Politics for the Disinterested

By Steve Dustcircle

Politics are in our everyday lives. They affect everything and everyone. No matter if you're an elderly person or a young child, politics plays a role in what goes on around you.

Politics affects what meals you eat in school, and what textbooks you have. They affect what your house costs, and they also affect the safety in your neighborhood. In some states, politics affects what your church does.

To a lot of people, political elections are like sports events, and they root for their favorite team. There are teams—or parties—that sometimes have the upper hand or home-court advantage. In some cities, the underdog will win, and in some elections people will root for the party that has no chance but are loved anyway.

It's easy when you're younger to want to change the channel on the TV when debates, speeches or election commercials are on, but don't be turned off by the boring clothing. Don't feel like these people on TV are irrelevant to you and your friends because they're older.

What happens in the voting booths today can affect your life when you're older, what kind of education you will get, what money you will make at your jobs, and what can happen to your family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hudson Books
• Release date: Jan 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311461735

Steve Dustcircle

Originally from Chicago, Steve Dustcircle comes from a background in religious ministry and music performance, but now has his hand in many forms of activism, mostly focused on free thought and human rights. He is an amid reader and doer.Steve authored or edited several books: Trump's Cabinet, Leaving Worship, Politics for the Disinterested, Black Panther 101, and many others.Steve has contributed to The Good Men Project, OpEd News, Counter Currents, Ex-ChristianNet, and others. He lives in central Ohio and loves good coffee and stimulating conversation.Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/dustcircle

Book preview

Politics for the

Disinterested

By Steve Dustcircle

Smashwords Edition

© Copyright 2014 aLife Beyond Books

http://www.stevedustcircle.us

Copyright © 2015 by Steve Dustcircle

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

aLife Beyond Books

c/o Hudson Media

P.O. Box 163381

Columbus, OH 43216

www.aLifeBeyondBooks.com

Cover designs by Steve Dustcircle.

Ordering Information:

Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Steve Dustcircle at: [e-mail]; or visit www.aLifeBeyondBooks.com.

Printed in the United States of America

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Dustcircle, Steve.

A Politics for the Disinterested / Steve Dustcircle.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1311461735

1. Nonfiction » Social Science » Political science » Political Process / General. 2. Nonfiction » Social Science » Political science » Political ideologies / general. I. Dustcircle, Steve. II. Title.

320.0-dc22 2015999999

SMASHWORDS EDITION

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction

Chapter One: You

Everything is Political

Voting

Chapter Two: Offices

Branches of Government

Bills to Statutes

Chapter Three: Issues

Distractions

Special Interest Groups

Watchdogs and Whistle-blowers

Chapter Four: Political Parties

The Breakdown

Parties of the United States of America

Chapter Five: References

Historical Time Line

Presidents List

Glossary

Suggested Readings

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

Politics are in our everyday lives. They affect everything and everyone. No matter if you're an elderly person or a young child, politics plays a role in what goes on around you.

Politics affects what meals you eat in school, and what textbooks you have. They affect what your house costs, and they also affect the safety in your neighborhood. In some states, politics affects what your church does.

To a lot of people, political elections are like sports events, and they root for their favorite team. There are teams—or parties—that sometimes have the upper hand or home-court advantage. In some cities, the underdog will win, and in some elections people will root for the party that has no chance but are loved anyway.

In this book, you will learn the basics of the political realm here in the United States, and will learn what some words mean that you might have heard thrown around on TV.

It's easy when you're younger to want to change the channel on the TV when debates, speeches or election commercials are on, but don't be turned off by the boring clothing. Don't feel like these people on TV are irrelevant to you and your friends because they're older.

What happens in the voting booths today can affect your life when you're older, what kind of education you will get, what money you will make at your jobs, and what can happen to your family.

CHAPTER ONE: YOU

Everything is Political

Being alert to what is going around you now is not hard. Young people like to be in the know: who is the best football team, which celebrity is dating who, movie trivia, the newest CD, and the list continues.

I know that many older people discount the younger generations for their whims, but I know (and you know) you have significance. Even if not now, you will. You're not ignorant.

You see things, you hear conversations, and you have your opinions on many matters. Your family and friends talk about many issues that might not seem like they're political, but they are. Look at this list of things you and your friends and family talk about:

same-sex marriage

women's rights

welfare

abortion

immigration

out-spoken churches

school levies

minimum wage

military service

teen sex

drug legalization

homelessness

and freedom of speech of the press

Politics is all around you. You might be leery about using the word politics, but embrace it. It surrounds you, and you can actually have a say in what goes on in your life.

Voting

People are going to vote. That's all there is to it. Many people—myself included—sometimes feel frustrated with the system of voting. Many people don't vote at all, feeling like their voice doesn't matter. This is only partially true.

Most candidates placed in front of us to choose from seem to be nobodies, especially to those who don't pay much attention to politics except for Election Day. A lot of these men and women have been involved with politics for a long time.

The President just doesn't become a candidate because he is a John Doe who decides on a career change. Each of our Presidents for more than a hundred years have been involved with other