blog stage 8

     In Betsy Rivera's blog stage seven commentary entitled "Voter Turnout", it seems to be the last entry into this topic. This last entry consists of the ways counties and cities can promote voter turnout. The beginning paragraph explains how voters would be more likely to vote if they had incentives, instead of receiving a sticker. This is a good opener as readers who have voted can relate to the frustration of long voting lines, therefore hooking the reader in.
     Rivera mentions that when people vote once, "they're more likely to continue voting"; however, there are no figures to back that statement up. This is really the only instance of not including figures, as her next example of what voters have won in various locations. The examples Rivera utilizes are great, it possibly gives the reader an incentive to ask for changes like these.
     Rivera also added a piece that didn't cross my mind until reading that paragraph and gives a good solution to possible problems that would arise. Her suggestion is to inform voters on candidates before announcing incentives so that people could still make somewhat informed decisions. This is a great way to show readers that the author truly thought this issue out, therefore gaining the trust of the reader.
     The last paragraph focuses on Texas, and its significant low voter turnout despite a nationwide increase in the 2016 election. Rivera explains how Texas needs incentives for voters, to further encourage citizen participation. Her ending statement is a good conclusion to her commentary, noting that this would benefit citizens and political decisions alike.

blog stage 7

    The national government is an enormously powerful tool utilized by those in power. This utilization can be beneficial to its constituents, or detrimental. An example of how this overwhelming power can be utilized for bad is with the recent government shutdown. Our president has the power to partially shut down the government in a large scale temper tantrum to get his wall built. The government shutdown lasted for 35 days and affected everyone in some shape or form.

    Farmers suffered by being underpaid for their crops. The FDA had stopped doing routine checks on seafood, vegetables, and fruits, meaning that there was a high risk of contaminated or otherwise unsafe food being distributed to the public. Around 800,000 government employees were not paid during the shutdown. I believe that it is incredibly cruel and not fair for the president to demand a border wall in the peace of his own home when many citizens did not know when they would get paid next.

    The national government should do more to regulate the power of the president. While I understand that his role is incredibly important and vital to our country, many people suffered due to this temper tantrum. It is unacceptable that we the people had to suffer for his unmatched temper and stubbornness.

blog stage 5

The U.S. national government is a critical establishment that has been in place for the past 200 years. Over the past two centuries, our nation has evolved and changed in many ways. I believe that the ability to change and adapt is essential to the success of our country. Although the government has evolved, I believe that larger adaptations need to be put in place to broaden the reach of national government. A great starting place would be in the form of electronic voting.

Public participation, especially when it comes to voting, is almost always lower than expected and hoped for. For many, voting is simply an inconvenience. School, work, and other responsibilities can make standing in line at the public library for an hour not possible. Electronic voting allows individuals to cast their vote at their own convenience, independent of location. This broadens accessibility to many more, ensuring that those who are able to cast their vote have the resources to do so. If we have the technology to make this incredibly important civic duty more accessible, why not do so?

The U.S. national government should do more to incorporate the available technology we have so we can further the country evolve as a whole. The constitution and other rules we abide by were written over 200 years ago when they didn’t even have septic systems. Its time for a change.