Final post

What was your favorite section of the class and why?
I think my favorite had to be the section on media. I guess it's because I'm interested in philosophy and it was interesting to examine how and why people get the information that they do. I thought it was fascinating seeing how the "free information" people value so much isn't quite as free as they think.

Which one was the least interesting, and why?
I think looking at the intricacies of the three branches of government in detail was pretty dry. All the other portions of class had either a history or current-events feel to it, but this just wasn't my thing. It's important, and I did learn when we covered it, but it just didn't have the urgency of mass media tainted by corporations or a disastrously mismanaged Social Security system.

How did you feel about your knowledge of government prior to this class, has it changed?
I suppose I thought of myself as someone who was at least knowledgeable about government and politics. Something that I found valuable about this class was that it revealed what I didn't know, which is quite a bit, and encouraged me to stay connected and informed.

Give me an honest assessment of your generation , politically speaking, if you had to judge it based on your friends.
The majority of my friends are moderates at best, and most harbor an unhealthy amount of apathy towards politics. Getting a little more fire in their bellies would be great. I think my generation has a small amount of people who are very active and concerned, but it really is a small amount. Even if large amounts of Millennials vote, I don't see many involved beyond that.

What can you do to make your commitment to your country stronger than it is today?
I think one small step would be to vote more. I have voted in all major elections since I became eligible to vote, but I have missed smaller, local elections. I think I have learned that even the small elections are important.

Any other feelings about the class?
I liked this class a lot. I was expecting a very dry exposition on the nature of government and that is certainly not what I got. I think it's important for everyone, not just people my age, to shed the idea that political involvement is unimportant. This class has helped me to understand why that is.

McLean County Museum

I think one thing that really stuck out to me after going through the museum was how connected McLean County was to the history of the country at large. I entered the museum with no knowledge whatsoever of the history of the county, so everything I saw there tended to be a revelation, but I walked away surprised at how integrated the county really was into the nation at large. I suppose my own impression was that a podunk part of the state, and country, like this would have only displays on the history of corn to show off. Instead, there was plenty on display that was of some significance and interest. I think my favorite had to be the the display on Lincoln, I had no idea the Republican party was launched from McLean County. I was particularly interested to see how there really wouldn't be any history of note without politics. The political process seemed to drive the major events in McLean County's past, such as Lincoln's encounters with the county and the precedent-setting court cases. I think I've been convinced that it is important to be at least a little knowledgeable about where they live. I refuse to say it's essential, because it isn't. I survived without any knowledge of McLean County beyond corn, but in the interest of not being a complete ignoramus some history is important.

Party/Ideology

I was a little surprised by the test's assessment of my political leanings. I didn't think I was an extreme conservative or liberal, but I wasn't expecting to be assessed as an almost completely centrist moderate. I seem to be awfully similar to Jose Zapatero, the current Prime Minister of Spain, who is so boringly moderate that I had never heard of him before taking this test. I think I line up more as a moderate with Republicans than Democrats due to my leanings on certain social and economic issues, but evidently I miss the hard line.
Personally, I believe I prefer the Republicans over the Democrats because of my views on national security and the economy, but this test is making me think I need to investigate everything a tad bit more. I thought the Republican's website could have used some modern anecdotes to use in their "About Us" section. There's an impressive record of Republican action on social issues back a hundred years or more, but there was a noticeable lack of anything modern to present. As far as issues go, I found that I agreed with them in many areas, mainly health care and the economy. I think my views tend to swing toward toward the Republicans, but I am not that similar to many of the loudest Republican voices.
The Democrats definitely seem to put forth a very positive face on their website. Every page on the site gives off a positive vibe, and they do a good job of cataloging current party actions. I just don't think I line up issues-wise with the Democrats.