Public Policies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Policies - Term Paper Example These people feel threatened by the public interest groups that jockey for room and influence. However, there are others who believe that these groups prove that America is a vibrant democracy. This latter opinion makes much more sense and will be explored in the course of this essay. America has a truly brilliant political system. Each person has one vote. But by organizing together, groups of people can have a larger impact on the system. For example, people who enjoy owning guns for recreational purposes such as hunting can join together to be members of the NRA. There are millions of people who have done so. This is an issue that is important to them. When a politician suggests that the law should be changed to make possessing guns more dangerous, these millions of NRA members have an effective way of championing their position. Likewise, those who want more gun control are free to organize to present the opposite point of view. The debate will presumably happen in public. The representatives can choose a position and can allow the voters to ratify his or her decision at the next election. That is how democracy works. There is nothing broken about lobbying. As Anderson explains in his book, there are a number of different types of interest groups. Some are professional, some are ad hoc. Some are interested in a single issue, others have multiple interests. Some think tanks provide constant pressure on political issues (Anderson, 64). Others groups are collections of professional activists (Anderson, 72). In all of these forms, these groups contribute to our democracy. One of the transformative decisions of the Supreme Court in recent years regarding interest groups is the Citizens United decision which overturned the campaign financing laws. In the past groups could not spend very much money promoting a candidate during an election period. The Court felt that this was an assault on freedom of expression and overturned the law. In

Describe what set the Young, Middle and Old Guards apart from each Essay

Describe what set the Young, Middle and Old Guards apart from each other and from the Grand'Armee in general - Essay Example The Old Guards were the most prominent and were the creme de la creme of Napoleon’s infantry. In order to be admitted to this group, the aspirant should have at least 10 years of service, not exceeding 35 years of age, can read and write, with exemplary conduct, recognized for a brave act, and must at least have a height of 5’10 and 5’8 for grenadier and chasseur, respectively. Men who have received the Legion of Honor Award are admitted even without reaching the height marks. With this set of requirements, it is not surprising to learn that they were the battle-hardened veterans, the most bold, and the strongest amongst the guards. In fact, they were labeled as â€Å"The Grumblers,† â€Å"The Eagles,† â€Å"The Gaiter Straps,† or â€Å"The Supporters of the Usurper† (Yudice et al., French Guard n. pag). Another group is that of the Middle Guards, which was formed between 1806 and 1809. This group includes veterans with at least 6 years of service – the 3rd Grenadiers, the Amsterdam Veteran Company, corporals and privates of the 2nd Grenadiers, 2nd Chasseurs and Fusiliers, and the Velites of Florence and Turin (â€Å"The Young Guard in Action† 4). In 1811, after the disbandment of 1806 regiment units, this division was restored by admitting 500 men with 5 years of service along with 1,000 men coming from the battalions. The most notable account for Middle Guards was concerning their exceptional skills in artillery (Macready, qtd in Yudice et al., Napoleon’s Guard n. pag). Last of all three groups was the Young Guard, formed around 1809. This group was composed of â€Å"newly raised regiments† (Haythornthwaite 7), rigorously trained by Cadres who came from the Old Guards, as well as by the strongest and best educated Privates. The first trained regiments came out as strong and healthy men, as they flushed their martial air with their great stamina. Moreover, the Young Guards consisted of the best