Humanities Homework Help

Discussion question options:

According to this recent Pew Research poll, (Links to an external site.) American show high levels of cynicism about government, and display low levels of trust in the federal government.  However, when asked about specific programs Americans often show much more positive opinions of the performance of the federal government (Links to an external site.).  Why do you believe is this the case?  Do you believe this is a problem for American democracy?  Why or why not?  

Federal justices are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, so voters have no direct say in who is selected. However, many state courts (like Texas) use competitive elections to select judges, while other states (like California) hold retention elections where the governor first appoints a justice and voters then decide in the next election if they want that individual to continue on. Which selection method do you think is superior? Should justices be elected or appointed? How might these mechanisms change their decisions?

The power of “special interests” in DC is often decried by many. Do you believe that interest groups have too much power in the United States? Why or why not? If you believe they have too much power, how could this be addressed?