PSC 100 Final Exam Questions and Answers 100% Correct

PSC 100 Final Exam Questions and Answers 100% Correct PSC 100 Nevada Constitution Whoever is resourceful enough to find this you are welcome. This class is a waste of time and our tuition. Take it easy, guys. Party. As the text chapters demonstrate, the settlement of Nevada and its ultimate acceptance as a state was often linked to external events. Outline how the Mexican-American War, the movement of the Mormons into the West, and the search for mineral wealth first brought settlers into what is now Nevada. Although the Mexican-American War, the movement of the Mormons, and the Gold Rush did not initially pertain to the settlement of Nevada, historians state that those were the milestones that ultimately led to the settlement. After the Mexican-American War, the United States gained control over California, Utah, Nevada, and portions of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Mormons were rejected by society at the time due to their beliefs clashing with traditional Christians and after the murder of Joseph Smith in Indiana, Brigham Young proclaimed a relatively new territory in 1849 known as "Deseret", composing of Utah, Nevada, southern California, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, and Colorado. However, in 1850 congress changed the name of "Deseret" to Utah and included only half of the area Young had previously claimed. But Mormons gain strength through numbers, and continued settling in western Utah (present-day Nevada) when Joseph Demont established a trading post in Carson Valley to exchange goods with the gold rushers of California. At first it was only a temporary post, but after discovery of gold in Gold Canyon, Carson Valley quickly became home to non-mormons otherwise known as "gentiles". Thus, unofficially becoming the origin of the settlement of Nevada. What factors contributed to Nevada becoming one of the first western territories to gain statehood? (Pay particular attention to the efforts of national politicians such as Senator Doolittle.) When Nevada was finally established as a separate territory, territorial governor James Nye appointed heads to territorial offices, created a judiciary, and planned to hold elections for a legislature. These actions formed an essential political organization in the territory, ending the "era of anarchy and confusion" (11). enforce law and order, estagblish mining rights. dtmn capital In 1863 an election was called for to test the waters for the possibility of statehood of the newly acclaimed Nevada Territory. With results of overwhelming support, the delegates drafted an unauthorized constitution. This 1863 Constitution, however, failed to address the mining tax and combined the ballot for state officials with its ratification. It also suffered a split in the Union Party. Ultimately, the constitution was defeated. It wasn't until later that Senator James Doolittle introduced a bill to Congress allowing Nevada to hold a constitutional convention and establish a government that statehood become a real possibility. The bill guaranteed President Lincoln the votes to assure a two-thirds majority for the abolition of slavery, as well as the electoral votes to help the president win the next election. It also appealed to the Radical Republicans and secured a Republican nominee. The national election and many of the political factors unrelated to Nevada is what essentially allowed the territory to become one of the first western states. After this bill, the second constitutional convention was held and the 1864 Constitution was created, adjusting its predecessor's flaws. It was approved with overwhelming support. Discuss how the Nevada constitution provides many of the same specific rights and liberties as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Give an example of how a specific group has been denied full exercise of these rights and liberties in Nevada. Given an example of how improvement has been noted for a specific group in terms of achieving full exercise of these rights and liberties. Like the United States Constitution, Nevada's constitution includes both civil rights and civil liberties. The Declaration of Rights in Article 1 of the state's constitution outlines the government's role to protect the people from acts against one another and grants the people inalienable rights. The article lists a virtually identical version of the Bill of Rights, a list of liberties which serve to protect the people from the power of the government. Like many states, Nevada has had flawed moments. For a long time, Nevada was described as the Mississippi of the West. For example, in the 1861 Territorial Legislature meeting, Nevada prohibited any "black person, or mulatto, or Indian, or Chinese would be allowed to give evidence in court either in favor of or against any white person" (Bowers 29). The Chinese for example, were discriminated against because white people viewed them as a threat to their jobs when the Central Pacific Railroad was being constructed across the Great Basin. Despite the Chinese were allowed to give testimony in court in 1881, their word was not taken seriously. In a 1903 case, more than twenty Chinese witnesses testified against five white men who beat two elderly Chinese men and all five were acquitted. The Chinese gain some basic human rights back after employment prohibitions were repealed in 1959. With the addition of numerous cases held from , the U.S. Supreme Court mandated the U.S. Bill of Rights were mandated to apply in the states via the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in Nevada. What are some of the reasons suggested in the text as to why the political power of this group has not matched its size within the general population of the state and even when compared to the political power exercised by other minority groups? Despite the Latino population growing exponentially, they have not been equally represented in politics due to a variety of arbitrary reasons. In spite of Hispanics making up 26.5% of the state population, in the 2011 legislative session only 12.7% of the state legislature was of Hispanic origin. Some may speculate that this unequal representation is a result of civil unrest amongst the Hispanic community. Prior to the 1960 communist revolution of Fidel Castro, Nevada's Hispanic population had Mexican descent. In Cuba, it was legal to gamble and run casinos so naturally Cubans fled to Nevada in aid of work. With the influx of Cubans, conflict would inevitably rise. Hispanics viewed Cubans as very condescending, arrogant, and motivated solely by self-interest and greed. Those traits allowed Cubans to gain employment in well-paid positions in the Casinos. Where Mexicans and Chicanos were restricted to low-paying blue collar positions. But, Hispanics have been rallying together in aid of registration to vote to make a more imposing presence economically and in politics. Outline and describe how the two main political parties (Democrat and Republican) have fared over time in Nevada elections. What factors may be contributing to the re-emergence of the Republican Party since the mid-1980s? Over time in Nevada's state history, Republicans and Democrats have shared their period of dominance. From 1864 to 1890, Republicans dominated State Elections largely in part of party support and from the lingering effects from the Civil War. Democrats then emerged in the early twentieth century and dominated for approximately fifty years largely in part of the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was not until the 1980's when the Republican party resurged once again. Some contributing factors were the increase in voter registration, popularity of Ronald Reagan, and the migration of the upper-middle and upper-class retirees to Nevada. Describe the three aspects of direct democracy found in Nevada. Be sure to discuss the petition process linked to each provision and give an example of how one of these provisions has been used in Nevada political history. Direct Democracy in the state of Nevada composes three main aspects: initiative, referendum, and recall. The initiative aspect allows citizens of the state to propose and exact constitutional amendments and legislation. The requirements for an initiative petition are that it must be signed by 10% of voters who participated in the most recent general election from all seventeen counties. The referendum aspect allows voters to approve or disapprove any law passed by state legislature. The referendum petition and the initiative petition both requires signatures of at least 10% of voters who voted in the last general election. However, a referendum petition does not require equal dispersal like an initiative petition. An example of this form of Direct Democracy can be traced back to 1990 when pro-choice supporters repealed the State's previous abortion laws. They followed the general guideline of the U.S. Supreme Court case of Rode v. Wade. Finally, the last aspect is recall; where voters can exercise the right to remove any state or local official prior to expiration of their term. Although, no statewide official has ever been recalled in the State of Nevada and is typically unsuccessful at the local level. A recall petition requires 25% of number of voters who voted in that particular officeholders most recent election. If the required number of signatures is obtained, the official has five days to resign unless if they refuse then a recall election is held within thirty days. There are two laws that protect an office holder from harassment from the other party. The official must have been in office for at least six months before subject to recall and those wishing to promote a second recall effort must pay for the costs of the first recall election. What are the primary tools lobbyists use to influence the legislative process? Why are legislators in Nevada especially reliant upon lobbyists for information? Lobbyists use a variety of tools to influence the legislative process. They typically organize protest marches, endorse candidates, provide campaign contributions to candidates they favor, file amicus curiae briefs in cases in attempt to convince the judge to rule in a particular way, etc... Legislators are heavily reliant upon lobbyists for information regarding bills that are pending before them due to the fact that Nevada State Legislature is a part-time body. I would say the most beneficial actions lobbyists do are their extensive research about bills so they can inform the candidate they prefer and endorsing said candidate. Why is gaming the most dominant interest group in Nevada politics? What are some other groups with a track record of success lobbying in the state? Gaming is the most dominant interest group in Nevada politics because it is the single most important industry in the state. A reason why they have been so dominate is gaming generates an absurd amount of revenue. Unlike casinos in the 1960's, gaming is not affiliated with organized crime so it is a high priority amongst state officials to preserve their jobs to keep the economy stable. Gaming is also a significant contributor to election campaigns in Nevada; a 1993 study showed that gaming gives more to political candidates than any other Western States and also found that gaming provided 18% disclosed contributions in the state and legislative elections compared to the 2% mining contributed. Finally, gaming is very successful as a result of its high-quality lobbyists. A survey of the 1983 legislature indicated that the three most effective lobbyists were all from the gaming industry. Some other groups who have success in lobbying state government are organized labor, the State of Nevada Employees Association (these two groups are particularly successful with Democrats) , the Chamber of Commerce, and the Nevada Taxpayers Association (these two groups are typically successful with Republicans). Although the Nevada legislature is modeled after the US Congress, what are some key differences in how the two legislative bodies operate? There are several distinct differences between the U.S. Congress and the Nevada Legislature. To start, the Nevada Legislature only meets every other year for 120 calendar days and a legislative position is considered a "part-time job" and is not nearly as lucrative as being a member of the U.S. Congress. Due to the seldom meetings, the Nevada Legislature is heavily reliant upon the Legislative Counsel Bureau and the Interim Finance Committee to research support, deal with financial problems between legislative sessions, bill drafting service, and to perform audits that are reported. Another difference is how Nevada and Congress pass a bill. In Nevada, to override a veto on a bill placed by the governor, the legislature must obtain ⅔ of elected membership of each house, whereas in Congress only ⅔ is required of those present and voting. Finally, the houses in Nevada's legislature are not restricted to the type of bills they propose, but the members are prohibited from attaching any riders (e.g. an unrelated amendment) to the legislation.