Writing Assignment 1
Select ONE of the following topics to answer for Writing Assignment 1. The writing assignment should be a minimum of 750 words. You should find most of the information you need to complete the assignment in the textbook, but it may improve your submission by using additional sources (such as news articles or government websites).  See the Writing Assignment Instructions for more information.
Writing Assignment 1 — topics covering Chapters 1-7 
Compared to the US Constitution, why is the Texas Constitution so frequently amended? How does the turnout for elections dealing with constitutional amendments compare to turnout for presidential elections? (Refer to “Who are Texans?” in Chapter 2). Do you think the level of turnout influences the legitimacy of the amendments that are passed or rejected?  Do you think that more people should participate in constitutional amendment elections? Why or why not?  Is there anything the state can do to increase turnout for constitutional amendment elections?
What are some of the past and more recent barriers to voting in Texas?  (Be specific) What accounts for the low level of voter participation in Texas?  What can be done to increase voter participation?  (Specifically discuss at least two policy proposals that election officials could adopt.)  Under legislation passed in 2017, Texas will be eliminating straight-ticket voting beginning with the 2020 elections.  Do you agree with this?  Why or why not?
Discuss the gender, racial and educational makeup of the Texas Legislature.  (Refer to “Who are Texans?” in Chapter 7.)  Does it adequately represent the population of the state?  If the legislature had more people of color, more women, or more people of varying levels of education, do you think it would pass different policies?  If so, what kinds of policies might they pass?  (Be specific here.)  Does the part-time nature of the Texas legislature encourage or discourage people from particular occupations to run?  Do you think a full-time legislature could make the legislature more representative?  Why or why not?
Writing Assignment 2 — topics covering Chapters 8-13
Select ONE of the following topics to answer for Writing Assignment 2. The writing assignment should be a minimum of 750 words. You should find most of the information you need to complete the assignment in the textbook, but it may improve your submission by using additional sources (such as news articles or government websites).  See the Writing Assignment Instructions for more information.
What is a plural executive model? How does the single executive model differ from the plural executive model?  What are the arguments for and against a plural executive?  Do you believe that the plural executive is more democratic than the single executive model? Why or why not?  Do you believe the plural executive lead to more efficient and accountable government? Why or why not?  Under the plural executive system, how does the power of the governor in Texas compare to other states?  (Use specific examples) 
How are state judges selected in Texas?  Discuss two different methods used in other states for selecting judges. What are the arguments for each of the selection methods you discussed?  Do you think that judges should be elected or appointed?  Explain your reasoning.   How informed do you think the public is about judicial elections and judicial candidates?  If you were voting for a judge, would you research the candidates and their qualifications or would you vote based on party affiliation?
Do you think that sales taxes are a fair way for the state to generate revenue? Why or why not?  As described in The Texas Tribune article “How Texas lawmakers tax swap plan could affect Texans”, there was a proposal in the 2019 legislative session to increase the sales tax to offset a reduction in property taxes.  Do you think trading a sales tax increase for a property tax decrease is a fair approach for the majority of Texans?  Why or why not?  What happened to this proposal during the 2019 legislative session?  (Note: The Texas Tribune is a good resource for information on the legislative session.)

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Select ONE of the following topics to answer for Writing As appeared first on homework handlers.

**ANSWER THE QUESTION 250 WORDS MIN**
Discussion Questions: Is cyber the greatest future threat the US faces?  If so, explain why.  If cyber is not the greatest future threat, what is and why? 
**REPLY TO EACH POST 100 WORDS MIN EACH**
1. In the last two decades, there has been considerable increase that threaten the security of the U.S. Our nation is under attack 24/7 by cyber hacker and as a result any infrastructure or even individual can be a victim. Cyber threat factors into critical infrastructure protection and risk management. Cyberspace capabilities play an increasing role on the economic system, public safety and how people communicate, including telecommunication, internet, and sensitive emails. Therefore, the advancements in cyber technology have come along with many risks owing to critical information, hacking and threats to the U.S. In recent years, the U.S. government has been a victim of cybercrime with the threat of national security increasing significantly. According to Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, (2014). “cyberspace is particularly difficult to secure due to a number of factors: the ability of malicious actors to operate from anywhere in the world, the linkage between cyberspace and physical systems, and the difficulty of reducing vulnerabilities and consequences in complex cyber networks” (p. 39). Either directly or indirectly, some foreign governments and/or malicious groups have been taking full advantage of wide range of cyber network to threaten the local community. All level of government policy makers and private sectors provides essential services and constantly learning new ways to prevent the cyber threats facing the homeland. The DHS has set guidelines to ensure that the advantage of cyberspace is only used by the proper agencies that are determined to protect the citizens from external and internal threats. U.S. government utilizes resources that can be exploited to develop guidelines to include national cyber threat objectives, policies and projected levels for funding to ensure that cyber threats are given significant attention and that the strategies to improve national security benefit immensely from cyber security. Additionally, all level of government aims to prioritize the risks and employ cost-effective strategies. Generally, the maintenance of cyber-security offers a perfect way of ensuring that the local community activities are successful.
2. Yes, I would say that cyber is surely the greatest future threat to the United States. So much of the world is reliant on technology and the United States seems to be at the forefront of using that technology to make life easier. The internet and technology are such assets to running business, ensuring security, and even just paying bills but as easy as it is for us to use, its just as easy for criminals to use these same things for the wrong reasons and mass chaos can be a real result of it all. It is said by many that the biggest threat to the United States in 2021 is in fact cyber security (Riley, 2021). In December of 2020, there was a cyber attack where information regarding Covid-19 was illegally accessed from the Pfizer-BioNTech corportation (Riley,2020). The threat of cyber security does not mean that just viruses can come in and shut down computer systems, Hackers can steal information, take money, and quickly terrorize businesses causing massive damage. One of the hardest things to do is track these particular people down, they can be half a world away or right next door and the government could be infected with these viruses and have information stolen for months on end before they become aware of the issue. Cyber security becomes more of a priority everyday as technology continues to advance. There are many organizations throughout the United States of America that work tirelessly to ensure that our nation’s infrastructure are protected because the vulnerabilities are so high. If an attack is carried out on the nation’s infrastructures there will be massive problems due to the United States relying so much on technology and without it many businesses and tools would not be able to operate to full capacity.  As technology continues to get better the vulnerabilities become even greater as time goes on that is why cyber security continues to be such an important part of national security. 

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Discussion Questions: Is cyber the greates appeared first on homework handlers.