The United States Government and Domestic Policies
The United States government has managed to reform many of its domestic policies over the past decade. However, the recent event of the Orlando nightclub shooting on 12th June 2016 bears with it a lot of contradiction. The contradiction puts into perspective the measures taken by the United States government to protect its citizens against domestic terrorism. The civil liberty right to combat terror the United States to protect its citizens was abused. Several criticisms by various political figures have been voiced over the domestic terror massacre in Orlando, Florida. The event of the Orlando nightclub shooting has influenced a sense of social responsibility in the American government today. After the occurrence of the Orlando shooting event, Hillary Clinton who was the Democratic nominee for president at the time suggested that anyone placed on America's terrorist watch list should never be allowed to buy a gun. The remarks were as a result of a discovery that the Orlando shooter was not on the terrorism shortlist but was reportedly on it before. The American government
Right to Freedom of Speech
Civil liberties are concerned with the granting of freedoms to the American people. One of the most fundamental freedoms is the freedom of speech which is protected by the first amendment of the American constitution. Every American has a right to speak out bringing to light a civil liberty event whose protest started the freedom of speech. The existence of government regulations that limit the freedom of speech citing to provide a content-based regulated right to speech. An event case amplified the freedom of speech in the Masterpiece Cakeshop Limited vs. Colorado Civil rights commission. The baker who is also a shareholder of the cake shop claimed that refusing services to anyone was within his fundamental rights and freedom of speech. The justice department had allowed for the consideration of the plea made by the baker to allow an innocence plea because the freedom of speech covers the right to expressive activities (Elmesky, 2017)
Media Events
Black Lives Matter
The role of media has been significant as it acts as a checklist monitor to the American government. A notable media event that has attracted the attention of the government is the recent black lives matter movement. Black lives matter utilizes the social media to bring awareness and protect against violence towards black people in the United States. The American government has been able to be keen on the actions of law enforcers and the police especially on black people living in America. There has also been a reduced racial tension in the United States which has been attributed to the media activities of the black lives matter movement (Russworm, 2016).
Hurricane Katrina
The occurrence of the hurricane Katrina has been one of the most published media events in the American history. The media points a finger towards the United States government of being slow to respond to the natural disaster and its effects. The residents of New Orleans are documented claiming that the government excluded some of the affected areas. The United States government has however claimed to make more elaborate and adequate preparations towards the management of similar natural disasters when they occur (Fox, 2016).
Difference between Republican and Democrat Parties
Two major political parties dominate the political landscape of the United States government. The Republican Party and the democrat party share some similarities as well as contradict on some differences. The differences range from a diverse field of political ideologies and major basic concerns such as taxes or gun control. The contrast between these two political parties may have a positive or negative impact on the American people. The most recent ideological difference is the stance on immigration. The current event when the United States president Donald Trump has recently maintained the Republicans stand against amnesty for any undocumented immigrants initiating a crackdown on illegal immigrants in 2017. On the other hand, the Republican Party accommodates a softer approach towards immigration being able to offer a pathway to citizenship. The ideological difference regarding the two political parties has a positive impact on the American people. The deportation of immigrants has a positive implication to the American people as the American people can get more access to jobs that had initially been occupied by immigrants (Rubenzer, 2017).
The Healthcare Policy
The healthcare policy has been a great concern to the American people. The political difference in ideologies between the Republican and Democratic Party has been a subject of discussion. The Democratic Party supports universal healthcare and government involvement in healthcare. The Republican Party supports the fact that private companies can provide better healthcare services compared to government-run services like the Obama care. The difference in ideologies of healthcare has a negative impact on the American people. Issues such as healthcare should not have a compromise as they determine life itself (Rackaway, 2017).
References
Elmesky, R., In Yeakey, C. C., " In Marcucci, O. (2017). The power of resistance: Culture, ideology and social reproduction in global contexts. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing,
In Fox, A. (2016). Global perspectives on media events in contemporary society. Hershey, Pennsylvania IGI Global.
Rackaway, C., " Rice, L. L. (2017). American Political Parties Under Pressure: Strategic Adaptations for a Changing Electorate. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Rubenzer, T. (2017). Today's foreign policy issues: Democrats and Republicans. Santa Barbara, California.
Russworm, T. A. M. (2016). Blackness is burning: Civil rights, popular culture, and the problem of recognition. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
