JJC Political Science Minority Voting Discussion Responses

Respond to 2 discussion post:this is the first statement i need to respond to:Voting in the United States is very important. Many people complain about government issues but wont take the time out to make it to the polls and vote. They feel like their one vote wont make any difference. What if everyone felt that way? .Voter turnout in the United States is often low by comparison with many other democracies.(Magstadt 2017). For a large part of our nation’s history only white males were allowed to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other amendments removed barriers that kept African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans from voting. Although they now have an equal right to vote minorities still trail behind whites (Fraga 2018). Older adults tend to vote more because they want to protect the benefits).hat they receive from the government such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security (Brandon 2012)According to Herndon (2018), the D emocratic National Committee is undertaking a multimillion dollar strategic plan to motivate voters who typically sit out midterm elections. They are focusing on engaging minority communities through investments in local organizing and a six figure advertising campaign. The plan is to hire community organizers to tarhet groups who have historically unlikely to vote this include African Americans, Latinos, Asians, millennials and rural voters. It is important that both parties have campaigns that work diligently to get voters out to the polls.This is the second statement that i need to respond to:I chose the Masterpiece Cakeshop, LTD. vs Colorado Civil Rights Commission which began in 2012 and the final hearing/result was June of 2018. Many individuals are familiar with this case. In this case, a same-sex couple went into Masterpiece Cakeshop to purchase a wedding cake for their reception to take place in Denver, CO. The couple was going to wed in Massachusetts because Colorado did not recognize same-sex marriage in 2012. Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop was a devoted Christian and did not agree with same-sex marriage, so he turned the couple away, refusing to make a wedding cake for them. Phillips, shop owner did however offer to sell the couple other baked goods. He felt that participating in the creation/sell of a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage violated his religious belief and values. This case was difficult as there are many constitutional rights that were brought up upon decision making between the courts. Phillips felt his constitutional rights were not being recognized, as the same-sex couple felt they were discriminated against.“The laws and the Constitution can, and in some instances must, protect gay persons and gay couples in the exercise of their civil rights, but religious and philosophical objections to gay marriage are protected views and, in some instances, protected forms of expression” (U.S. Supreme Court, 2017). Homosexuals are citizens of the United States and deserve equal constitutional rights to Heterosexuals. However, we live in a society that has been through multiple types of discrimination and will continue to cycle through discrimination subjects. The constitutional First Amendment is signification to the American People, as it gives us our liberty. “When the state encroaches on anyone’s liberty, it threatens everyone’s liberty” (Magstadt, 2017). This statement cannot be any truer for this case. The same-sex couple felt they were being discriminated against and turned away from goods and services which violated their freedom, while Phillips, shop owner argued his right to freedom of speech, religion and exercise stated through the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that Phillip’s was wrong to deny that couple a cake, due to providing public good and services, even though he has his freedoms of speech and religion.I personally do not agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling on this case. The Supreme Court stated in reference to the ruling against Phillips, “Colorado law can protect gay persons, just as it can protect other classes of individuals, in acquiring whatever products and services they choose on the same terms and conditions as are offered to other members of the public” (U.S. Supreme Court, 2017). Whether, I agree or disagree with same-sex marriage or even Religion in God and the Holy Bible, I feel that the same-sex couple’s freedoms were viewed more important than Phillips’. From the dawn of time we have recognized religious freedoms and are able to openly express our beliefs and values. In this case, I think of going into local restaurants or grocery stores and reading the sign in front stating “no shoes, no shirt, no service”. How can this be ethical to refuse goods and services to an individual in poverty/homeless/lacking basic needs, but refusing to sell a cake because of religion is against the law?Kristin Travis