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fandomhigh2007-10-22 11:13 pm
professor-lyman.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2007-10-22 11:13 pm
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US Government [Tuesday, October 23, 1st period]
"Today we start talking about some of the really great powers that come with being President. I'm not talking about Air Force One, though it rocks, and the peanuts are great, or the Secret Service--and those guys are pretty awesome too. I'm talking about being able to pay back your old incompetent college buddies by making them ambassadors!" He grinned. "Oh yeah, and you get to have a Cabinet."
He walked over to the board. "Okay. George Washington was the first president, and he was also the first president to appoint Cabinet officials. Among the first things he did was to persuade Congress to recognize the Office of Foreign Affairs--later renamed State--, Treasury, and War, later renamed Defense. Although he also had an Attorney General, that position wasn't put in charge of the Justice Department until 1870." Josh looked up. "But no one really cares about that."
He started writing. "There are currently 15 members of the President's Cabinet who are hugely important in the Presidential line of succession, should the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate all die or resign. Because of this, it's common practice to have a member of the Cabinet not attend big speeches like the State of the Union. That person is known as the designated survivor and they, along with a couple members of Congress, are held in a secure, undisclosed location to ensure the continuation of government should anything terrible happen over at the Capitol."
He lifted an eyebrow. "It is considered the height of nerdiness to be able to tell which Cabinet secretary has been chosen as the designated survivor based on who's walking into the House Chamber. I've been able to tell the last nine years running."
He cleared his throat. "Anyway. The fifteen Cabinet positions, in order of creation of their office are," he looked at the ceiling and recited, "State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security." Josh looked down at his notes. "Which is, conveniently enough, the line of succession except for Homeland Security, which hasn't been approved by Congress yet. If the current bill goes through--and they've been trying this for a few years now and it always gets moved back for more important defense spending things-- Homeland Security would jump the line and would come after the Attorney General and before the Secretary of the Interior. The Constitutional regulations for who can become President would still hold true--if there is a foreign-born secretary of whatever, they're ineligible to become President and we'd skip on down the line."
He smiled. "You don't need to know this, but there are also Cabinet-level administration offices, which are offices who are allowed to attend Cabinet meetings but aren't technically Secretaries of anything. Those folks include the Vice President, the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff--" he grinned. "Yeah, that was me, the EPA, the Office of Management and Budget, the Drug Czar, the CIA director, the Ambassador to the UN, the Undersecretary for Emergency Response, The White House Counsel, the National Security Advisor, and the Director of National Intelligence, though no one really knows what he does yet."
Josh smiled and sat back down. "Our discussion for the day: Which Cabinet secretary or Cabinet-level administration office guy would you prefer to be? If you were President, who from this school would you nominate for various positions? Remember, they only have to get past the Senate. They don't have to be qualified."
He walked over to the board. "Okay. George Washington was the first president, and he was also the first president to appoint Cabinet officials. Among the first things he did was to persuade Congress to recognize the Office of Foreign Affairs--later renamed State--, Treasury, and War, later renamed Defense. Although he also had an Attorney General, that position wasn't put in charge of the Justice Department until 1870." Josh looked up. "But no one really cares about that."
He started writing. "There are currently 15 members of the President's Cabinet who are hugely important in the Presidential line of succession, should the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate all die or resign. Because of this, it's common practice to have a member of the Cabinet not attend big speeches like the State of the Union. That person is known as the designated survivor and they, along with a couple members of Congress, are held in a secure, undisclosed location to ensure the continuation of government should anything terrible happen over at the Capitol."
He lifted an eyebrow. "It is considered the height of nerdiness to be able to tell which Cabinet secretary has been chosen as the designated survivor based on who's walking into the House Chamber. I've been able to tell the last nine years running."
He cleared his throat. "Anyway. The fifteen Cabinet positions, in order of creation of their office are," he looked at the ceiling and recited, "State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security." Josh looked down at his notes. "Which is, conveniently enough, the line of succession except for Homeland Security, which hasn't been approved by Congress yet. If the current bill goes through--and they've been trying this for a few years now and it always gets moved back for more important defense spending things-- Homeland Security would jump the line and would come after the Attorney General and before the Secretary of the Interior. The Constitutional regulations for who can become President would still hold true--if there is a foreign-born secretary of whatever, they're ineligible to become President and we'd skip on down the line."
He smiled. "You don't need to know this, but there are also Cabinet-level administration offices, which are offices who are allowed to attend Cabinet meetings but aren't technically Secretaries of anything. Those folks include the Vice President, the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff--" he grinned. "Yeah, that was me, the EPA, the Office of Management and Budget, the Drug Czar, the CIA director, the Ambassador to the UN, the Undersecretary for Emergency Response, The White House Counsel, the National Security Advisor, and the Director of National Intelligence, though no one really knows what he does yet."
Josh smiled and sat back down. "Our discussion for the day: Which Cabinet secretary or Cabinet-level administration office guy would you prefer to be? If you were President, who from this school would you nominate for various positions? Remember, they only have to get past the Senate. They don't have to be qualified."
Sign in [October 23]
Re: Sign in [October 23]
Re: Sign in [October 23]
Re: Sign in [October 23]
Listen to the lecture [October 23]
Re: Listen to the lecture [October 23]
Answer the discussion question [October 23]
Re: Answer the discussion question [October 23]
Re: Answer the discussion question [October 23]
Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
And wondering if Josh listens to the radio.
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
"Not that I'm rushing into anything," she said quickly. "We're just sort of... seeing where things go, but..."
Re: Talk to the TA!
Then blinked again.
"Okay," he said slowly. "Because rebounds are nobody's friends."
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
"I guess I can just tell him it's not a good idea."
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Re: Talk to the TA!
Talk to Josh!
OOC