Policy Position of the President of the United States

There a number of policy positions that the President of the United States will take in regards to a host of different issues. One of the most recent ones are: his views on the debt ceiling and the levels of federal spending. What is happening is President Obama, wants to see a decrease in the spending levels of the federal government that are phased in over ten years. At the same time, he wants to see an increase in the marginal tax rate on the highest categories of affluent Americans. These different elements are important, because they are illustrating how his position is creating a conflict between: the members of Congress and the White House. As, Congress want to see a decrease in the levels of spending immediately with: no increase in federal taxes that are levied against these individuals and businesses. (Heuvel, 2011) (Okungua, 2011) This has been contributing a budget impasse that could derail the economy if an agreement is not reached by August 2nd.

The Policy Position on the U.S. Supreme Court Justices

A recent policy position of the U.S. Supreme Court was that they ruled in favor of an Arizona immigration law that imposes stiff penalties on: employers and organizations that are hiring illegal immigrants. This was based on a 5 to 3 decision, where this directive was constitutional, due to the fact that the states were allowed to supplement a 1986 federal immigration law. The reason why is because, there was a provision that says, “Other than through licensing and similar laws.” According to the majority opinion, this gives the states the power to go beyond these regulations when there are none currently that are in place on the federal level. The different justices that supported these views include: John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Samuel A. Alito Jr. And Clarence Thomas. Evidence of these views can be seen with Chief Justice Roberts writing the majority opinion where he says, “Congress could easily have limited the phrase had it wanted to establish a more telling regulation. If it had intended such limited exceptions to its prohibition on state sanctions, it did not simply say so, instead of accepting the passage ‘licensing and similar laws’ generally.” (Liptak, 2011)

The dissenting opinions on the court include: Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. Commenting about these views Justice Breyer wrote, “The word licensing in the federal law should be read to mean employment-related licensing systems and not all licenses.” (Liptak, 2011) This is significant, because it showing the different policy positions that the Supreme Court Justices are taking in relation to the law that has been enacted in Arizona. As, it is illustrating how the Supreme Court has been supporting policy decisions that are designed to give the states more power in setting regulations vs. that of the federal government.

The Policy Decisions of Governor Christie for the State of New Jersey

In New Jersey, Governor Christie has been aggressively promoting a 10-year program called the Energy Master Plan (EMP). The way it works is the state is encouraging electric utilities to produce energy through a variety of alternative resources to include: wind, nuclear power and natural gas. At the same time, the program is designed to help promote the kinds of fuels that are used in the vehicles driven by consumers as well as businesses (i.e. fuel cells and natural gas). Commenting about these changes Governor Christie said, “The EMP supports the development of new energy-related technologies such as fuel cells, offshore wind, and alternatively fueled vehicles while encouraging the developers, providers and supporting businesses related to these technologies, to locate here in New Jersey.” (Gallucci, 2011) This is significant, because it is showing how the Governor of New Jersey is focused on finding alternative sources of energy that will help to: support the business community and build the state’s economy over the long-term.

Bibliography

Gallucci, M. (2011). Governor Christie’s Energy Plan. Reuters. Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/14/idUS316229553820110614

Heuvel, K. (2011). A Jobs Crisis, Not a Debt Crisis. The Nation. Retrieved from: http://www.thenation.com/blog/162071/week-jobs-crisis-not-deficit-crisis-plus-four-major-investigations

Liptak, A. (2011). Illegal Workers. New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/us/27scotus.html

Okungua, J. (2011). Tackling Sensitive Issues without Fear. New Vision. Retrieved from: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/760281