Assignment

1. Partisan considerations have increasingly influenced the selection of federal judges. Interest groups on the right and the left have insisted on the appointment of judges who hold compatible views. Presidents and members of Congress have also increasingly sought appointees who will decide issues in ways they prefer. With such influences, do you believe that justice can truly be blind or, in other words, impartial? Why, or why not?

Reflection Paper

For the following assignment, you are asked to reflect on the concepts you have learned in this unit. At the beginning of the unit, you learned about the bureaucracy, its structure, and how it works or does not work. Following that, you learned about the judiciary, its structure, and how it works. In addition, you learned about the power that the judiciary can wield within the federal bureaucracy. After reviewing these concepts, compose a paper which discusses the following topics:

- In one of your required readings, you read that some people feel that the bureaucracy is more than just a system executing the wishes of government officials. According to some people, the bureaucracy is the real government. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not?

- Outline the structure, functions, and nature of the federal bureaucracy and the judicial system.

- Discuss how the judiciary can serve to curb some of the power of the bureaucracy as well as other branches of the government.

- Explain the concept of the iron triangle and offer an example of how it can influence policymaking.

- Identify how the knowledge you gained in this unit has affected the way you view the inner workings of government.

The paper must be at least three pages, double-spaced, and in 12-point Times New Roman font.

2. Over the last 50 years, the United States labor economy has changed from a manufacturing to service and technology focus. Other than the obvious changes, such as fewer mine tragedies and more carpal tunnel syndrome, what other trends in employment safety do you predict, and what is your evidence for that prediction? How should companies respond? How would you respond? Why?

Safety Policies

Recall your chosen firm and industry you have been using throughout the course. For this assignment, you will identify the top three major safety and health issues in your firm, and write a policy on each, consistent with Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards. There is a minimum requirement of 300 words for each of the three job policies.

Each of the five domains of OSHA must be considered when writing these three policies:

1. Hazard communication: How will you notify people of potentially dangerous or unhealthy work conditions?

2. Blood-borne pathogens: How will you protect employees from blood-borne pathogens such as AIDS?

3. Personal protective equipment (PPE): What equipment or tools will your employees in this job require to work safely?

4. Cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs): How will you prevent CTDs that come from repetitive movement (e.g., carpel tunnel syndrome)?

5. Work assignments: How will you handle potentially dangerous work assignments, especially to protect unborn babies?

NOTE: This is a three-part assignment. All three of the policies (300 words each) you write should go on one document. This one document is what will be uploaded to Blackboard.

Any sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations in APA format.