Hello Class,
Please complete the blog assignment below by Thursday at 11:59pm. Remember that your post must be at least 300 words and you should proofread your post for spelling/grammar errors. Also remember to type your name at the top of your post to make sure you get credit.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet/
Above is a link to access President Obama's Cabinet. As discussed in class, the executive branch is outlined in Article II of the Constitution. This Article also mentions how the Cabinet is there to help the President with his daily duties. Scroll down to view the entire Cabinet. Please pick one of the departments that make up the President's Cabinet (Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, etc...) and discuss the topics below:
1) Who is the secretary or administrator of the department? What are his/her qualifications? Discuss some important information about his/her background.
2) What is the mission of the department. What are they responsible for?
3) What is the annual budget of this department? What does most of the funding go towards?
4) Discuss something you already new about this department?
5) Discuss something you just learned about this department that you find interesting.
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Department of Labor by Armando Rojas
ReplyDelete#5.Discuss something you just learned about this department that you find interesting.
Some interesting facts that I have learned about the Department of Labor is that it was created in 1888. It was called Bureau of Labor when it was first created. Under the presidency of William Howard Taft the Bureau of Labor became independent and became the Department of Labor on February 15, 1903. The Department of Labor is part of the United States government that is responsible for the hourly wage standards, unemployment issues, and services to help people get jobs [those who are unemployed]. I did not know that they helped to obtain a job, if unemployed. I feel that the Department of Labor truly employs methods to help those who want to be helped. Sometimes people fall into a state of mind in which they feel the government should take care of every single financial need, but that is not the case. The key to the Department of Labor is to assist someone when they are in need and unemployed and to get that person back on track with a suitable job in which that individual can contribute to the United States economical system. The more people who are working, the more taxes are being collected. The more the government can take care of the country. The one program that I really liked within the Department of Labor was the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). I myself am a veteran and I understand the challenges a soldier has to confront when returning to the civilian world. Veterans deserve all the help that they get, for they have worked very hard in assuring this great country remains the number one place to be on the face of this planet. Other programs that fall under the Department of Labor are the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), and the Women’s Bureau (to assure that every men, and now woman, are created equal).
Work Cited: http://www.dol.gov/
Armando Rojas
Constitutional Law - CJL 2062
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BY JUDELEY MULTIDOR
ReplyDelete#5.Discuss something you just learned about this department that you find interesting.
I LEARNED THAT THE DOD(DEPARTMENT OF DENFENSE) WAS CREATED IN 1947 AS A NATIONAL MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT WITH A SINGLE SECRETARY AS ITS HEAD..I ALSO LEARN THE DOD IS MADE UP OF THE NAVY, MILITARY, AND AIRFORCE.
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE IS ROBERT M. GATES( HE WAS FROM BUSH CABINET), THEN YOU HAVE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILLIAM J. LYNN III.. THE DOD PROVIDE SECURITY ( SECRET SERVICE) TOO THE PRESIDENT....
JUDELEY MULTIDOR
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW-CJL 2062..
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY 9:50-11:05
Lourdes Rey
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Justice
As mentioned above the department I found to be most interesting to me was the Dept. of Justice. The secretary of this particular department, which was appointed by President Obama, is Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. who is the 82nd sworn attorney general of the United States of America, he was sworn on February 3, 2009, By the Vice president Joe Biden. He has also held other important governmental positions in the past such as: Deputy Attorney General, which he was the first African-American to be sworn into this position, and he was also United States Attorney for District of Columbia and also Associate judge of the superior court of District of Columbia as well. He was born in New York City where he attended Columbia College and graduated with a degree in American History in 1973 and then proceeded to go to Columbia Law school where he obtained his law degree in 1976. Upon graduation he then moved to the Washington D.C area and joined the department of justice. Mr. Holder still resides there today with his wife and three children.
As far as the mission and responsibility of this department in general it is a mission that dates back to the 1700’s, which is as follows: “to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law, to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic, to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior and to ensure fair and impartial administration of Justice for all Americans.” (Thomas Jefferson 1789.)
Their annual budget varies from year to year, but the current budget for this year of 2010 was of $25,849,392. And most of their budget tends to go to National Security for this year it was the amount of $721,480. This makes sense to me because that is one of the most important things within a nation, to keep all citizens safe to our best possibilities. One thing that I already knew was the kind of background a person had to have in order to become an attorney general, which is obviously to be an attorney and have some significant experience within the field of our legal system, but what I never knew was all the different responsibilities being in that position actually had and the effects that an attorney general’s decisions creates over many different areas within our system in general.
Lourdes Rey
ReplyDeleteFor the above post
http://www.justice.gov/jmd
Jean-many Pierre
ReplyDeleteThe secretary of homeland security department is Janet A. Napolitano. She is the third person to hold the position after 9\11 when the position was created. She was Arizona 21st governor from 2003-2009. She also served as an attorney general of Arizona 1999-2002. She is the first woman and twenty third person to serve in that office. She is ranked Forbes 51st most powerful women. She is of half Italian ancestry [4][3] and is a Methodist. She graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque in 1975 and was voted most likely to Succeed. She graduated from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, where she won a Truman Scholarship, and was valedictorian. In 1978, she studied for a term at the London School of Economics as part of the Santa Clara's exchange program. She then received her Juris Doctor from the University Of Virginia School Of Law. After law school she served as a law clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and then joined Schroeder's former firm, the Phoenix law firm Lewis and Roca. The mission of the department of homeland security is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism and minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States. The department responsibilities are guarding against terrorism, securing our borders, enforcing our immigrant laws, improving our readiness for response to and recovery from disaster, and maturing and unifying the department. The annual budget of the homeland security department is 52 billion dollars. Most of the funding goes toward security. I always knew that homeland security have a color coded terrorism risk advisory scale. Red mean severe risk of terrorist attacks, orange means high risks of terrorist attacks, yellow means elevated significant risk of terrorist attacks, blue means guarded general risk of terrorist attacks, and green means low risk of terrorist attacks. Something I just learned about the department of homeland security is that it’s a high department and it have a lot of lower agencies under it. The department also have 216000 employees as in of 2010.
Work cited : Wikipedia.com, www.DHS.gov
Tomas Sanchez
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Defense
Our current secretary of defense is Robert M. Gates. This very honorable gentleman served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W Bush as Director of Central Intelligence. During his years with the CIA, Gates was awarded the National Security Medal, the Residential Citizen Medal, twice received the National Distinguished Service Medal, and three times received the CIA’s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. President Bush also appointed Gates to the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission assigned to study strategies and possible outcomes of the Iraq war. The Department of Defense is made up primarily of the three major branches of the military: the Army, Navy (including the Marines Corps) and Air Force. The Pentagon also includes several major agencies and bureaus, including the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. The primary mission of the Department of Defense is to provide military forces to fight wars deter aggressions and protect the security of the United States. The Department also provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief, both domestically and internationally. The D.O.D assists with domestic security by coordinating with and providing support to the Department of Homeland Security. This department also operates several joints services schools, including the National War College. The D.O.D expenditures for fiscal year 2009 are $651.2 billion. This does not take into account military spending outside of the Department of Defense, which when included increases the figure to between $1.16 trillion. This department spending accounts for 21% of the U.S federal budget, and approximately ½ of its federal discretionary spending, which comprises all of the U.S government’s money not accounted for by pre-existing obligations. Something I just learned is that this department uses 4,600,000,000 gallons of fuel annually, an average of 12,600,000 gallons of fuel per day. Something I already knew is that the Department of Defense is an evolution of the Department of War.
Jean-Pierre Calderon
ReplyDeleteOne department that I found interesting was the Department of Transportation (DOT). The department was established on October of 1966 by an act of Congress and its first day of service was April 1, 1967. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the department into law and Alan S. Boyd was the first secretary of the DOT in 1967. Ray LaHood is now the current secretary and the mission of the DOT is to “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.” The department consists of eleven different Operating Administrations. “The Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Maritime Administration, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and the Surface Transportation Board.” DOT offers citizen services, such as accessibility, highways and bridges, cars, buses and bikes services. Business services, such as hours of service and drug and alcohol test for truckers, business opportunities and vendor information, and it also offers government services such as, the New Starts program and the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot program. The department’s main priority is safety. For the year 2011 they have requested $50 million for a new Distracted Driver Prevention Program, $30 million and 130 Full Time Equivalents for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to improve the safety of transit rail operations, $3 million for enterprises in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to increase the safety of young and older drivers, and $12 million for the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The funds for the program will be used to create ratings around 72 percent of the fleet using new test procedures to advance the 5 star Safety Ratings System.
Tomas Sanchez
ReplyDeleteFor the above post
Work cited: Wikipedia.com
Jamere Wilson
ReplyDeleteTom Vilsak is the secretary for the department of agriculture. Vilsak was selected mayor of Iowa in 1987, then later he was elected in the Iowa senate in 1992.Tom Vilsak served forty years as governor of Iowa. He launched a candidacy for the democratic parties nomination for Barack Obama in 2008. In 2001 Vilsak served as chairperson for the Midwestern governors Association. Vilsak won another term in office in 2002 for his accomplishments. Lastly, in 2008 Vilsak decided to run for presidency. He attended Hamilton college in 1972, and got his JD in Albany Law School. Didn’t know his parents because he was abounded and left in a church.
The roll of the Department of agriculture is to improve manufacture and quality of foods. Provide the importance of farming conservation (NRC’s). Department of agriculture works on maintaining and improving farm income and to develop and expand foreign markets for agricultural products. This department helps to eliminate and reduce poverty. Protects landowners soil, forest, and water.
The annual budget in 2009 was for over one billion dollars. This was to improve small businesses and to help American agriculture instead of foreign products. The budget is in place to help small businesses to create more jobs and to provide a healthier living for the many obese Americans of society today. The budget includes 26 billion dollars to help build on the economy local and regional food companies. The SNAP program was introduce and sponsored with 10 billion over the next 10 years to insure children with good nutritional foods, and 1 billion to reduce/prevent food borne illnesses.
I new that they were in charge of all the foods manufactured for import and export in the United States. I really didn’t have a lot of knowledge about the organization because I never read about them, but I new they dealt with the health benefits of the foods and the poverty struck areas where distribution of foods where not adequate.
I think the most important thing I learn about this organization is the fact that they budget consisted on 10 billion to help overweight children eat healthier and more nutritious foods I found this to be probably the most important because they are the future of this country.
#5 Discuss something you just learned about this department that you find interesting.
ReplyDeleteErnest Jean
I’ve learned that the Department of Transportation was established by congress in 1966, and their first document day was April 1, 1967. I know the Department of Transportation deals with transportation, but did not know what their purpose in doing was. Their purpose is to have a well organized transportation system that insures public safety. The Department of Transportation have more to it than transportation, but the people who manage and make sure it’s in order and running properly. Secretary of Transportation and that title belongs to Ray LaHood. He has an important role and that is to manage all transportation systems, basically enforcing the policies and regulations. His position benefits others as well, meaning jobs can be created under his authority. Furthermore, theses jobs opening as result will help the economy grow. Mrs. LaHood is one many that helps the Department of Transportation run smoothly. Other officials such as John D. Porcari, Roy Kienitz, and Robert S. Rivkin just to name a few create a team for Department of Transportation. What were amazing and interesting were the different agencies that ties back to Department of Transportation. In all honest some of these agencies were new to me, I did not know it was so many like FTA, FRA, PHMSA, and so on. There are 60,000 employees working across country under the branch of Department of transportation. The budget and the planning is extremely important because it helps function the programs overall. What took me by surprise was the cost to maintain the different task that goes on with transportation. Millions and millions of dollars is being spent to keep the Department of Transportation in business; it is well worth because public transportation is a part of the community. What I realized without this agency it would probably be difficult for the public.
Sheralde Jean-Mary
ReplyDeleteDepartment of State
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
The secretary of Department of State is Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Secretary of State are appointed by the President Obama. The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the United States. Hillary Rodham Clinton qualifications are she attended local public schools before graduating from Wellesley College and Yale Law. She was an assistant professor at the University Of Arkansas School Of Law and after working to strengthen the local legal aid office, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 to serve on the board of the Legal Services Corporation, which she later chaired. She was Chairwoman of the Arkansas Education Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, and the Children's Defense Fund. In 2000, Hillary Clinton made history as the first Lady elected to the United States Senate, and the first woman elected statewide in New York. In the Senate, she served on the Armed Services Committee, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Budget Committee and the Select Committee on Aging. She was also a Commissioner on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. In 2006, Senator Clinton won reelection to the Senate, and in 2007 she began her historic campaign for President. In 2008, she campaigned for the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and in November, she was nominated by President-elect Obama to be Secretary of State according to (www.state.gov). “The mission of the department are Provides leadership, coordination and strategic direction within the U.S. Government and with external stakeholders to enhance foreign assistance effectiveness and integrates foreign assistance planning and resource management across State and USAID, Leads strategic, operational, and performance planning of U.S. foreign assistance with a focus on aligning resources with policy priorities, Promotes good stewardship of foreign assistance funds by strengthening oversight, accountability, and transparency” according to (www.state.gov). The annual budget of the department of state is seeking funding in the amount of $52.8 billion, which breaks down to $16.4 billion for State operations and $36.4 billion for foreign assistance. The majority of funds are dedicated to the critical frontline States of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, which demand significant and costly Attention. I have always known the department of state is picked by the president, and Promoting peace and stability in regions of vital interest. The most interested thing I have learned about the department of state are creating jobs at home by opening markets abroad, enhance foreign assistance effectiveness, helping developing nations establish investment and export opportunities, bringing nations together to address global problems such as cross-border pollution, the spread of, communicable diseases, terrorism, nuclear smuggling, and humanitarian crises. It was a great opportunity reading about the department of state because I have learned a lot of new and interesting things about the government different ways of functioning.
Reference:
www.state.gov
Ileana Marrero
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Homeland Security
The department I chose was the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Janet Napolitano is the current secretary of the department and is the third secretary since the DHS was created. She was in her second term of Governor of Arizona when she became secretary. She was the first woman in the National Governors Association and was named one of the top five governors in the country by. She was also the first female Attorney General of Arizona and served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. She graduated from the University Of Virginia School Of Law and she practiced law in a Phoenix law firm. She also worked as a clerk for a judge on the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 9th circuit.
The primary mission of the Department of Homeland Security is to protect the nation from terrorism and other disasters. There are several agencies that help to protect America and uphold public safety by targeting the source of the problems that create terrorist and criminal activities in relation to our nation’s border. They focus on five areas of responsibilities; guarding against terrorism, securing our borders, enforcing immigration laws, improving readiness for response and recovery of natural disasters and maturing and unifying the department.
The budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year was $55,115,227,000. Most of the funding goes into the several agencies that make up the Department Of Homeland Security. 12% of that money goes to Federal Emergency Management Agency. 14% to TSA. 18% of that was for United States Coast guard. 10% of that was for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and 20% for Customs and Border Patrol. The rest is distributed for Citizenship and Immigration Services, S & T and national protection and programs directorate. Within those agencies, it is redistributed in wages, pension plans, etc.
I was already familiar with this department of the cabinet because of my choice of study; I had to familiarize myself with all the security agencies. Also, my brother used to work for TSA when it was first created after 9/11. He then began working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently so I have private learning sessions on what goes on everyday at his job. I also was aware that it was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks by President Bush.
What I did not know was that is used to be under the department of transportation until it was created into the department of homeland security in 2002. I also learned that both FEMA and United States Secret Service were under the same department. I was led to believe otherwise. As well as the other agencies that formed the organization (FBI, CIA) that are in revision of falling under the Department of Homeland Security. Overall I am fascinated with this part of the cabinet because it is what I would like to work for in the latter part of my life. That is why I chose this cabinet.
Hagit Smith
ReplyDeleteThe administrator for the Department of Justice is Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. He was sworn in as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States on February 3, 2009 by Vice President Joe Biden. He is the first African American to hold this position. Other background on Holder is that he was nominated by President Clinton to be the Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno. Holder also served as a Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia with an appointment from President Reagan and to top that all off Holder was also the U.S Attorney for the District of Columbia as well. He had quite an extravagant history in the field of law.
According to the website of the Department of Justice , their mission is, ‘To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.’
The annual Budget for The Department of Justice is 24 billion dollars. And most of the funds are allocated towards the Federal Bureau of Investigation (7.8 billion dollars) with a focus on national security and other smaller amounts towards various crime fighting programs nationally.
Something that I knew prior to researching this department was that the administrator was the first African American to hold this position and I was also very much so aware of the budget being about 2 billion dollars less than what the Department was asking for. What I found quite interesting was the amount of finances they were investing into the prisoner re-entry program and also the police program which will enable police departments to hire 50,000 more beat cops. The reason why I find it interesting is because despite having these funds allocated to the prisoner re-entry fund, there still seems to be a lack of funds locally to assist prisoners returning to the communities. And in addition police officers are not being hired at a speedy pace as well so it makes me wonder exactly where are the funds that was allocated for that purpose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Holder,
http://www.justice.gov/02organizations/about.html,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fy2010_department_justice/
Department of State by Jillie Cheri
ReplyDeleteThe department that I found interesting was the department of state. The secretary of state is Hillary Rodham Clinton which was appointed by President Barack Obama. Hilary Rodham Clinton was born on October 26, 1947 in Illinois. Hillary married to the former president of the united states Clinton and has a daughter with him named Chelsea. Hilary attended law school where she met her husband now Clinton. She was also a former senator and lawyer. Secretary of house is responsible for carrying out the president foreign policies through the state department and the foreign service of the united states. Hilary Clinton was sworn in as the 67th secretary of states on January 21,2009. The annual budget is 16.4 billion and it is being use toward department budget, physical property, and assisting u.s citizens living or traveling aboard etc. The department of state also play an important role in these department: Defense Commerce, Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, and Agency for International Development. I already knew that the President is the one that appointed the secretary of state, and that the candidate had to have an education, knowledge of the political, and had a well know job before. Secretary department is the closet department to the president and handle more stuff for the president than any other department. During this research I found out a lot about the secretary of department such as how many appointment/ conference the candidate had to attend every month the least would be 11 per month. Secretary job was also to travel all around the world to represent the president. I also learn the total of day secretary Hillary travel is 153 days and visited 64 countries, also the secretary is accompany by members of the press and sometimes foreign dignitaries would travel as well. While the secretary is traveling to those state she is trying to make things better.
Some of these conference Hilary Clinton attended were being held at Israels, Palestinians, Egypt, Jerusalem and Iraq etc. After, researching about this department I learn a lot of new things.
www.state.gov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State
Tiketha Allen
ReplyDeleteI chose the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD the secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is Shaun Donovan. On January 26, 2009 Donovan was sworn in as the 15th secretary to this department. Before become secretary, Donovan was commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). He served in the Clinton administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing, in addition he served as acting FHA commissioner during the Clinton/Bush administration transition after that he return to private practice at the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) in New York City as a non-profit lender and developer of affordable housing. Secretary Donovan holds a B.A and Masters degree in Public Administration and Architecture from Harvard University and has authored several books.
HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all meet the need for quality affordable rental homes utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination and transform the way HUD does business. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is responsible for creating and developing low and affordable housing to low and middle income individuals including Native Americans.
The 2010 annual budget for the department of housing and urban development is $ 43.58 billion with $ 88 million going to housing counseling assistance programs, $ 20 million to combating mortgage fraud and the rest to funding housing for the elderly, homeless and individuals living with AIDS.
One thing I’d already knew about this department that it provided low and affordable housing to many Americans. Something I just learned about this department that I found interesting was it was just created in 1937, before that many American were on their own when it came to living and housing arrangements.
Marianela Luporini - Homeland Security.
ReplyDeleteThe secretary of Homeland Security is Janet Napolitano. Janet has some interesting political background. Before becoming secretary Janet was in her second term as Governor of Arizona. She was the first woman to chair the National Governors Association; she was also the first female Attorney General of Arizona. Some of her recognition included been named one of the top five governors in the county by Time Magazine. Some of her earlier jobs; she was a clerk on the U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The mission of this department is to secure the country and conserve our freedom. They are responsible for securing our nation from the threats we encounter. Secure our border from terrorism, combat international drug coming in the country. They are also responsible for enforcing immigration laws and they protect us from natural disasters.
The annual budget of the department was $55,115,227 for the year 2010. Protecting us from terrorist threats is the main focus, this includes detecting explosives, protecting critical infrastructure also cyber network and biological warfare. Securing our borders; preventing illegal transportation across the borders; the budget goes to adding manpower and technology to improve security. The department also budgets natural disaster: preparing, responding and recovering from natural disaster.
I knew the basic about the Home land security department such as the task they had of protecting the land and people from terrorist threats, also protecting our borders from illegal drugs coming in and that they were in charge of immigration. Some interesting things that I learn were that before September 11 homeland security activities we spread across more that 40 federal agencies and an estimated 2,000 separate congressional accounts. In February of 2001, the Commission on National Security issues a report recommending the establishment of a new National Homeland Security Agency. Eleven days after September11, 2001 President George W. Bush announced that he would create an Office of Homeland Security in the White House. The office would be in charge terrorism and responding to any future attacks.
Source: http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
Constitutional Law.
Raudel Molina
ReplyDeletePart 1
The secretary of the department of energy is Dr. Steven Chu. Chu is a Chinese American, was born in St. Louis . He received an A.B. degree in mathematics, a B.S. degree in physics from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr Chu used to be the Director of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab where he was in the search of a better renewable energy technologies. At the University of California he was one of the Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology. Earlier, he worked at Stanford University and AT&T Bell Laboratories. When he was in Stanford, he helped start Bio-x which is a program that supports, organizes, and facilitates interdisciplinary research connected to biology and medicine. He is the holder of 10 patens and has published almost 250 scientific and technical papers. Currently, he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academia Sinica, the Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology. When he was working at Bell Labs, he and his several co-workers carried out his Nobel Prize-winning laser cooling work. On January 21, 2009, Chu was sworn in as Secretary of Energy. He is also the second Chinese American to be a member of the Cabinet after Elaine Chao.
Raudel Molina
ReplyDeletePart2
The mission of the Department of Energy is to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States. They are responsible for Promoting America's energy security through reliable, clean, and affordable energy. The Department, is also the single largest Federal government supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. Their annual budget for 2011 is $185.9 million which is 14 million less than in 2010. For Research and Development ($144.3 million), Clean Energy Transmission and Reliability ($35.0 million), Smart Grid Research and Development ($39.3 million), Energy Storage ($40.0 million), Cyber Security for Energy Delivery Systems ($30.0 million). Something that I already know about this department was that they are responsible in reducing our country dependence on oil from other countries and creating energy efficient technologies for transportation, homes, buildings and industry. Something that I found interesting was that they not only focus on finding new energy sources, but also focus in Cyber Security Protection, Preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Protecting the environment and many others things that I didn't know about.
www.energy.gov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Chu
Kay Poonen
ReplyDeleteThe department I chose to research on is the Department of Homeland Security. The secretary of this department is Janet A. Napolitano. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University and of the University of Virginia Law School. Napolitano was a US attorney and was Arizona’s attorney general, before being elected governor. In 2006, she was re elected for a second term. Napolitano fought to curb illegal immigration, and was very knowledgeable on this topic. “In each of these areas - counterterrorism; border security; immigration enforcement; and disaster preparedness, response and recovery - Napolitano is building upon the skills and resources of this young department by deploying the best that science and technology have to offer.”
Their mission is pretty much to secure the country and preserve our freedom. They are also prepared to handle any hazards or disasters that may come their way. The annual budget for this department is $41 billion. Most of the funding goes towards the Homeland Security activities such as customs and border protection, immigration enforcement, secret service, transportation security administration, domestic preparedness, coast guard, and coastal defense (an estimated $24 billion).
I already knew that the Department of Homeland Security was responsible for secret services, and customs and border protection. I also knew that their main priority was to secure and protect our country. What I did not know though, was that they were responsible for the other activities listed above and the amount that is spent annually in this department. Because this department is responsible for a lot of sub categories, I did not know how easy it was to get in contact with them. On their website under the “contact us” link they break it down into categories to make it much easier for people who have questions or concerns to navigate.
Tory Galvis
ReplyDeleteFor this blog assignment, I chose the department of Veterans affairs because I am a veteran, so I have an affinity towards this department. Of course, I am very grateful that the United States takes care of us veterans; they even have a special department for veterans. Now, the secretary of this department is the honorable Eric K. Shinseki. Eric Shinseki is a highly decorated, former U.S. Army General. He was nominated by the President on December 7th 2008. He is also the 7th secretary of the department of Veterans affairs. A little about Eric Shinseki’s back-round, He is a former Vietnam vet and during combat he was wounded twice, on separate occasions. He is also very intelligent; He went to West Point and got his B.A. of science. He then graduated from Duke and got his M.A. in arts and He is also a graduate of the National War College. The mission of The VA department is pretty self- explanatory. The VA is responsible for taking care of veterans. The department provides a vast range of assistance for vets, some examples are: medical care, education, job placement, housing, outreach clinics, and home loans. Now, the annual budget for the department in 2009 was 52.5 billion compared to 2008 which was much higher. Most of the funding primarily goes to medical services. Now, something that I already knew about this department was how it took care of us veterans. I knew that veterans have a little security because of the VA, even after we get out of the military. Two things that I learned about the VA department interested me. The first interesting thing was learning about Eric K. Shinseki and the other was a quote from President George Bush Sr. He quoted "There is only one place for the veterans of America, in the Cabinet Room, at the table with the President of the United States of America."
Elizabeth Washington “Department of Homeland Security”
ReplyDeleteSecretary Janet A. Napolitano is over this department. She has a very impressive career past. In 1991, she was a partner with the private Phoenix law firm Lewis and Roca LLP, Napolitano served as an attorney for Anita Hill. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Attorney for the Arizona. The mission is “The Department of Homeland Security will lead the unified national effort to secure America. We will prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation. We will ensure safe and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors and promote the free-flow of commerce.” Which means they are responsible for the safety and well being of travelers here and abroad, along with anything dealing with other countries with there own citizens or otherwise traveling to and from the US. The budget for this year is $55.3 billion wow, and they are only asking for 2% more than that for the 2011 fiscal year. Please note the sarcasm. I am very impressed with the breakdown of what and how the funds need to be dispersed. I am shocked and how much is needed though. The funds are going to the entities under their umbrella such as Customs and Border Protection ; U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Transportation Security Administration; U.S Coast Guard; and U.S. Secret Service to name a few. They need extra training and training tools to enhance there preparedness and readiness for the tasks an issues to come. They also plan on giving some federal agents raises and giving back some of the funds taken in the last revenue cuts. There many other things the budget goes towards. I fell these are the most important. I’d much rather these officers be over-trained than under-trained. I already knew quite a bit about the entities under the Department of Homeland Security because I worked for TSA and CBP. However I was shocked to learn the 71 million dollars go into the canine teams. I was also shocked to learn that the national cyber security center required the least amount of money for enhancements.
Lauren Moreno
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing all the departments in the Cabinet for President Obama, I have selected the Department of Defense. The Dod consist of the following; Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and the Coast Guard. The secretary for the Department of Defense is Robert M Gates. Robert Gates was born on September 25, 1943 in Wichita, Kansas. He was sworn in on December 18, 2006 by President George W. Bush as the 22nd Secretary of Defense. He has been the only Secretary of Defense to be asked to remain in office by a newly elected president. His role as Secretary in the Department of Defense is to be the principle defense policy advisor to the president and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DoD; also known as Department of Defense, and for the executive of approved policy. There are two main qualifications for becoming the Secretary of Defense; appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and a person may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within 7 years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of the armed force. Before taking the role as Secretary of Defense he served as a Chairman of the Independent Trustees of the Fidelity Funds. He has been awarded for National Security Medal, Presidential Citizens Medal, received the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal twice, and received CIA’s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal three times. Another interesting fact about Robert Gates is that he authored the book, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insiders of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, which was published on 1996. This blog has thought me a lot about the Department of Defense that I had no idea of.
Berley Bresier
ReplyDeleteThe department of justice
The secretary of the department of justice is Eric H. Holder Jr. He was born in 1951 in Queens, both of his parents were from barbados. He is married to Sharon Marlon and has a daughter named Maya. General Holder gratuated from Columbia uniersity, B.A in 1973; Columbia school of law in 19676. He was the first African-American attorney for D.C, he was also the deputy attorney general. The missin of the department of justice is; "To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law, to ensure public safety against threat foreign and domestic, to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all americans." Their annual budget for 2010 is $721,480, most of the money goes to the safety and security of the public. I already knew that the department of justice was here to make sure that all citizens are safe, and i also knew that in order to be secretary of department of justice, that person had to have a law background. One thing i never knew was that the department of justice had a budget and that their mission been around since the 1700's.
Khariel Livingston
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Treasury
The secretary of the Department of Treasury is Timothy F. Geithner. Mr.Geithner was newly sworn in on January 26, 2009 as the seventy fifth secretary of the United States. He has a bachelor’s degree in government and Asian studies, a master in international economics and East Asian studies. He also studies Japanese and Chinese and lived in those countries. Prior to this position, Timothy was the ninth president and chief executive officer of the federal reserve bank of New York. He was responsible for formulating the nation’s monetary policy.
The mission for the Department of Treasury is to maintain a strong economy by creating job opportunities that will enable economic growth and stability. The mission is also to strengthen the national security and to protect the integrity of the financial system. In addition this department is responsible for many monetary things in the government. This department is the excecutive agency which is responsible for encouraging economic wealth and ensuring the financial security of the United States. Furthermore, they advise the president on economic concerns and try to figure out a way they can improve these financial issues.
The 2010 budget for the Department of Treasury is 13,361 billion. Most of the funding is to fulfill the department’s mission on promoting economic prosperity. Some activities that the funding goes towards would be the administrations financial stability plan, and the management of the TARP.
To be honest I didn’t know anything about this department. I only had an assumption that it dealt with financial needs in the government. I have learned a lot in the sense that this department has so many functions. Not only do they manage the finances but they investigate and prosecute invaders. They also advise on domestic and international financial policy.
Vielka Britton
ReplyDeleteThe Department of State
The secretary of state is Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Clinton joined the state department after several years in “public service” as an advocate, attorney, first lady and senator. She has shown much concern for the USA over time but especially during our most horrific time in current history to date as an advocate for funding the rebuilding of New York after the terrorist attack.
The mission of the department of state is to carry out the president’s policies through the state department and the foreign service of the United States. Amongst that, Hillary has several other responsibilities such as, conducting negotiations relating to U.S foreign affairs, advising the President on the appointment of U.S. ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and other diplomatic representatives, ensuring the protection of the U.S. Government to American citizens, property, and interests in foreign countries, supervising the administration of U.S. immigration laws abroad and several others that are just too much to mention. She literally has 15 jobs bundled into one.
The annual budget for the department is $16.389 billion dollars. This money goes towards the resolutions to the most challenging issues of today. Which a lot of the money if not most comes from tax payers.
Side Note: $1.715 billion goes towards the maintenance operations at the U.S. mission in Iraq.
I always knew that the secretary of state had a difficult duty by carrying out the president’s policies however I never acknowledged the numerous subtitles that go along with this job, as I motioned before this position holds extreme importance. I find it interesting yet hard to understand that she also retains domestic responsibilities including the custody of the Great Seal of the U.S and preparation of certain presidential proclamations. I assumed that those responsibilities were left upon the president and vice president.
Vielka Britton
Deborah Mogro
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Health and Human Services
Our current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary is Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius is the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and was sworn in on April 28, 2009. As Secretary, she directs the main agency charged with keeping Americans healthy, making sure they get the health care they need, and providing children, families, and seniors with the vital human services they depend on. She also supervises one of the largest departments in the federal government, with nearly 80,000 employees (HHS.gov 2010). Sebelius was born Kathleen Gilligan and was raised by a Roman Catholic family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati and graduated from Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. with a B.A. in political science. She later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. She moved to Kansas in 1974, where she served for eight years as a representative in the Kansas Legislature and eight years as Insurance Commissioner before being elected governor. The department’s mission statement is as follows, “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves” (HHS.gov 2010). Overall, the budget cuts about 700 million dollars in different programs. Some of the programs include, health and social science research, preventing disease, including immunization services, and financial assistance and services for low-income families to name a few. There are two facts I didn’t know about the Department of Health and Human Services. First was that the department includes more than 300 programs and that in 1995, the Social Security Administration was removed from the Department of Health and Human Services, and established as an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States Government.
YILL BOUZA
ReplyDeleteThe Secretary of the Dep0artment of State is Hillary Rodham Clinton. The major experience she had being first lady of Arkansas and first lady of the United States. The minimum professional qualifications in history are a graduate degree in history or closely related field; or a bachelor's degree in history or closely related field plus one of the following: At least two years of full-time experience in research, writing, teaching, interpretation, or other demonstrable professional activity with an academic institution. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born at Edgewater Hospital on October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1970s she became a lawyer after graduating from Yale Law School. In 1975 she married Bill Clinton and in 1979 was named the first female partner at Rose Law Firm and was also named one of the hundred most influential lawyers in America. From 1979 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 1992 she served as the First Lady of Arkansas. When she became the First Lady of the United States in 1993, she began a more influential role and was in the National spotlight for the first time. Her major initiative was the Clinton health care plan. In 2000, she and Bill moved to New York where she was elected to the United States Senate. This made her the first First Lady to be elected to public office and the first woman elected to Senate from New York. She was re-elected to Senate in 2006.The mission of the department is to “advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system”. Basically the Department of the State is responsible for: Serves as the President's principal adviser on U.S. foreign policy; Conducts negotiations relating to U.S. foreign affairs; Grants and issues passports to American citizens and exequaturs to foreign consuls in the United States; Advises the President on the appointment of U.S. ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and other diplomatic representatives; The annual budget for this department is 52.3 Billion. Most of the funding goes towards: Supports the worldwide operations of the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development, provides new resources to hire additional Foreign Service officers, and builds civilian capacity to meet the challenges of today's world. Provides additional funding for key programs that advance U.S. foreign policy goals, including significantly increasing funding for energy initiatives, programs addressing global climate change, agriculture investments, and the Peace Corps. Provides full funding of all 2010 scheduled payments to the Multilateral Development Banks and a portion of the outstanding arrears to reinforce the U.S. commitment to play a leadership role in these institutions. Increases the U.S. quota subscription to the International Monetary Fund as part of the 2008 agreement on the Fund's reform, which will promote a strong international economy and maintain the U.S. voting share at the International Monetary Fund. I knew about this Department that it grant and issue passports for American citizens, because when I became an American Citizen I requested my passport to that department. I did not know that negotiates, interprets and terminates treaties and agreements and that Provides information to American citizens regarding the political, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian conditions in foreign countries.
Joel Rizo
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano who was born on November 29, 1957 in New York City is the U.S Secretary of Homeland Security. She is the third person to hold the position which was created shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She was the 21st Governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009. She was also the third female governor and the first woman to win the re-election. Before her election as Governor, she served as Attorney General of Arizona from 1999 to 2002. She is the first woman and the 23rd person to serve in the office. Forbes ranked her as the 51st most powerful woman in 2009. She’s half Italian and is a Methodist. She was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Albuquerque, New Mexico in which she had graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque in 1975. After high school she went on to Santa Clara University in California where she graduated and won a Truman scholarship and won valedictorian. She studied at the London School of Economics in 1978. Later, she received her Doctors from the University of Virginia School of Law. When she finished law school she served as a law clerk for Judge Mary M Schroeder of the United States court of appeals and then joined a Phoenix law firm. The mission of Homeland security is to protect the U.S within and outside its borders. It also prepares, prevents and responds to emergencies involving terrorisms. Homeland Security is responsible for protecting the territory of the U.S from terrorist attacks and responding to disasters. The department has over 208,000 employees who’s annual budget is over $48.5 billion. Most of the funding go towards to security and protect the U.S. One thing I already knew about the Homeland Security is that they are trained and analyze from people threatening in the U.S. One thing I just learned about the Department is that they have to have excellent communication skills and they have to know about computers and deal with new technology.
Joel Rizo
ReplyDeleteDepartment of Homeland Security
for the above post
work cited: http://www.wikipedia.org/
Locy Toussaint
ReplyDeleteDepartment of The Treasury
As I was conducting my intensive research on the cabinet holders whom in which serve directly under President Barack Obama, I found The Department of Treasury to be the most enticing to write about. Being that we are currently facing an economic and financial crisis, The Department of Treasury is on the top of the list if not first in helping consolidate and rectifying the problem. Furthermore, Timothy F. Geithner hold’s that top position in terms of being able to come up with a significant solution to our economic downfall; so much so that even President Barack Obama appointed him as Secretary of Treasury and that speaks volumes. Moreover Mr. Geithner credentials enable him to stand on his own! His professional resume along with his attention-grabbing background includes one of having served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. However prior to being elected to Secretary of Treasury, he graduated from multiple universities which additionally enabled him to earn degrees such as a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a Master degree in International Economics. Timothy F. Geithner duties and responsibilities consist of directing the federal government spending’s and dealing with multiple high visibility issues including administration efforts to restructure the regulation of the nation’s financial system. The Untied State Department of Treasury has a budget of 350 billion dollars for our nation’s financial crisis for the duration of 2007 thru 2010. Although several of that budget money also aids in attempting to recover both the mortgage market and the auto mobile industry. Aside from that, he has different programs such as “The Financial Stability Plan” which allows business and homeowners to obtain affordable loans that they may need to meet their economic needs. Nevertheless one thing I learned and found to be fascinating was that Timothy F. Geithner has not only the United States economic and financial need at hand but also has core objectives regarding our economic relations with foreign countries such as China with its potential to bring outstanding benefits to the United States.
My name is Marie Claire St Phard
ReplyDeleteDepartment Of Education
Among all of the departments I choose to search about the Department of Education. Mr Arne Duncan is the Secretary of Education nominated by the President-elect Barack Obama and recognized by the U.S. Senate on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009. Duncan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1987, majoring in sociology. Before appointed to this position, he collected fund that help establish a college class for inner –city under the “I have a Dream which today ranks among the top Elementary schools in Chicago. He administered the non-profit education foundation Ariel Education Initiative (1992-1998). Also, he served as a chief Executive Office of the Chicago Public Schools, he was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley from June 2001 to December 2008. Duncan formerly served on the boards of the Ariel Education Initiative, Chicago Cares, the Children's Center, the Golden Apple Foundation, the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, Jobs for America's Graduates, Junior Achievement, the Dean's Advisory Board of the Kellogg School of Management, the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Foundation, Renaissance Schools Fund, Scholarship Chicago and the South Side YMCA. He also served on the Board of Overseers for Harvard College and the Visiting Committees for Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. The Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. According to the research, the budget breaks down $63.7 billion in FY 2010 discretionary appropriations (including discretionary Pell Grant funding) and $96.8 billion in discretionary funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009—and operates programs that touch on every area and level of education. The Department's elementary and secondary programs annually serve nearly 14,000 school districts and approximately 56 million students attending some 99,000 public schools and 34,000 private schools. Department programs also provide grant, loan, and work-study assistance to more than 14 million postsecondary students. Something that I knew before my research Secretary Duncan was served as a Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools. However, what I didn’t know prior to my research Mr. Arne Duncan became the longest-serving big-city education superintendent in the country.