorification of the state or race” (Hague & Harrop p.72).
• Rights are unimportant
• Control over Mass Media
• Nationalism
• National enemies created
• Military power = to government
• “trad. Division of sexual labour” (Hague & Harrop p.72).
• Goal “to create an all- embracing warrior state” that masses of all classes “would
show passionate commitment and submission to” (Hague & Harrop p.72).
• Led by autocratic ruler and a single party to personify the state
• “State defines & shapes the individual” which allows him to find true meaning by
serving the state (Hague & Harrop p.72).
• Condemnation religion, liberalism, parliamentary democ’y, + capitalism “as weak
distractions from national renewal” (Hague & Harrop p.72).
• “sought strong national response to international groups & movements” (Hague &
Harrop p.72).
• “doctrine of constant movement & change” (Hague & Harrop p.73).
• “present politics as theater: marches, demonstrations, symbols, speeches” (Hague
& Harrop p.73).
(b) In post-9/11 America, what similarities to fascism can you identify?
• USA Patriot Act – Amended 11 acts that preserved American privacy(10/26/01)
• Failure to recognize human rights-Guantanamo Bay
• Military importance raised – Dept. of Homeland Security hires and deploys armed
private security guards in New Orleans.
• Control of Mass Media- To “inhibit citizen’s activism & dissent a secret state
program to wiretap citizens' phones, read their emails and follow international
financial transactions,” was put into place ( Wolf, Naomi: Fascist America In 10
Easy steps).
• Identify public enemies to unify-“The American Civil Liberties Union reports that
[…] a secret Pentagon database includes more than four dozen peaceful anti-war
meetings, rallies or marches by American citizens in its category of 1,500
 "suspicious incidents."[…] A little-noticed new law has redefined activism such
as animal rights protests as "terrorism." So the definition of "terrorist" slowly
expands to include the opposition”(Wolf, Naomi: Fascist America In 10 Easy
steps).
(c) What differences from fascism can you identify?
• Religion and government were still not very closely related
• Big businesses didn’t seem to support bush , nor did he seem to gain pwr from
them.
• No Union elimination
• Funding & respect for arts and education continued
• Cronyism was not apparent

1. Do you think that the U.S. should try to encourage the spread of liberal democracy
throughout the world? Suggest at least 2 arguments in favor and at least 2 arguments
against. (note: encouraging democracy does not necessarily require military intervention.)
a. Yes, the U.S. should attempt to encourage the spread of liberal democracies b/c if
all countries were liberal democracies perhaps they would not have as many conflicts
with the way each is run since they would be similar, in turn, cutting down the causes
of wars.
b. No, the U.S. should not promote the spread of liberal democracy because some
countries might take the U.S.’ encouragement as an attempt to dominate the world
with their thoughts, beliefs and politics.
c. Yes, America should promote liberal democracy b/c terrorism might also be
diminished against it.
d. No, If America were to promote democracy and succeed many governments and
the way he world runs would be affected; for instance, prices for clothes would rise
because we would no longer had sweatshops in foreign countries to provide cheap
shirts for us.