This semester you read Cass Sunstein's book, Simpler: The Future of Government. In it Sunstein discusses his days serving as President Obama's "regulatory czar."

Sunstein sheds light on how he helped the bureaucracy become simpler, more cost-effective (saving the country $91 billion) and how it improved outcomes (leading to healthier and longer lives). A number of examples are illustrated in the book.

As you know, Sunstein left the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in 2012.

If you were the current regulatory czar for the President, what one policy (something Sunstein didn't do) might you want to implement to make this leviathan of a government even simpler? And how would you suggest it be executed?

Your paragraph/essay answer need not be a long one --just thorough. Have fun with it. It is due December 16th. Happy Holidays.

FYI, I have included below an interview conducted with Cass Sunstein after he departed the OIRA.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/12/cass-sunstein-on-how-government-regulations-could-be-a-lot-simpler/

literary research paper

in the paper, you will argue a thesis of your own creation, based on david henry thoreau''s "resistance to government", with relevant support from the primary work and from research sources. the paper itself must be 5 page long, and 6th page will list works cited in MLA format. MLA format will also be used for in-text citation.

guidelines:

--the thesis should be :arguable, significant, not obvious, supportable by the text, and supportable by the research.

--minimum of 4 research sources must be used

--in using direct quotes, paraphrases, or summary from the primary work, or your research, dont make them more than three lines each, and dont use too many. your own words should make up at least 70% of the actual writing

--give your essay a title that indicates what the essay is apecially about

--use present tense when referring to literary works.

--use specific examples from primary work to support your thesis


* i am a freshman. the paper is for my second writing class

BOOK REPORT for
Defending Government Why Big Government Works
Max Nieman. 2000.
ISBN 0-13-373044-1

No required length, I usually write 2-3 pages so 2 is okay.
Please attempt to write in layman's terms so that paper is easy to read and understand.

Considerable debate has lingered within the field of political science as to which of the three branches of American government is the most powerful or influential. How did the founders of the American envision the hierarchy of power for each of the branches? Moreover, based upon what you have researched, what do you believe to be the most powerful and influential branch of American government? Defend your answer to the with specific concepts and examples.

All work must be cited with complete book information. All page numbers must also be cited.

Please do not use internet souces.

Thank you

I need this paper as soon as possible with the last two papers as well for Daniel Desimone 5 am would be best on the 26th

Discuss Henry David Thoreau's "On The Duty of Civil Disobedience" and its place in American intellectual history. What role does Thoreau afford government? What is Thoreau's view of dissent and why? How do you see this phenomenon in American political tradition up through th 21st century?

Single page Single spaced

1. Discuss the influence of Rationalism in politics and how it impacts the publics view of government services.

2. Discuss Government Ethics and Differential Information.

Put one of the following characters from the book Jennifer Government into the context of either an ideology Heywood
talks about or one of his definitions of politics:

Vice President John Nike
Jennifer Government
Hack Nike
Billy NRA
Georgia Saints-Nike

Support your argument with details from Jennifer Government.

Research Topic: The effects that Lobbyists have on modern government and why tighter financial regulations are needed to control lobbying.
I. Intro
I.a: Brief Historical view of Lobbyists.
I.b: Overview of Lobbyists and their current role in modern American Government.
II. Body
II.a: The ?pros? of modern lobbying.
II.b: The ?cons? of modern lobbying.
II.c: Examples of extreme lobbying.
III. Conclusion
III.a: Why tighter financial regulations are needed to control lobbying.
III.b: Potential effects of tighter financial regulations.

Write an essay about WikiLeaks and discuss: Is WikiLeaks a cyber-terrorist group or does it make government transparent? You have to take a position.
Use subheading when there is a transition in ideas (use at least two subheadings in essay)

The essay should have:
A clear and relevant title (you dont have to use my specific topic as the title of the essay)
An engaging introduction paragraph
A strong complex thesis
Creditable supporting evidences (use 7 sources)
Properly use of in-text citations and work cited page

I need you to critique the research article below by answering 21 questions (I will fax these questions to you), in 3 pages, and if is it possible to write the source of the answer from the article (ex: page #, paragraph #, and line #).
Here is the article:


Author''s Abstract: COPYRIGHT 1996 American Society for Public Administration
How much can PCs aid city management? This article is based on a 1993 survey that compares computing in cities that use only personal computers (PCs) with computing in cities that use central computer systems. The authors found that claims that PCs would speed up automation of governmental functions were not substantiated. Central system cities were more widely automated, had more widespread use among staff, and were more likely to deploy leading-edge computer technologies than PC-only cities. Moreover, respondents in central cities were positive about computer impacts and satisfied with computing. PC-only cities had an edge over central-system cities in that they reported fewer problems with computers, but the test of statistical significance showed only a weak relationship. The authors argue that PC-only cities'' reliance on ad hoc solutions, out-sourcing, or "computer gurus," results in a failure to develop ongoing support capabilities. In contrast, central-system cities have developed and enhanced these capabilities over time, thereby providing greater support for the computing function and a more stable technology platform.
Both elected officials and professional managers in local governments believe in the value of computers, especially personal computers (PCs), to their own work and the work of government. Various academic studies have demonstrated this belief over the years (e.g., Dutton and Kraemer, 1979; Perry and Kraemer, 1980; and Norris, 1989 and 1992). Yet, policy makers are continually confronted with claims about computing that they find difficult to assess and that occasionally defy rationality. For example, within recent memory it has been claimed that privatization or outsourcing would take the computing problem off the hands of local officials at less cost and that geographic information systems would enable officials to make Solomon-like judgments about such important matters as land-use planning (e.g., Richter, 1991; Loh and Venkatraman, 1992; Public Technology Inc., 1991). More recent claims are that client-server computing is the new low-cost way to governmental automation (Gagliardi, 1994) and that desktop computers are the means to increase employee productivity and to empower workers to deliver better services to citizens (Greisemer, 1983 and 1984).
One of the most persistent claims, which has at least a decade of history, is that the PC can effectively replace larger central computer systems in local governments (i.e., mainframes and minicomputers). For example, it is frequently asserted that, unlike mainframe computing, the introduction of PCs is an easy, low-cost solution to automation in government. It is believed that by adopting PCs, latecomers to computing can leap-frog the brain-dead mainframe and minicomputer technologies and still gain all the benefits of these earlier, cumbersome technologies--and then some. All that is needed is basic investment in the technology and the empowerment of workers to use the technology in their jobs. The need for Management Information Systems (MIS) departments will be only to help make the transition and to train users in the new technology (see, for example, Greisemer, 1983 and 1984; and Voss and Eikemeier, 1984).
PCs may be all that small local governments or even some small units within larger governments need to conduct their business. However, it is extremely unlikely that even the most powerful and sophisticated PCs on the market today can solve all of the automation needs of local government. Indeed, recent studies of the lifecycle cost of PCs, actual experience with PCs, and recent reports on PC-based client-server computing call several of these assertions into question. For example, while the initial cost of PC-based client-server computing has been shown to be lower than mainframe or minicomputer alternatives by 20 to 30 percent, the five-year costs of PCs were found to be two to three times as great per employee (Nolan, Norton, and Company, 1992; Miller, 1993; Ambrosio, 1993; and "Client/Server," 1994). As one observer put it, "Technical support, end-user operations and administration can end up accounting for 85 percent of the cost of client-server systems on a five-year cost-of-ownership" (Moad, 1994). In addition, there are many hidden costs with PCs including pressure from users for the development of additional applications, the cost of linking independent systems developed by user departments with different platforms and operating systems, and the costs of training and support required by user departments.
Over and above the important issue of cost are the real limitations of the power of PCs and the availability of PC applications (Miller, 1993; Rabinovitch, 1994). After the initial euphoria over useful PC applications like word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, and graphics packages, many local governments have found that PCs lack the software and the power needed for the day-to-day operations of government. Consequently, there is a trend among small and medium-sized cities to migrate upward to minicomputers where the power, software, and reliability are available (Kraemer and Norris, 1994). Moreover, only small cities have found suitable PC applications for the important business of local government like accounting, purchasing, treasury management, police and fire, engineering and public works, business licensing, urban planning, and parks and recreation functions.
Most municipal governments also have discovered that they lack the capabilities to develop such software themselves (Fletcher, Bretschneider, and Marchand, 1992). Many of them have learned to their sorrow that the small software services firms with which the contract for custom development lack the market and staying power to improve upon or even support their products beyond the first few years. Finally, city governments have learned that worker empowerment per se is not sufficient for the effective utilization of omputer technology.
What is missing is the institutionalization of knowledge and support within city hall. In his case studies of innovation in cities, Robert Yin noted that diffusion is characterized by three distinct phases: initiation, implementation, and routinization or institutionalization (Yin, 1979). The diffusion of PCs. unlike the diffusion of mainframes and minicomputers, appears to be in the implementation or, at best, early routinization stage in most cities, which probably accounts for its lack of institutional supports. Yet, the effective use of the technology requires these supports, and they will have to be provided if cities are to reap the real benefits available through PC computing.
In this article, we examine certain aspects of computing in U.S. cities that use only PCs and compare them with cities that use mainframes or minicomputers as well as PCs. Our aim is to assess whether the two computing environments are functionally equivalent, as many of the PC advocates would have it, or whether PC-only environments provide only some of the functions, applications, and benefits of their bigger brothers and sisters--the mainframe and minicomputer environments.
Findings
We compared these two sets of cities in seven areas: extent of automation, categories of end-users, degree of technological sophistication, problems with computers, impacts of computing, and satisfaction with computing.
Extent of Automation
PCs are offered as the solution to widespread automation needs in government because they are easy to install and use, and it is easy to find off-the-shelf applications for them. Indeed, the availability of programming is predicted to speed automation because governments can get off-the-shelf software rather than having to create applications from scratch. We have already noted the many useful off-the-shelf programs for PCs, including those for word processing, spreadsheets, database management, and graphics. However, these are programs for generic office automation functions as distinct from the business functions of government.
If the claim that PCs speed up the automation of governmental functions were true, we would expect to find PC-only sites as extensively automated as central-system sites, if not more so. Table 4 shows a total of 26 functional areas of local government ranging from word processing and office automation to computerization in police and fire, to parks and recreation, and to the public library. In each of these functional areas, central-system cities were more likely to be automated than PC-only cities. Moreover, in all but two areas, word processing and administration/office support, the relationship between computing environment and functional area computerization was statistically significant. Even there, centralsystem cities were more likely by a few percentage points to be automated than PC-only cities. The percentage difference ranged from approximately 4 percent (spreadsheets) to over 40 percent (engineering).
Table 4
Functions Automated (Percentage Responding Affirmatively)

Function(1) Central System PC Only
Word processing(2) 95.1 93.7
Graphics 67.1 50.8
Budget analysis 85.7 76.4
Budget development 88.2 81.0
strategic planning 27.7 17.3
Spreadsheets(3) 84.9 81.1
Electronic mail 33.1 16.1
Statistical analysis 39.8 26.5
In-house publishing 47.9 33.7
Database management 64.2 52.9
Geographic information systems (GIS) 29.6 10.2
Finance 92.8 83.1
Utility services 76.0 60.9
Personnel 75.8 54.5
Administration/office support(2) 66.3 62.7
Land record management 38.0 20.3
Law enforcement 76.0 62.3
Public works 63.7 43.6
Engineering 48.7 17.8
Planning/community development 48.6 27.3
Transportation 20.6 7.0
Fire department 58.5 32.1
Social services 12.7 4.7
Voter registration(4) 22.7 18.0
Parks and recreation 49.1 26.1
Library 32.7 23.4

Function(1) Cramer''s V
Word processing(2)
Graphics .16
Budget analysis .12
Budget development .10
strategic planning .12
Spreadsheets(3) .05
Electronic mail .19
Statistical analysis .14
In-house publishing .14
Database management .11
Geographic information systems (GIS) .23
Finance .15
Utility services .16
Personnel .22
Administration/office support(2)
Land record management .19
Law enforcement .15
Public works .20
Engineering .31
Planning/community development .21
Transportation .18
Fire department .26
Social services .13
Voter registration(4) .06
Parks and recreation .23
Library .10
(1) Unless otherwise indicated, p [is less than] .00. (2) Not statistically significant. (3) p [is less than] .02 (4) p [is less than] .01
However, in most cases, the strengths of the relationships were not especially great. Only geographic information systems, personnel, public works, engineering, planning and community development, fire department, and parks and recreation showed even moderate relationships (over .20) as indicated by the Cramer''s V score. In all other cases, the Cramer''s V was under .20, suggesting a weak relationship.(1)
Categories of Users
Because PCs are relatively easy to use, it is predicted that they will be used widely throughout city hall--by the highest level managers as well as by the lowliest of clerks or street workers (e.g., Sacco and Ostrowski, 1991; 3). However, a number of studies which examined the actual extent of microcomputer use in cities contradict this claim. They conclude that there has been relatively low use by managers and that frequently touted images of the "knowledge executive" (Cleveland, 1985) were seldom found. Although some managers do fit the profile of the direct hands-on user, most do not (King et al., 1992; Kraemer et al., 1993). Moreover, the researchers concluded that "there are sound reasons why it might be appropriate for most executives to continue to delegate much `hands-on'' computer use to subordinates" (King et al., 1992; 48). A related study concluded that the "democratization" of computer use that was supposed to be brought about by the PC also did not occur. Although PCs were widely distributed in governments, the pattern of distribution was nearly identical to the distribution of terminals on mainframes (Dunkle et al., 1994).
The results of the present study support these earlier findings. If PC computing led to widespread use throughout the municipal hierarchy, one would expect officials in PC-only cities to use computers at least as much as their counterparts in central-system cities. The data in Table 5 show that this is not the case. Assistant managers, department heads, technical staff, and administrative staff in central-system cities used computers more than their counterparts in PC-only cities, and the differences were statistically significant. With the exception of technical staff, however, the Cramer''s V scores suggest that while the differences were statistically significant, they were not strong. The data also show that the difference between managers in central-system and PC-only cities was not statistically significant.
Table 5 Who Uses Computers in Your City? (Percentage
Responding Affirmatively)

User Central System PC Only Cramer''s V
Manager/CAO 58.0 62.2 Not significant
Asst. manager/CAO 43.4 29.1 .14
Department heads 84.1 68.2 .19
Technical staff 77.5 52.1 .26
Administrative staff 96.0 92.0 .08


p [is less than] .01
Technological Sophistication
The increasing power and sophistication of PCs is used by some to argue that organizations which adopt PCs can advance rapidly and join the ranks of the most technologically advanced. We have already shown that PCs have some important limitations with regard to software applications available for many governmental functions. Similarly, some advanced technologies cannot run effectively on PCs either because they require greater power and other capabilities not available with PCs, or require staff and expertise not commonly found with PCs. Two current examples are full-blown GIS (geographic information) and AFIS (automatic fingerprint identification) systems.
A rough assessment of the technological sophistication of PC environments can be found by comparing the extent to which PC-only cities and central-system cities have adopted leading-edge computer technologies. The cities were asked whether they had adopted or were planning to adopt 23 leading-edge technologies. The findings show, first, that relatively few cities have adopted many of these technologies. Only 7 of the 23 listed technologies had been adopted by more than 15 percent of the responding cities (Table 6). Second, central-system cities were far more likely to have adopted advanced information technologies than PC-only cities. In all cases. the differences were statistically significant. In three cases, the Cramer''s V scores suggested modest relationships (.19 for e-mail; .20 for portable computers; and .21 for scanners).
Table 6
Adoption of Advanced Technologies(1) (Percentage Responding
Affirmatively)

Currently Have
Technology Central system PC Only V=
CD ROM 21.2 8.3 .17
Bar code 17.7 9.1 .12
Portable computers 37.9 19.0 .20
GIS 22.0 7.5 .19
Fax board in computers 20.6 11.5 .12
Scanners 31.3 12.3 .22
E-mail 27.1 11.5 .19

Considering
Technology Central System PC Only V=
CD ROM 24.9 17.5 .09
Bar code 31.7 16.3 .17
Portable computers 17.2 17.5 Not
significant
GIS 29.0 21.1 .09
Fax board in computers 19.0 17.4 Not
significant
Scanners 20.4 17.0 .04
E-mail 18.4 10.4 .11
(1) Unless otherwise indicated, p <.01
Note: The cities were asked to respond whether they currently had adopted or were considering future adoption of 23 advanced technologies. Technologies were selected for inclusion in the table if current adoption was greater than 15% or considering future adoption was greater than 25%.
A third finding is that, at the time of the survey, cities were not considering future adoption of advanced technologies with any great momentum. For five of the seven technologies, fewer than 25 percent of centralsystem cities were considering adoption, and none of the technologies was being considered by as many as 25 percent of the PC-only cities. Moreover, with the exception of portable computers, fax boards, and scanners, central-system cities were more likely to be considering future adoption of these technologies than PC-only cities.
The cities were also asked if they had adopted local area networks (LANs). Here again, if the rhetoric about PC computing is correct, we would expect to find a far greater level of adoption of local area networks in PC-only cities (Table 7). We would also expect PC-only cities to show a greater adoption of LANs because these cities have a relatively greater need for PC networking than cities with central systems. This is because in a central system, the technology involves terminals or PCs that are connected to mainframes or minicomputers whereas, without LANs, PCs operate as stand-alone devices in PC-only cities.
Table 7
Does Your City Have a LAN?
(Percentage Responding Affirmatively)

System Yes
Central system 48.1
PC Only 50.3
(Not statistically significant.)
The data do not support these expectations. Slightly over 48 percent of central-system cities had LANs and slightly over 50 percent of PC-only cities had LANs. The difference was not statistically significant.
Problems with Computers
The PC is a newer and simpler technology that is easier for employees to learn to use, whereas central systems usually require technical staff to operate them. The PC is usually operated in a stand-alone mode rather than networked, so there is less difficulty in determining whether problems chat develop are on the PC, the network, or a shared file server than is the case with mainframes and minicomputers. Because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to learn to use, PCs have been more readily adopted than resisted by city staff. Consequently, PCs are often said to be relatively free of problems with equipment, vendor support, staff training, and system use chat have sometimes plagued central systems.


To test this proposition, the cities were asked eight questions about problems with computers. The questions concerned training, equipment performance, equipment reliability, vendor service, software availability, resistance to use, system under-utilization, and resistance to organizational change (Table 8).
Table 8
Problems with Computers
(Percentage Responding Affirmatively)

Problem Area Central System PC Only Cramer''s V
Training 50.7 36.2 .14
Equipment performance 22.2 14.6 .09
Equipment reliability 15.2 10.6 .07
Vendor service 26.4 24.0 .03
Software availability 30.8 14.2 .19
Resistance to use 34.1 25.5 .09
Underutilization 47.9 37.0 .11
Resistance to org. change 31.0 24.1 .07
Note Unless otherwise indicated p [is less than] .01
In all cases, fewer PC-only cities reported experiencing problems widh their computers (PCs) than did respondents from central-system cities whose organizations had both central systems and PCs. In those cases (i.e., software availability, training, and underutilization), the percentage differences were fairly substantial; in the remaining five areas, the percentage differences were smaller. In all cases, the differences were statistically significant but weak. The Cramer''s V scores were all below .20 and in five cases, below .10. This suggests that while PC-only cities, predictably, experience fewer problems with their systems, the differences are not as great as might be expected from the rhetoric.
Moreover, the reported differences make perfectly good sense. For example, concerning software availability, the fact is that a far greater range of software is currently available for PCs than has been true historically for minicomputers and mainframes. Moreover, this software is for both general purpose users (e.g., computer aided drawing and mapping) and highly sophisticated activities (e.g., geographic information systems). PC hardware is also less sophisticated and complex than mainframe and minicomputer equipment. Much of the PC software is also more user friendly, is generalizable rather than task specific, is easier to learn and is often supported by a wide array of training programs (e.g., offered through private sector organizations, community colleges and the like). All of this would suggest chat PCs would experience less user resistance, less under-utilization, fewer complaints about reliability and performance, and relatively less need for vendor service and training.
What is really remarkable about these data, however, is not the existence of the differences but their relatively small magnitude and the weak Cramer''s V score. Thus, even though the data favor PC installations, they do so only marginally.
Impacts of Computer Use
It has been argued that mainframes and minicomputers had limited impact on government because computing was centralized, mainly applied to the financial area of government, and accessed primarily by the priesthood in the MIS department. By contrast, the significance of the PC was that it would allow computing to be decentralized or distributed--available to managers, analysts, and staff throughout the government. This broader availability would allow computing to be used for functions beyond finance, like police, fire, public works, planning, and more. The advent of the PC would change the MIS priesthood into more of a support and service organization focused on user department needs. Consequently, the impact of PCs on government would be far more positive than the impact of central systems, especially in areas like personal productivity, employee creativity, analysis and decision making, quality of work life, and service delivery (Greisemer, 1983, 1994; Sacco and Ostrowski, 1991). If the PC environment is indeed superior, then reported impacts in PC-only cities should be superior to those reported in central-system cities.
The cities were asked 11 questions about the impact of computers in their organizations (Table 9). Because of the way in which the survey instrument was constructed, we can provide a comparison of the answers but not a statistical test of significance of the differences between PC-only and central-system sites.
Table 9
Computer Impacts(1)
(Number and percentage agreeing with statement that
"computers....")

Category Central System PC Only
Number Percent Number Percent
Improve job performance 1148 96.2 1770 98.3
Reduce costs 852 75.3 1323 77.6
Enhance creativity 587 57.9 1646 94.2
Enable in-depth analysis 856 81.0 1579 93.9
Improve communication 781 75.0 1277 79.5
Eliminate jobs 216 19.8 263 15.9
Improve timeliness 1071 93.1 1583 91.1
Improve quality 1077 94.2 1684 96.3
Improve morale 679 67.0 1315 82.1
Increase frustration 473 44.7 609 38.6
Improve decision making 975 88.6 1527 91.2

Category Percentage
Difference Direction(2)
Improve job performance 2.1 PC
Reduce costs 2.3 PC
Enhance creativity 36.3 PC
Enable in-depth analysis 12.9 PC
Improve communication 4.5 PC
Eliminate jobs 3.9 PC
Improve timeliness 1.2 CS
Improve quality 2.1 PC
Improve morale 15.1 PC
Increase frustration 6.1 PC
Improve decision making 2.6 PC
(1) The questionnaire was constructed in a manner that precluded our being able to test statistically a relationship between specific impacts (as dependent variables) and computing environment (central-system or PC-only site) as independent variables. The magnitude of the percentage differences suggests that computing environment was related to impacts in only 3 of 11 cases where differences were greater than 10 percent. Although one could argue that in 2 additional cases where differences were greater than 5 percent a statistically significant relationship exists, it is likely that the relationship would be quite weak.


(2) PC = PC-only site. CS = Central-system site.
Nevertheless, three things are notable from the data. First, the impact of computing was viewed quite favorably by the respondents regardless of type of site. These cities clearly felt that the impact of computers within their organizations was largely (indeed, almost exclusively) positive. This finding is consistent with the results of studies of computer impacts for 20 years (see, for example, Danziger and Kraemer, 1986).
Second, for all but one of the impacts, the differences favored PC-only cities. Third, in only 3 of the 11 impact areas (enhance creativity, enable in-depth analysis, and improve morale) was there a difference greater than 7 percent between central-system and PC-only sites. Here, 36.3 percent more PC-only cities agreed that computers enhance creativity, 12.9 percent said that computers enable in-depth analysis, and 15.1 percent said they improve morale. In the other 8 cases, the differences between central-system and PC-only cities ranged from 1.2 percent to 6.1 percent. These data suggest that, in terms of perceived impacts, the PC-only computing environment is only marginally superior, if at all, to the central-system environment.
Satisfaction with Computing
Given the litany surrounding PCs, one would expect that cities using them would show greater evidence of satisfaction with PCs than would cities using central systems. Although the survey did not provide us with a direct measure of the cities'' satisfaction with the type of computing environment they had chosen, we can use two questions to provide a surrogate measure. The cities were asked to rate their experiences with PCs and also to indicate the extent to which they planned to purchase additional computer equipment. If cities were not satisfied with their computing environments, we would expect that dissatisfaction to show in their answers to these questions. That is, they would not rate their experiences positively and would not be likely to purchase additional equipment. Additionally, answers to these questions enabled us to detect differences in levels of satisfaction between central-system and PC-only cities. Because of the way the question was constructed, however, we can provide comparisons of answers but not a statistical test of the significance of the differences between central-system and PC-only cities.
The data suggest that these cities were quite satisfied with both central systems and PCs. To begin with, there were virtually no differences between central-system and PC-only cities over their experiences with PCs (Tables 10 and 11). About 9 out of 10 of both types of sites (91.4 percent centralsystem cities and 89.1 percent PC-only cities) said that PCs met or exceeded their expectations. While the difference is statistically significant (at the p [is less than] .05 level), the Cramer''s V score of .07 suggests a very weak relationship.
Table 10
How Would You Rate Your Experience with PCs'' (Percentages)

Exceeded Met Did Not Meet
System Expectations Expectations Expectations

21.3 70.1 4.6
Central system 16.6 72.5 5.4
PC only

System Too Early
to Tell

Central system 4.0
PC only 5.5
p [is less than] .05; Cramer''s V = .07.
Table 11
How Would You Rate Your Experience With
Minicomputers/Mainframes? (Percentage)

System Exceeded Met Did Not Meet
Expectations Expectations Expectations
Central System 16.7 66.7 14.0
PC only(1) NA NA NA

System Too Early
to Tell
Central System .03
PC only(1) NA
(1) Only central-system cities responded to this question.
When central-system cities rated their experiences with minicomputers and/or mainframes, more than 8 in 10 (83.4 percent) indicated that these systems had met or exceeded their expectations. Although a few percentage points lower than the ratings given by both central-system and PC-only cities of their experiences with PCs, a better than 80 percent rating for central systems is strongly positive.


While the vast majority of cities said that central-system and PC-only computing met or exceeded their expectations, greater differences occurred in these cities'' levels of dissatisfaction. Here, 14.0 percent of the central-system sites said that central systems failed to meet their expectations. This compares quite unfavorably to the 4.6 percent of central-system and 5.4 percent of PC-only sites that felt that PCs did not meet their expectations.
Another indicator of the satisfaction with computing environment can be found in the extent to which a city plans to purchase additional computer equipment. As indicated in Table 12, there is virtually no difference between PC-only and central-system cities in this regard. Half of the central-system cities compared with 47 percent of the PC-only cities indicated that they would purchase additional computers within the next two years. Nearly 23 percent of central-system cities said they would purchase the same amount of computer equipment as did 24.2 percent of PC-only cities, and 27.1 percent of central-system cities said they would purchase less computer equipment as did 28.8 percent of PC-only cities.
Table 12
Projected Purchases of Computers in Next Two Years
(Percentage Responding Affirmatively)

City System Purchase More Purchase Same Purchase Less
Central system 50.0 22.9 27.1
PC only 47.0 24.2 28.8
(Not statistically significant.)
Discussion
These data strongly suggest that the rhetoric surrounding the adoption of PC computing exceeds the reality of that computing. This is true in virtually every area examined, including the breadth of functions automated, the types of users, the adoption of leading-edge technologies, problems associated with computing, impacts of computing, experience with computers, and projected purchases of computer equipment.


Computers have been used by cities since the 1950s. Nevertheless, their successful diffusion continues to be a matter of interest and concern to elected officials and public managers alike. Successful diffusion of a new innovation is not simply a matter of the adoption and spread of technology. It also involves knowledge of how to use, maintain, manage, and innovate with the technology; the availability of skilled and experienced professionals; and the creation of institutions to foster those processes and people (Gerrity and Rockart, 1986). For the most part, the introduction of PCs into city governments has failed to develop these requisites, whereas the earlier adoption of central systems did develop them. Indeed, these requisites for PCs are more likely to have been developed in cities with central systems than in those with PCs only.
The data and analysis in this article have shown that in cities with central systems, the technology is generally more sophisticated, is more widely diffused within the various functions of city government, and is used by a greater proportion of managers and professionals than in PC-only cites. Despite all of the disapprobation heaped upon central systems and the MIS departments that tend them, the impact of these systems on city hall is viewed positively overall and, also, favorably in comparison with PC-based systems. Finally, central systems appear to be institutionalized within city governments while PC-only systems are only routinized.
Given these results, why is there such a discrepancy between the images and reality of central-systems and PC-based computing? There are many answers, but one has to do with the stage of each innovation in city hall. Computing in the mainframe and minicomputer era developed incrementally over a 40-year period. During that time, the MIS function became institutionalized within city hall. MIS budgets became a regular part of the resource allocation processes within government. The MIS department became an institutionalized source of technical expertise and a provider of day-to-day computer services. It also became a champion and promoter of user needs for new or improved applications.
By contrast, the PC revolution came rapidly and recently. It began less than a decade ago for most cities, and unless in the context of a centralized system, PCs usually came with few of the supports provided with the earlier technology. PCs came with general-purpose packaged software but rarely with software tailored to the specific functions of government. PCs also came with a minimum of support staff--usually a few people to install the PCs, give initial training in their use, and later connect them via local area networks.
In most PC-only cities, a broad-based support function for PCs has not yet been institutionalized. What exists is ad hoc, small groups of people, usually scattered among the user departments and depending heavily upon informal networks and the willingness of particular individuals to help one another. Sometimes, support is provided by a departmental computer guru--a user turned computer specialist who has displaced organizational goals and no longer performs his or her original job function. Even when support is institutionalized in a PC support group, it is usually small in size and heavily focused on operational issues. Planning, training, migration, consulting, and broader functions are generally missing. By comparison, central systems are far more likely to have highly developed and well-institutionalized support functions, usually centralized within a department charged with carrying out these functions.
A clear implication of this research is that PC-only cities might gain a greater measure of the benefits of PC computing if they enhanced the support provided for these systems. For example, one of the key roles provided by PC support groups is training. Research by Northrop et al. (1994) showed that training can help employees to gain greater benefits from computer use by increasing their computer literacy and assisting them to overcome the limitations of application software.


Another factor that may help to account for the modest differences found here is that the current generation of central-system hardware is much easier to use and more reliable than earlier generations, and a wider range of software is available for it. In other words, central systems, for the most part, are just not as bad as their detractors would argue. They are also far more powerful and versatile than PCs, or than PC advocates might acknowledge. One of the many positive, if unintended, consequences of the PC revolution has been the improvements in mainframe and minicomputer hardware and software technology. Indeed, both central systems and PCs have improved incredibly over the past decade. Hence, it is increasingly difficult to find significant end-user differences in their use. A second implication of these findings, then, is that the value of centralsystem computing should not be so easily dismissed.
City size is also important to our understanding. Larger cities have unquestionably greater needs for computing, including advanced computing, than do smaller cities. Larger cities also have larger budgets and are more likely to be able to afford larger, more sophisticated, more expensive computer systems, including both central systems and PCs. Thus, larger cities will on average have bigger, better, more extensive, and more advanced computer systems. They will also be more likely to have fully developed MIS support capabilities. Smaller cities will not.
None of these findings deny the importance and value of PC computing in cities. However, they should serve as a cautionary note. Sometimes, false or misleading rhetoric is used by vendors, managers, and users to justify particular approaches to computing. Consequently, local government policy makers and managers can get caught up in the religious-like fervor of PC "true believers," be misled by departmental managers seeking to control more of their own domain, or become entangled in power struggles between user departments and the MIS department over control of computing resources. These findings should serve as a caution to those whose advocacy of PC-only computing would allow rhetoric to exceed reality. As good as PC-only computing may be, it is not always an acceptable substitute for a central system. And, central-system computing is dearly not the technological mastodon that some of its detractors would claim.
Notes
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the International City Country Management Association (ICMA), especially Woody Talcove, Director of Research; Lisa Huffman, Research Associate; and Evelina Moulder, Senior Editor, Data Publications, in constructing the questionnaire and conducting the survey. We also acknowledge the comments of the anonymous PAR reviewers.
(1.) Cramer''s V score ranges from .00 to 1.00. The closer to 1.00, the stronger is the relationship between two variables. See, for example, Chapman (1981) and Elifson, Runyon, and Haber (1990).

References
Ambrosio, Johanna, 1993. "Client/Server Costs More than Expected." Computerworld, vol. 27 (October 18), 28
Chapman, Dean J., 1981. Basic Statistics for Social Research, 2nd ed. New York: MacMillan.
Chisholm, John, 1994. "Enterprise Client-Server Costs." Capacity Management Review, vol. 22 (August), 5.
"Client/Server Is a Costly Option." Insurance Systems Bulletin, vol. 9 January), 4-5.
Cleveland, Harland, 1985. The Knowledge Executive: Leadership in an Information Society. New York: Dutton.
Danziger, James N., 1977. "Computers, Local Government, and the Litany of EDP." Public Administration Review, vol. 34 (1), 28-37.
Danziger, James N. and Kenneth L. Kraemer, 1986. People and Computer. New York Columbia University Press.
Dunkle, Debora, John Leslie King, James N. Perq, and Kenneth L. Kraemer, 1994. "Personal Computers and the `Democratization'' of Computing in U5. City Governments." Information and the Public Sector, vol. 3 (2), 115-133.
Dutton, William and Kenneth L. Kraemer, 1979. "Urban Technology, Executive Support, and Computing." The Urban Interest, vol. I (2), 35-42.


There are faxes for this order.

Cite from Henry Thoreau''s "Resistance to Civil Government" to illustrate and discuss it''s "Americaness". Discuss what the text seems to suggest about being an American. Feel free to use first person as you consider and react to how a particular work "speaks" to you as an American.

WHAT GENERAL PROBLEMS MUST BE ADDRESSED IN DOING RATIO ANALYSIS FOR GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL CONDITION ANALYSIS? DO TRADITIONAL SOLVENCY RATIOS ADEQUATELY ADDRESS FINANCIAL CONDITION ANALYSIS CONCERNS? PROVIDE YOUR RESPONSES SUPPORTED BY REFERENCES.
Customer is requesting that (mirandafisher77) completes this order.

Considerable debate has lingered within the field of political science as to which of the three branches of American government is the most powerful or influential. How did the founders of the American republic envision the hierarchy of power for each of the branches? Moreover, based upon what you have researched and learned what do you believe to be the most powerful and influential branch of American government? Defend your answer to the best of your ability with specific concepts and examples.

Please do not use any internet sources. When using books please work cite all information with book and page numbers. Please make sure all information is correctly cited on books and please make sure page numbers are cited. All work will be checked.

Thanks so much

Instruction:
Write a 500-word essay(2pages) on what American government and politics mean to you.?
First, you should write about how you believe politics affects you on a regular basis. Then, you should discuss how you think government policies affect your community, the city, the country as a whole, and the world.?

Also, indicate what you think is positive and/or negative about U.S. political decisions. Or, you may write about what you believe government has failed to do.?

Next, discuss some of your views of President Barack Obama; in particular, what you think his administration has accomplished so far and what you hope or think the Obama administration will accomplish, in the future, even if President Obama only has four months left in office.?
What are your thoughts about the upcoming presidential election? Is there a candidate that you prefer? If so, why??

If you are an international student, you may write about what you think is the relationship between the U.S. and your country of origin.?

Finally, mention how you would like this course to help you gain a better understanding of U.S. government and politics.?

Paper format:
-Formulate an original title for your essay;
-MLA format
-Proofread your paper carefully for grammar and spelling errors.?


I will tell you my background to help writing this paper.?
1. This is the very first assignment of 'POL100(politics): American Government' Course.?
2. I am freshman of Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York.?
3. I am 25y old, male, international student from South Korea.?
Please consider my personal background when you write essay. For example, I cannot vote for presidential election, because I'm not a citizen of the U.S. ?You do not have to write about political relation ship between South Korea and the U.S. You can write about any topic, however please make it easy to read. It does not have to be complicated.

If you have any question about the assignment or my personal information to help with writing essay, please ask me anytime.?

Assignment 1: Institutional Framework of Federal Acquisitions
Due Week 3 and worth 150 points

Government agencies rely heavy on contracting officers to obtain goods and services at a fair price and in a timely manner with the billions of dollars tax dollars entrusted to them annually. To that end, it is necessary that purchasing agencies along with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) use the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to create accountability in organizations and continue to improve weaknesses in key areas of federal acquisition.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

1.Discuss the importance of fixed price contracts in creating effective, efficient, and accountable acquisition planning. Support your discussion with FAR regulations.
2.Discuss the importance of cost reimbursement contracts in creating effective, efficient, and accountable acquisition planning. Support your discussion with FAR regulations.
3.Discuss the importance of time and materials contracts in creating effective, efficient, and accountable acquisition planning. Support your discussion with FAR regulations.
4.Discuss the importance of cost-plus contracts in creating effective, efficient, and accountable acquisition planning. Support your discussion with FAR regulations.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

?Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
?Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student?s name, the professor?s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

?Describe the legal and administrative framework and socio-economic considerations of the federal procurement process.
?Identify and apply the appropriate Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses to meet compliance in contracting actions and dispute resolution requirements.
?Distinguish between the various types of contracts and considerations for use.
?Use technology and information resources to research issues in procurement and contract law.
?Write clearly and concisely about procurement and contract law using correct grammar and mechanics

It is polytical science class. prepare a 2 pages response for each questions. So total are 6 pages.
Please write down question on top of each part, each part need two pages.

1. If you were giving a talk on the strengths and weaknesses of the ??American Government Structure and Foundation?? to a group of new citizens, what would you say?
2. Our United States Constitution guarantees the right to ??Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.?? What does this mean to you? Is it possible to have too much freedom?
3. Discuss the differences between a dictatorship, aristocracy and democracy, including advantages and disadvantages of each.

What should be the job of the government? Protecting liberties and the rights of individuals? Or Increasing social quality? Further, what are the strengths and weaknesses of various forms of government? (Democracy, Aristocracy, Timocracy, Oligarchy)? Authors you can discuss Plato, Mill, Marx, Nietzsche. Reference page

Three main sources of influence on US foreign policy making: the Continuity principle from one president to another, Congressional influence, and the numerous, diverse and distant bureaucratic structures offices and departments that deal with foreign affairs. Briefly discuss the role that each one plays in policy making and then, in a final paragraph, give your opinion as to how these three components can best work together to devise the right foreign strategy.

Topic is : Germany

In order to help you appreciate how rare in the world the idea of democracy was at the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775:

1. Be able to describe the type of government your assigned country had during the following 3 time periods:

1. 0 500 A.D.
2. 1770 to 1775 (No later than 1775)
3. 2008

Include in your presentation the specific type of government the country had in each of the 3 periods. If the country had a monarchy, be able to tell me what type of monarchy. Did the king/tsar/sultan/emir/empress/shogun/Buddha actually have all the power or not? How did change happen in each country during each of the 3 time periods; that is, how did they select the next ruler?

Did the government have a parliament or a representative assembly?
How were representatives chosen?
Who had the judicial power?


Here are some sources of political histories of countries:

Online
Wikipedia: History of Democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_democracy

Country Studies - from the Library of Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

In the Library:
Reference JF 37 .P6 2007
Political Handbook of the World

The above sources are places to BEGIN your research. These sources may not have the specific information you require.

Submit a two page summary of your work in CMS style.
Some information I have found
0-500ad they had Germanic tribes . they had chiefs , didnt find much for this time period. Questions to answer . what happened when kind /chief took over who came into power(could woman inherit?), did he have absolute power . if it was a monarchy what kind was it? They have a council.
1770-1775 ruler was the king of Prussia (Fredrick ll the great1740-1786 ruled)who inherited germany form of government was a monarchy, emperors(by birth or marriage. How was there government structured?

Current date form of government : federal democratic republic
Executive Branch
Head of state :president (horst kohler) head of government :challceller(angel Merkel) and cabinet of germany
Legislative branch
parliament : upper house(bundesrat) lower house(bundestaq)
Judicial branch suprememe court
Change: electoral system : secret ballet (citizens 18yrs and older) vote every 4 years on a Sunday Grundgesetz(basic law)-constitual document 1949

2/3 majority of both chambers of the parliament : fundamental rights/separation of power/federal structure

Bundeskanzler(federal chanceller-angel merkel) head of government /executive power

I will need this essay for the American Government course.
It needs to be an essay of about 7 to 8 well-developed paragraphs (3 PAGES) in total.

Please follow exactly the description as outlined below and answer all the questions as requested in the description.
Also, I will include the scoring rubic for this essay on how it will be graded.

The textbook for this course is: American Government by Steven Kelman, 2003, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

DESCRIPTION:

Principles of the Constitution

Review the information in this topic regarding the five basic principles on which the U.S. Constitution is based, as well as the amendments that have been added to the Constitution and the process for amending this document. Then complete the following:

1) List each principle (five basic principles) and provide a description of each in two sentences.

2) Answer the following question:
How have the beliefs and principles contained in the Constitution shaped our national identity?
Make sure you consider the limits the Constitution places on the power of government as well as the goals discussed in the preamble.
Your answer should be at least two well-developed paragraphs in length.

3) Answer the following question:
Those who wrote the Constitution considered it important to allow for changes to be made to the document.
Do you think these methods that they created are effective?
Make sure you consider the process used to amend the Constitution as well as the amendments that have been passed so far and those that have been repealed or have failed to be passed.
Your answer should be at least two well-developed paragraphs in length.


How this essay will be graded:
RUBRIC POINTS
Lists each of the five principles and describes each in at least two sentences. 25 PTS
Discusses how the beliefs and principles contained in the Constitution have shaped our national identity in at least two paragraphs. 25 PTS
Discusses the effectiveness of the methods used to amend the Constitution in at least two paragraphs. 25
Logical progression of ideas 10
References listed and appropriately cited MLA format 5
Spelling 3
Sentence construction 3
Essay construction 4
Opening/closing sentences
Well-organized paragraphs
TOTAL 100 PTS

I will need (3) three-page essay on ESTABLISHING A NEW GOVERNMENT ESSAY by ANSWERING ALL EIGHT QUESTIONS.
The textbook for the course is "AMERICAN GOVERNMENT" by Steven Kelman.

PLEASE FOLLOW EXACTLY THE DESCRIPTION BELOW:


You have learned a great deal about government in this course. Now you get a chance to apply all that you know. This activity takes a little imagination.

There are people in the new country of Kramer who are functioning without an established government. They have requested that you come to help them organize themselves and institute some sort of government.
1) Where will you begin?
2) How would you organize a government?
3) What are the pieces you would put into place to have the people govern themselves?
4) Who would be in charge?
5) How would they get that position?
6) What kinds of documents or rules would you need to put into place?
7) Would you need a body of people to help you?
8) How would you select them?

Create a plan for a governmental structure for this new country. Think about what you have learned about American Government, and apply those principles to helping to form this new country's government.

Your plan should be at least (8) EIGHT well-developed paragraphs.


How your ESSAY will be evaluated:

RUBRIC POINTS

Student provides a plan of government for this new country and answers all of the eight questions provided in the assignment. 80

Logical progression of ideas 10

Spelling 3

Sentence construction 3

Essay construction 4

TOTAL 100

i need 300 words on Which level of government should take the lead in addressing the problems facing this nation, the federal government or state and local government? Why?


i need 100 words on What If National Laws Were Put To A Popular Vote?

i need 100 words on What If One States Same-Sex Marriages Had to Be Recognized Nationwide?

i need 100 words on What If We Elected the President by Popular Vote?

****each topics should be in its own paragraph do not mix topics together *****


i am using the book american government and politics today 2011-2012

I need to write an essay about U.S CUSTOMS ,BORDER PROTECTION everything about them, for example who are they, what is there job, their history etc...... also what are the requirements to become a us custom and border protection officer.

#Preamble:
The New Zealand Government has established a Constitutional Advisory Panel. One of the roles
of the Panel is to foster a ?conversation? about New Zealand?s Constitutional Arrangements, and
report back to the Government on the views of the New Zealand community. The Government
has asked the Panel to find out what New Zealanders think about particular aspects of the Treaty
of Waitangi.

Essay Topic:
Summarise the essential features of the Constitution of Aotearoa/New Zealand, explaining
the role that the Treaty of Waitangi has in that Constitution. Do you think that the Treaty
should be made a formal part of the Constitution?
All references from your readings, other research undertaken, or from the Internet must be cited
correctly and fully, using the APA referencing system.

500 word minimum...2 sources minimum. Citation style at the discretion of the writer. Need to cover the separation of powers and system of checks and balances as provided in the US Constitution.