Monthly Extra Blog Post

Accomplished:
-Attended another city council meeting as part of my senior project
-Did some work on my senior project independent component
-Quite a lot of college stuff
-An excessively large amount of college stuff
-Tried to arrange interview with second mentor Professor Murniz Coson. I am still waiting for his reply
-Expanded work on research for topic

Will Do
-Hopefully arrange that interview. It's due pretty soon after all.
-Continue attending city council meetings
-Finish my college stuff
-Hopefully get into an economics course
-Finish Independent component 2
-Work on Senior Project activity

Summary:

Blog 18: Interview Questions

Due to my choice of interview subject being different from my last I'll incorporate my last 10 questions from my last interview into this one in addition to ten new ones as they still warrant answering and seeing the diversity of response would provide insight. They will also be reworded to better work with a college professor. The ten new ones will be listed below.

1.  Do you believe that the current generation is politically uninvolved?
2.  Do you think that there is a higher perception of disillusionment in the government amongst voters today? 
3. What factors do you fell are inhibiting youth voter participation (youth defined as being between the ages of 18-
4. Do you feel that education has a place in encouraging voter participation?
5. What public Policies are effective for encouraging voter participation
6. If elected, what would be your primary goal to better help the community?  
7. As a political Science Professor, what is your evaluation on the future of political involvement?
8. Aside from active voter involvement, what else do you feel is important to an active democracy?
9. If you had any advice for a person looking to get involved in politics, what would it be?
10. In your experience as an educator, what encourages people to participate in voting or other political activities?
11. What do you think are effective activities that a person can do to engage with the system aside from voting?
12. Do you feel there are any aspects or politicians about politics that are overlooked despite their impact?
13. Are there any political phrases or attitudes that you personally find frustrating or counterintuitive?
14. What is your evaluation on the rise of super pacs as significant players in politics? Does their increasing participation warrant concern?
15. Would you consider attempting at running for the same or potentially a higher office in the future? 
16. As a Political Science Professor, what would you like to see in a potential political leader?
17. What Political Theories are essential to understanding the machinations of the modern political process?
18. Are there any major misconceptions about the political process among your students that are common? If so, please provide an example and state if you believe that they might have influence on their understanding.
19. What readings or authors would you recommend to better continue my understanding of the subject?
20. Who would you recommend I talk to further about this?

Blog 17: Best Answer #3

• EQ 
• Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*
• The Best Way to address declining youth voter participation is to address the systematic inhibitors of voting that lower perception of the effectiveness of voting.
• 3 details to support the answer (a detail is a fact anad an example
• There is increased perception of the structural weaknesses of government such as, and only 20% of people trust the government to make the correct decision.
• Issues such as Gerrymandering are more prominent and negatively impacting the effects of voting by creating concentrated blocs of political power. Their presence effectively disenfranchises voters and lends credence to the pointlessness of voting. 
• Research has concluded that many find their trust in the government diminished by scandals and the impression that the government fails to address those issues properly. By encouraging a connection to politics, a sentiment which research has found to be the best way to encourage a lifelong involvment in politics, youth voters are likely to be benefited from the perception that there is change.
• The research source (s) to support your details and answer
• Wendel, Stephen. "The Dynamics of Political Participation: An Analysis
  of the Dynamic Interaction between Individuals and their Political
  Micro-Environment." Order No. 3517713 University of Maryland, College
  Park, 2012. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 26 Sep. 2014.
• Kuttner, Robert. The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print.
• Record, Matthew. "Empowerment and Education: Why Young People Don't Vote." Scholars and Rogues Progressive Culture. Scholars and Rogues, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
• Concluding Sentence
• Addressing these issues would aid the government as a whole in addition to helping out people.