1. Ruth Gilmore says that capitalism will stop being racial capitalism, when all the white people disappear from the story. What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think?

My views are that, history has already reached to see slavery or anything racial to be anyone of color as those less superior. Yet, what is viewed as superior meaning (not slaves) are white people. White people are always viewed as the more dominant ones.

2. Gilmore makes the point that criminals are actually being created by the criminal justice and prison system (she says “the category of ‘criminal person’ can be perpetuated”). According to Gilmore, how does that happen, how does the prison system create new “criminals“? Do you agree with her view? 

As she described, how they obviously started creating more prisons in California but also how they call it “re-entry” when those that have been released from prison try to come back to their community and join society again. I agree with her view, since they don’t make anyone fresh out of prison feel good or easy about rejoining society, instead they make it difficult snd nearly impossible.

3. Describe how your understand what Prof. Gilmore – in the last part of her video – calls “liberation struggle”?

She says it’s about life and living together and not in solidarity.

1. What did the Supreme Court decide in the Wal-Mart case? And more importantly, how did it justify its decision? (HINT: the key word here is “commonality” (and how it related to “class-action lawsuit”). Try to understand what this legal terms means, as it is key to the court’s decision).

The Supreme Court ruled against it due to stating there was no commonality in the case. That meant that as stated in the text, the 1.5 million female employees didn’t all go through the same thing and inflicted disrespect by the same person. Therefore, since they didn’t come to a decision together they weren’t sure of what they wanted to present to the court.

1. In what ways is the court system better suited to protect the individual, than are the elected branches of government (such as Congress and the President; or the Mayor of NYC and the NYC City Assembly)? Give an example to illustrate your argument.

As far as courts, their job and what they stand for is “Innocent until proven guilty”. With that being said, that obviously reminds you that you are allowed to argue your case and be heard before the court makes any further decisions on your case. It gives you the right to fight and prove your innocence. Instead of the branches of government as they don’t listen to all the evidence that gets provided and they are more interested with situations in the city or the state, instead of that of an individual. Since the others are mostly chosen by the president to represent the government as suppose to the other are for the people.

2. Think about how federal judges get to become judges – unlike Presidents, Mayors and members of Congress (and other legislatures), they are not elected, but rather appointed. Many Americans have thus called the federal courts system, and especially the Supreme Court, anti-democratic PLACES IN OUR GOVERNMENT. Do you agree that the Supreme Court, for example, is an anti-democratic part of our government? What could be the reason for this way of choosing judges in federal courts? (HINT: think about our discussion of “Federalist #10”, and which social class plays a leading role in our government system.)

I absolutely agree with that statement. I don’t feel like it’s always been like that because you have seen how much diversity has changed and showed up in the Supreme Court. However, our previous president showed us how true our reading from (Federalist #10) is still very much of an occurrence in our present. When President Trump appointed the people he chose, he obviously went off people whom he believed are right for the job. Which means for his best interest, once again wealth and power (Upper Class). To protect those with money always by any means necessary. And this isn’t to speak bad of the people whom have worked hard to get into their positions, but the reality is when one has wealth it’s easier to get somewhere as those whom start from nothing to make something even greater.

1. The easiest way I understand the establishment clause is from how one can have the right to have which ever religious belief they choose to have. How in many countries it’s a conflict but thankfully in the United States it is not. It’s pretty much as they stated in the text, where it’s not favoring any specific religion.
2. The flag isn’t protected by the first amendment, if anything that is the reason why someone isn’t allowed to get in trouble for it since it’s also viewed as a freedom of speech. However, after the case of Texas V. Johnson occurred, it went to show they had to make some changes so that wouldn’t occur again. Which was why they ended up passing a federal law called The flag protection act, in order to prevent this from happening again.
3. It means they are waving their right to remain silent and protection against self incrimination.

1. She goes onto explain, how much has changed since 9/11 occurred. How we have been deprived of our own privacy along with “wide spread ethnic profiling”. The way we lost our freedom of speech, but it is different than traditional wars because it has not only affected the people fighting but the whole country itself. Along, with so many different ethnicities, but also how nobody is safe. Yes, in war nobody is ever safe but this not only changed one nation but various other countries along with brought on so much more protection to a point where even we get viewed as suspicious to our own government.
2. I would say “roving wiretaps” violates the bill of rights towards the 4th amendment. It states how one should feel safe in their own homes or with their own property without being violated. It ends up becoming a true violation of ones privacy.
3. Sneak and peek warrants are also an invasion of privacy. Yes to the pro in the cases of drug crimes but imagine to cases like what occurred to Breonna Taylor where the police just ran into her place. That case is the perfect example of how things could have been prevented to avoid someone losing their life due to incorrect information.

1. The difference between Federal, Confederation and unitary systems are the following: Federal is when the national and state governments share power. Confederation is when the state has majority of power and Unitary is when all the power is with the national government.
2. The best way to describe the system of Division of power, is that everything somehow either starts or ends with the national government.
3. I’d say the best way that the federal government influenced the actions of NY state and other governments during covid 19 were that they made sure to have as many resources as possible for New Yorkers. Meaning many cites to get tested, once vaccines were available also having more cites that could provide vaccines for nearly everybody.

1. The social class that was excluded from writing the constitution was the lower class. Since they weren’t wealthy. In opening paragraph, it clearly states “instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor”. The social class that wrote the constitution was the upper class, since they are rich and powerful.
2. I feel it is different. Back then there was a working class but I felt it fell more on rich or poor. Those whom were rich had wealth from previous ancestors. The poor ones also worked but made it enough for ends to meet.
3. The people who wrote the constitution were afraid of Democracy because they knew it would become a country where they would elect the person in power. As they say “someone for the people and by the people”. It would no longer be a rich person making their own rules, instead the country would want to make it’s own choices, as far as willing to rebel and go against the rich.

1. Faction reminds me somewhat of the social classes. Since in a way know in days the political parties kind of also are based on power and money. It’s also like a social class where the republicans come to be seen as rich, Democratic as middle class and Independent as the working class.
2. The source of wealth is the ancestors whom have left land behind for those who are rich. How the rich continue to do se by running things and not allowing the poor to get anything. In the text they clearly show you how the poor people tend to just keep paying for land while the rich only continue to make them pay more and more. So, the rich gets richer as the poor gets poorer.
3. I really don’t, since I find it truly unfair how the rich then as they do now only take advantage of people. That is why some people shouldn’t be allowed to be in power, because they will never use it for common good, but instead for their own benefits.
4. The core mission of the U.S Government is to make sure those who can get rich will do so, while those who are poor continue to remain poor. This doesn’t surprise me at all, because I feel the country was and continues to be like this. The government always tries to find a way to protect the rich but yet those who aren’t rich have to face the genuine consequences that the rich never will. The government hasn’t changed much form then to now sadly enough.
5. Of course not, the writer of Federalist 10 would hate the idea of democracy. Since, democracy would end up actually making everyone be more equal but also because it’s for the people. In a democratic world, the people choose their government and that would not help the rich at all. Which is why when we have Democratic presidents there can be positive changes, while republican presidents are trying to help and look out for the interest of the rich.

1. The way I understand means of production is, what is needed to produce a product. An example would be how when the news does the weather, they need the weatherman, a camera man and overall the system they use to predict the weather because or else they would be giving inaccurate information. As for Labor, it’s best understood as what you put in, in order for the product to increase or have value. The best way to explain is how sneakers may cost a lot and be priced at what they want but it also takes time and labor to make those products one by one.
2. As I recently described Value would be considered the work that goes into something, in this case the labor it takes to make or do something. What makes something Valuable is when it’s done properly and done in the correct manner. It’s like when comparing a house to a building, you know more effort will go into the house because it’s yours as the building will only get the bare minimum since it’s only being rented one by one apartments.
3. Labor and value are related because without the labor being put in, there we be no value in anything. As I previously explained, something can’t have value unless someone makes something out of it. For example, like having Lemons and not making Lemonade.
4. The difference between labor and labor power are that labor is what it takes to make products as labor power is the time you give to the employer in order to make the product. It’s like when you go to work you get paid, but you also put in time to do what you’re getting paid for. So as you do something you also put in time and effort, that’s how they go hand in hand.
5. Surplus Value is what the bosses profit. It’s important in social classes since it reminds us that as the working class, we are making more money for others than ourselves. Perfect example, how some jobs will tend to have one person do a job that takes 3 people to do. It gives you a lot of work but saves them money since they only pay one wage not 3.