Nina believes in the importance of term limits in government. Today we began to look at Executive Branch term limits as a check on executive power in the U.S. and some other governments around the world.

Hakeem Jeffries was elected House Democratic Leader this week making history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress. He will be replacing Nancy Pelosi who has occupied this position for 20 years. Nina would like to see term limits in the Legislative branch. Jeffries is a Congressman from NY and we spent the period learning more about Jeffries and what his appointment may mean to the Legislative Branch of government. We reviewed how a Speaker of the House is elected.

Nina's response to Donald Trump's dinner with Kanye West & racist leader Nick Fuentes last week is that it was not an acceptable things to do. She is not sure it will impact his popular support. But is the GOP leadership taking a new direction? We looked at Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell's statement yesterday that said, "“First, let me just say that there is no room in the Republican Party for anti-Semitism or white supremacy. And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States.”

Today we looked at how democratic regimes can maintain sovereignty using less power than authoritarian regimes by using examples from different countries. What is the difference between a regime change and a change in government? We also looked at the different types of regime changes that can occur in non-democratic nations. Since George Washington stepped away from the presidency in 1797, the US has not only been a beacon of democracy, but has set an example regarding the peaceful transfer of power. This concept remains revolutionary as there are places in the world today where people don't live under these circumstances.

ABSENT

ABSENT

A political ideology is a unifying belief about political theory and policy. The concept of political ideology is important to understand because of its influence over government structure and policy development. Political ideology also unifies the thoughts of an individual and affects specific political views. Some common political ideologies are liberalism and conservatism.Because political ideology can be such a powerful form of national and individual identity, it can be used to manipulate people with that identity.

Bureaucracy is a system that emphasizes structured organization with well-defined authority and positions that handles the day-to-day business of a government. It's important in modern governance. Nearly all citizens depend on government bureaucracies for social services, such as schools, police agencies, public health institutions, and the Social Security Administration, among others. Bureaucracy supports a wide range of services and populations. We then spent time on how to incorporate Nina's intense interest in history, current events and debate to enhance her application to St. Andrew's University. Nina is just starting the application essay for this school, but she is focused on writing a strong piece that reflects who she is as a unique, wonderful student and person.

Conservatism is the political doctrine that believes in and supports preserving traditional values, institutions, and practices. Modern conservatism can be traced back to British Philosopher Edmund Burke, following the French Revolution in 1790. While Burke suggested that the government or state was a servant of the people responsible for conserving these societal values, the American conservatism deeply distrusted the government and sought to protect individual civil rights. These conservatives labeled their ideology as classical liberalism, inspired by the Founding Fathers. While Burke's ideas are not the common ideology today, some of the original values still stand, such as the fundamental need to preserve traditional values and institutions, especially to counter the liberal ideas. The United States is especially keen on this with its never-ending battle on abortion and gay rights. Other segments of conservatism today include foreign policies, such as military interference.

Today we reviewed the differences between democratic and authoritarian regimes. We looked at the factors that determine the degree of democracy or authoritarianism within a state. We looked at different types of authoritarian regimes and identified country specific examples.