Considering that I graduated from high school in 1988, the figures described in this article are startling:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/business/americas-sinking-middle-class.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=1&

I wonder three things about this phenomenon:

1. To what degree are they the result of politics/government policy?

2. Assuming that you see this as a problem, is there a political solution to it?

3. If this phenomenon was NOT caused by politics, what caused it, and does this cause admit of ANY solution?

Although it’s not front page news, lately there have been a number of decisions made by states that bring up questions of federalism.

In this article from Slate, Emily Bazelon, tries to explain how state marijuana legalization laws and state laws attempting to nullify federal gun regulations differ from each other.

Read the article and let us know what you think. You should consider how federalism is at issue, what you think about the way the states are acting in each case, and how your personal political orientation (whether you identify as liberal or conservative) influences your opinions on the issues.

So, fingers crossed, the first two videos from Unit 1, Constitutional Foundations are now available through this site. As these were the first two that I made, they are pretty rough, and a bit long, but bear with me, they get better. I’d like to know what you think, so feel free to leave a comment. I hope to start posting more thoughtful questions and opinions as well as links to articles that I’ve found helpful. Please stay tuned.