Ariel Durham

1. Capitalism is deemed racial because being white is treated as the one who deserves opportunities amongst everyone else. Racism keeps the hierarchy in place, which we see in today’s society. Ruth Gilmore believes that racial capitalism will end only when the standards stop being formed around “Whiteness”.

2. Ruth Gilmore argues that the system creates criminals. That is true and is paired with the cash bond system. Once you get a record, it affects your credit, jobs, and housing. There is no good path from when you’re released from prison and heading back into society, which ends up causing them to be back in the same situations and back incarcerated.

3. My understanding of “Liberation struggle ” is people in a cycle of trying to survive by working, school, or anything to better themselves to have livable conditions and needing resources and opportunities instead of being punished. However, if everyone works together, it will create better systems in which everyone can thrive.

Ariel Durham

1. In this court case, the Supreme Court ruled against the women in the Walmart case. The court disagreed that this was not a class action because it lacked commonality, which, in simpler terms, meant that the women’s experiences of discrimination were not uniform enough to be treated as one. Even though the women showed proof of sexist comments, lesser pay, and limited to no promotions, it was deemed enough, and that’s how the case was dismissed. Justice Ginsburg dissented and said the women did show clear evidence of bias but the other justices did not agree.

Ariel Durham

1. The court system is better at protecting people because judges are not easily fired or replaced, so political pressure or news coverage does not persuade the judge or the other parties. People who are elected by the people, like senators, the NYC mayor, and the president they are under pressure to please their voters. Judges can read or hear the facts of a case and apply the law on a case-by-case basis. An example is Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the Supreme Court ruled in favor that everyone has a right to an attorney, even if they can’t afford one. This is now a part of the standard Miranda warning when being arrested, and they want to question you further.

2. I believe the Supreme Court is anti-democratic. They are supposed to protect the Constitution. Being that they are not elected, and appointed instead, which are lifetime appointments. Judges should not be pressured by the public or the media, but in today’s climate, I feel like they are persuaded, which should not be the case because they are not up for reelection like the members of Congress. I do think the Supreme Court does play an important role in government by providing checks and balances, while also upholding the Constitution. The framers created this system to make sure no party becomes too powerful and is not afraid to stand up to Congress and the president if needed.

Ariel Durham

1. I think the “War on Terror” has become more of a blanket phrase because we are fighting the unseen and what each individual believes is terrorism. The phrase is now used for immigration, war, and many other things. When we think of war, we think of battlefield World War I, things of that nature. Now we use surveillance and new technology like drones.

2. Roving wiretaps violates the Fourth Amendment, Which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures on any phone or device. Working at TSA prior we were covered by the fourth amendment to perform our job function. People feel these are personally invasive.

3. Sneak and Peek warrants let investigators enter homes or businesses without giving them information right away. I believe it can be a problem under the Fourth Amendment, which again protects us from unreasonable searches.

Ariel Durham

1. The Establishment Clause is a provision that prevents the government from establishing a religion. Additionally, we cannot promote it, support it, or get too involved. The Lemon test is how the Supreme Court checks if a law crosses that line, which consists of 3 questions.

2. Burning the U.S flag is protected by the First Amendment. Court case Texas v.Johnson (1989), the Supreme Court ruled that flag burning is symbolic speech, so the government can’t punish people because others may find it offensive.

3. When a person says “I’m taking the Fifth,” it means they’re using their Fifth Amendment right to stay silent so they don’t say anything that could be self-incriminating.

Ariel Durham

1. Factions remind me of the different social classes or people who share similar views and have common interests, all coming together. Although they can have the same interests most times, it puts them in conflict with each other.

2. The Federalist No.10, Madison says the rich come from the faculties of men. In other words, it’s people, efforts, and particular skills. Everyone is different, so some just gain more property while others have less or nothing. But none of the government is doing.

3. I somewhat agree because, sure, we have people who are brilliant and display different, unique skills, but it does not mean some others who are extremely hard working and remain poor are any less smart. It’s a wide range of reasons why some are disadvantaged. So wealth and poverty aren’t solely based on talent. This is why we are in the current political climate now where we have the rich and the poor.

4. Madison believed the government should defend liberty and differences amongst people because not everyone is equal. However, the mission is to always protect people’s rights and property owners.

5.It does not shock me that federal No.10 was not in favor of democracy. Madison thought big groups would gain too much power and hurt the wealthy. Just like the capitalists and the workers, they are only in the business of generating surplus value.

Ariel Durham

1. From my analysis, the party that wrote the constitution was the wealthy class. These men owned land, businesses, and maintained power. The poor, enslaved, and small farmers, and many others, were left out of the writing.

2. I think it’s still similar to today, but in early America, only the wealthy and people of power could vote. Still, now everyone can technically vote, but to me, it’s a battle because the more affluent class is always threatening to due away with the right to vote act. That has not been accomplished, so they are making it extremely difficult for people to vote.

3. The framers were afraid of democracy because if the minority might realize what was going on and wanted to make a change. The minority would start taking power away from the wealthy. Framers protected their wealth by establishing a checks and balances system; with the same system, they can protect their own interests.

Ariel Durham

1. The statistic that impacted me the most was the top 1% which is the smallest group but yet the most dominant. The wealth this small class possesses can alleviate many global problems, such as food insecurity and hunger. It shows such a large gap and makes it almost impossible for the poor not to be poor and continue in the same cycle.

2. Some Implications we see every day, especially living in NYC. We ride the subways, and there are so many homeless people and mentally unstable people. The answer is always “We have shelters and resources for them.” But when this same group of people seek out these resources, most are only refuged for 72 hours and released back on the street. The housing crisis leaves people unable to provide a basic necessity, such as a roof over their head. While the top earners keep creating more high rises and not renting them at all, or renting them for astronomical prices. This is leaving the poor-poor while they continue to build wealth.