• 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).

In the case Wal-Mart v Betty Dukes , the Supreme Court decided not to move forward with the case , due to it being a 5 – 4 decision . It wasn’t justified not how they expected it to be , men are still getting paid more than women . So it’s like the whole case had no type of effect in a way .

1 . Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.

The primary role of citizens in government is that citizens vote for representatives . In the confederation system , citizens will have the most power , because this system is mostly made up of its local governments . In the unitary system, citizens are not involved most of the time and leave everything up to their central government .

2 . Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.

Division of power also known as ( separation of power ) is the division of a state’s government into branches , independent powers , and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches .

3 . How does the federal government shape the actions of state and local governments? Write your answer based on doing a bit of research on how the federal government has influenced the actions of NY state and local governments, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal government shapes the action of state and local through the distribution of grants , incentives , and aid . The federal government influenced the actions of NY and local governments during Covid-19 by providing funds and helping those to get their jobs back .

1. What concept that we have already discussed does “faction” remind you of? 

Faction reminds me of a small organized group within a larger one, especially in politics .

2 . According to Federalist #10 (written by James Madison), what is the source of wealth (private property)? What factor explains why some people get to possess wealth by owning private property, and others don’t (thus remaining poor)? This is a key question because it shows how the authors of the Constitution thought about the difference between different classes of Americans! HINT: focus on the passage that begins: “The diversity in the faculties (WHAT DOES FACULTIES mean or refer to?) of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not les….”

A source of wealth would be inheritance . Most people are born into wealthy families and can live off their wealth , whereas others are born into poor families and can’t get the same type of wealth . 

3 . Do you agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty? 

I agree because like in question 2 , most people are born into wealthy families whereas others are born into poor or poverty family .

4 . What is the core mission (“first object”) of the US government? Does this surprise you, does it sound different from what our society today seems to suggest the core mission of the government is? Explain. 

Protecting the faculties is the core mission of the US government . From the protection of different and unequal faculties of property to the influence of sentiments and views of the respective owner is the core mission .

5 . Given the discussion in questions 1-4, are you surprised that Federalist #10 is not in favor of democracy, and supports a Republican (representative) form of government? Why would d the author dislike a (pure) democratic form of government? Hint: think about how this question connects with the social classes …

No , I can see why they were not in favor of democracy . To them , democracy was a small number of citizens who assembled the government in person but could really admit no cure of mischief faction . While they favored republicans (representatives) because they opened a different type of prospect and promised them the cure they have been looking for .

1. Based on the arguments presented in Readings 6.1 and 6.2, which social class wrote the Constitution, and which class was excluded and not allowed to participate in this process? In your comment, make sure you clearly specify the difference between the two classes by giving examples from the readings.

The constitution was written by the ( property white owning men social class ) aka Upper Social Class , meanwhile the classes excluded and not allowed were the Lower Social Class (Native Americans , people of African descent , women and white men lacking sufficient property ) . The Upper social class was more on the side of keeping all the power and leaving the lower class with nothing .

2. Would you say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain.

I would say that that the social class structure was a bit different in a way versus ours today . The reason I say that is because like in the previous question the upper class had majority of the power while lower had more like a pinch . In today’s society , upper class isn’t as power as they were back then , and the lower class was as powerless as they were back then .

3. Why were the people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy? Hint: think about how to answer this question by discussing it in terms of social classes.

Democracy were called ” the most of all political evils ” because constituiton knew their ” power ” would be shared with everyone else and it wouldn’t be able to keep everyone on track like it was when they had all the power .

1 . Which statistic on wealth inequality in the US (discussed on p. 29) made the biggest impression on you? Explain why?

While corporations are often called “ producers ,” the truth is they produce nothing . They are organizational devices for the exploitation of labor and accumulation of capital . The real producers are those who apply their brawn , brains , and talents to the creation of goods and services . This made the biggest impression on me because instead of corporations using actual talent and brains as producers to produce , they choose devices for exploiting labor which isn’t fair nor right .

2 . What could be some of the implications of living in a society that has such huge wealth inequalities? Do you see this dynamic getting played out in everyday life in our society? How so? Example?

This dynamic is truly overplayed in our society right now . A perfect example is Public Health , in our society wealth plays a good amount in our society . The more wealthy you are , the more you are likely to have a better chance at having better public health but when you are less wealthy , you most likely have a lower chance of getting that perfect public health you want .
 

1. As we learned thus far, the capitalist class consists of people who own wealth, as well as the means of production in American society. An important question in understanding how this class works is to ask: how does a capitalist remain wealthy? The answer to this question depends largely on understanding the diagram M-C-M’. So, let’s practice by explaining what happens in this diagram in our own words (but basing our ideas on Reading 5.1). Respond to the following question:  Explain M-C-M’ to show how capitalists maintain and increase their wealth. (hint: your answer should weave a summary that includes what you reviewed in the self-assessment exercise question 1-7)

M-C-M’ is a cycle , M – being how much money you have in the beginning , whereas C is the commodity that you produce or used while being produced , and M again is a change of commodity back to money . So with this said M-C-M’ for the capitalist is making the money , putting it to use , and earning it back .

1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?

In reading 4.1 and 4.2 , I noticed they both focus on your income . The difference I noticed in both reading is , in 4.1 it was talking about your knowledge , race , and income to place you in a social class . Whereas in 4.2 , it talked about the subways and how much each makes in income.

2. Pick the station closest to where you live. Using the concepts from Reading 4.1, what social class tends to live in your neighborhood? Are you surprised (or not) by the answer? Do you feel it is an accurate representation of the people living in your neighborhood?

The station closest to me is A train . The social class I tend to live in is the working class , I’m not surprised by the answer . To me , it’s somewhat an accurate representation on the neighborhood I live in .

Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?

The pattern I noticed is , that Manhattan is more of a Upper / Middle Class . While Bronx , Brooklyn , And Queens are Lower / Working Class .

1. What is the distinction that Reading 4.3 makes between owners and employees? Give an example of each.

A distinguishing difference between Owners and Employees is the range of income between both . For example , owners live off their money based upon investments such as stocks , bonds , rents , mineral royalties , and other property income. Employees live off wages, salaries and fees. 

2. How do you understand the quote by Adam Smith on pg. 28? What is it saying about labor?

As Adam smith was a founding theorist of capitalism , He saying labor is the ultimate standard by which the value of all basic goods can be resourceful in a everyday use .

3. What are your thoughts on the main argument of Reading 4.4 that class is NOT an identity?

My thoughts on class is , class shouldnt really define a person identity . It’s more of a position in social class structure .

4. How do you understand the argument Reading 4.4. makes when stating that “class structures are built around a close form of dependency”? What is this close form of dependency, and can you think of an example?

The closet form of dependency is , Class Structure . I say that because of the fact that it means a worker who is always in a certain position that is not threatened by who employed you .