Politic

Government Car Auctions Provide Cheaper Cars Than Anywhere Else

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:55:00 +0000

Be smart & access our exclusive service. It will save you $1,000s & make you a confident buyer.Welcome to Gov-Auctions.org, America's most trusted and largest resource for Government live & online car auctions plus Police auctions and sales of Gov't pre-owned & seized cars, trucks, and SUV's.
Every month across the US thousands of vehicles held by Government agencies (IRS, DEA, FBI) and Police departments are auctioned off to the public at bargain prices. Due to certain laws, these vehicles are listed and sold at up to 95% OFF their original value. Many auctions start as low as $100. Government pre-owned/surplus vehicles are typically only 2-3 yrs old and are well maintained. We provide you with immediate access to over 4,000 updated auctions nationwide with guaranteed listings in every state, NOT searchable elsewhere on the Internet. Smart buyers looking for quality cheap cars and trucks go to US government auctions. It is easier than you think and you won't buy cars cheaper! Don't wait, go here for more information.!

Worldwide Economic Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:12:00 +0000

By Jon Safer

Everywhere you go, you will be able to hear news about the economic crisis. For example, the United States of America is currently suffering from recession. It means that United States' economic activity begins to slow down thus making business profits, household incomes; employment rate and inflation rate fall.

We are all greatly affected when an economy falls. This is caused by a variety of financial problems that a certain nation or economy is facing. More often, it happens when a financial institution loses a huge part of their value. Thus, consumers, business men and all of us are affected for we all have what we call the interconnectivity with these things as a part or member of the economy. If an economic crisis takes place, there will be a sure effect like an increase in the unemployed rates and even an increase in the demand of basic necessities but has a lower supply.
Indeed, the world is suffering from economic crises that almost all of the nations are highly affected. Sometimes, a thing like this is inevitable when we do not make or think about how to prevent it. Prevention is really better than cure. Economists tends to create solutions to prevent crises to struck a certain country or institution but later realize that it would be more easier in preventing such thing to happen.
When the economy falls due to some errors or mishaps that has been done by the ones who run the economy itself, the one responsible for the cause is not the only one who is affected. Consumers, Producers, Businessmen and all of us who is a member of the economy will suffer. We may not accept the fact, but sometimes, our very own government is the one who is capable on why we are suffering from economic crisis.

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PRIVACY WAR

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:01:00 +0000

by Jarret B. Wollstein

There is a hidden war on your privacy. If you're like most Americans, you probably don't realize how closely you are being watched and how easily your life could be destroyed by this secret war.
     And who is the enemy? Although private investigators, big companies, and other snoops are threats to your privacy, by far the biggest threat comes from the very people we entrust to protect our privacy and freedom: the high-level bureaucrats and politicians who control government.
     Government at all levels now has scores of computer files on each of us, giving authorities the potential to track – and eventually control – our lives from birth until death. Information is being collected by the IRS, FBI, local police, public schools, and hospitals. It's all available to the government to use as they see fit.
     We are also increasingly encouraged and manipulated to spy on each other. Virtually every regulatory and police agency – from Health and Human Services to the IRS – now has a toll-free "tip line" you can call to turn in your neighbor, your doctor, your boss, or your spouse. Hospitals and doctors are required to report parents to police for normal injuries to children that even 10 years ago wouldn't have merited a second look. School DARE and WAVE programs (discussed below) encourage children to turn in their parents and each other to police.
     The net result is that legal rights and protections for our privacy and freedom of action that took hundreds of years to create, are being quietly wiped out in a single generation. Here are a few examples of the hidden war on your privacy:

Your banker forced to spy on you. Under new government "Know Your Customer" rules, bank employees are encouraged to turn in customers who conduct "unusual" transactions to police and the Treasury Department. A few "suspicious activity reports and police can seize your bank account or arrest you for "money laundering."
It doesn't matter if you are guilty or innocent. Once the government takes your money, it's gone. So watch out if you sell your car, get a big bonus, or deposit an inheritance check.
Government is spying on your e-mail, phone calls and faxes. Dozens of federal agencies – and hundreds of state and local agencies – are now running massive electronic-surveillance programs; and the target is YOU. Programs run by the NSA, DEA, IRS, and the FBI can intercept virtually every e-mail and fax you send, and monitor your Internet surfing and financial transactions. Mention "guns", "drugs," "taxes," "terrorism", "revolution," or 50 other "keywords" in an e-mail, fax, or overseas call, and the NSA or FinCen (the IRS' Financial Center) could "red flag" you as a drug dealer, tax evader, or terrorist.
Cameras, cameras, everywhere. When one of my friends walked through downtown Manhattan recently, he counted 2,400 surveillance cameras, many monitored by police. Coupled with new "facial recognition" technology, police may soon be able to track your every movement.
Cell and cars phones that report your location to police. On October 26, 1999, President Clinton signed a law that requires all new cell phones be tied into the Global Positioning System – enabling police to track your movements. Similar tracking devices are already in many new luxury cars (such as GM's "On-Star" system). Car locators with radio transmitters may also be in the next generation of car and truck On-Board Diagnostic Systems (OBIII).
Medical no-privacy laws. One of Bill Clinton's parting "gifts" to America was an executive order abolishing your medical privacy. Under Clinton's order, "an expansive public-private partnership is granted access to all electronic medical records, without patient consent." (AAPS News, April 2000). This even includes the private notes of psychiatrists. The Bush Administration has upheld the Clinton regulations which went into effect April 14, 2001. Millions of government bureaucrats, IRS agents, local police, and insurance companies will have access to every detail of your medical history. At the push of a button, they'll be able to find out if you or any member of your family has ever used alcohol or illegal drugs, had a sexually-transmitted disease, or were treated for mental illness.
This new law will seriously erode trust between doctors and patients, and give government agents and large insurance companies enormous power over your life. Already, new mothers who used drugs or alcohol during pregnancy are having their children taken from them at birth. You could even be denied employment or credit based on your government-recorded DNA code, just like in the movie "Gattaca."
Big Brother is turning your kids into spies. Under DARE (Drug Resistance Education Programs) – now in over 70% of all elementary schools – children are encouraged to turn their parents in to the police ("for their own good") if they use illegal drugs, drink alcohol, own guns, or have unusual religious or political views (such as fundamentalist Christianity). What authorities don't tell children is that if they report their parents, their homes can be confiscated, and they will be put in foster homes or state institutions.
Under a new program, called WAVE, it gets even worse. WAVE children are taught to turn each other in to police for "being too aggressive," sexual harassment, or having violent thoughts. WAVE pilot programs are now in seven states, and will be nationwide in five years.
Mandatory federal background check for gun owners. These background checks have been used to illegally create a national database of gun owners. How is this database used? Recently when nationally-syndicated columnist Walter Williams was stopped for a routine traffic violation, he was ordered to sit in his car for half an hour until police backup and a police dog arrived. The reason: He was listed as a registered gun owner. In New York and California, the creation of gun-owner databases was quickly followed by new laws banning a wide range of guns – thus making millions of honest and peaceful citizens "instant felons" subject to being arrested and having their guns confiscated.
An all-out federal assault on foreign bank secrecy. In June, 2000, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – led by the U.S. – demanded that 35 offshore tax havens end bank secrecy, end "harmful tax competition" (i.e., low taxes), and enforce the tax laws of foreign countries. Bank officers in offshore countries with investments in U.S. securities must now disclose the nationality and identity of the owners of the securities, or face confiscation of 30% of their entire investment each year! President Clinton even threatened military invasion on tax-haven countries that don't "co-operate."

Why Should You Care If The Government Watches You? . . .

. . . if you aren't a criminal and pay all of your taxes? The answer is: There are now so many laws (over 10 million) that we are all potential police targets. Thus an Institute for Policy Studies survey found that 100% of people surveyed had violated some law for which others were currently serving time in prison. If authorities want to get you, they can, and if you're a religious Christian, a home-schooler, are self-employed, like sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, or simply are an independent thinker, you are at particular risk.
What can they do to you? For starters, under civil-forfeiture laws, everything you own can be seized without trial if you or someone with whom you associate is merely suspected of having committed a crime. Tens of thousands of honest, decent citizens who have done absolutely nothing wrong, have had their bank accounts seized, their businesses destroyed, and their children taken away from them because of some innocent action that a government computer tagged as a RED FLAG.
     Red Flags include: driving an expensive car "a large, sudden increase in your bank account or credit-card activity – paying for an airline ticket in cash – frequently traveling overseas – having a relative who uses drugs – owning guns – and even having in your possession pictures of your naked baby on a bearskin rug.
     With so many laws in force, it's impossible even to know what the law is, much less to obey them all. The cancerous growth of legislation and regulation, and the all-out government assault on privacy is a twin-headed serpent that threatens us all. And the more that government spies on you, the more likely you are to become a victim.
     Hopefully - as more and more people become aware of the war on our privacy – the tide will turn and we will institute new and lasting guards for our freedom. Particularly hopeful is the emergence of the new media, including libertarian and conservative talk radio, and web sites like WorldNetDaily.com and Newsmax.com, which are creating a nationwide coalition of advocates of freedom and privacy.
     Nevertheless, for now it's up to YOU to protect your own privacy. For specific information on what you can do to protect yourself, see my companion ISIL issue paper "Seven Great Ways to Protect Your Privacy". Also check out these powerful privacy resources:LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS HERE.

Food Crisis - Turning The Tide

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:08:00 +0000

By Gabriel J Thelen

There is a food crisis in many of our schools and society at large. I believe two fundamental questions must be answered in any effort to address this issue and affect long-lasting, sustainable solutions; what socio/political-economic forces have brought us to this point and what sustains these forces on a macro as well as micro level? The issue of skewed priorities placing an inadequate or nonexistent focus on nutritional basics has been fuelled by a range of far-reaching changes, especially over the last few decades.
Looking back over the decades one can seen an unhealthy shift in general western eating culture. Many underlying social, economic and political forces have come together to affect a confluence of changes which have significantly driven up obesity, behavioural disorders and a range of other issues such as age-related diseases triggered by cumulative nutritional deficiencies and increased oxidative stresses - with nutritional understanding sinking to unacceptable levels. Thankfully there is growing awareness that it is the underlying attitudes, educational methodologies and political/economic biases that must be addressed if we are to see long lasting and self-perpetuating general health awareness and allow more people to look after themselves and go through life with at least basic nutritional understanding and positive health-awareness.
As cities became more urbanised after the war and car-ownership exploded, more and more took up residence in what you could call 'urban islands;' people began to rely on their cars for transport to ever greater degrees, and the distances at which dwellings were being built from essentials such as shops and town/community centres generally became larger. At the same time new technologies allowed the rise of the food industry in its creation of mass-produced, highly processed, low-quality fat and sugar based food of extremely low nutritional quality. This has previously not been possible. Looking into the past, the acquisition of food was fairly generally connected to some degree of physical exertion, and even then, the sugar and fat contents for one thing, of the foods consumed, were present in a more natural manner; fruits and vegetables serve as substantive sources of sugar in the form of fructose, and whole grain, high quality, hand-made bread for example, provide a balance of carbohydrates, effecting the slow-and-steady absorption of energy. Foods that combine fats (such as trans-fats) and high concentrations of sugars in the worst possible way were practically unthinkable, literally.
At the same time, many primary and secondary schools do not practice anything resembling good nutritional education - this general lack of learning is often not compensated for at home and subsequently reinforced through the peer group. An understanding of what a balanced diet is and why we need one is certainly not innate wisdom; if signals at school are not balanced and/or reinforced by parents who set a good nutritional example, children will develop those eating habits with which they are surrounded and may be surprised when their health deteriorates. This state of affairs has been compounded by the rise of electronic distractions which are not challenged by unappealing urban environments and due to which many children are now far more sedentary than would have been possible in times gone by. This is also a developmental hazard, as physical activity is vital for healthy bone-development in children.
Junk food advertisements on television are a further major problem which induce some children to crave certain products, especially, as many have found, when insidiously connected with recognisable childhood figures. Parents cannot always control what their children eat and this kind of advertisement undermines parental authority. It should not be tolerated in such blatantly immoral forms. Even in the family environment, parents have varying grades off ability to be firm with their children and some will give in to nagging; this has been dubbed the 'nag effect.' Such pressure on parents should be minimised.
This convergence of factors; lack of nutritional awareness in schools compounded by a lack of this knowledge in more teachers than can be seen as acceptable, lessoned physical exertion, the rise of cheap, 'fast' food, and certainly a general culture that does not give meal-time informed attention and respect - are some of the main drivers behind the high obesity rates and behavioural disorders which we see across much of the western world. The food-like substances churned out by the industrial 'food' criminals and subsidised by their insiders working through government (e.g. the F.D.A in the U.S) have been shown over and over again to form the root of a plethora of problems; through their encouragement of an extremely low-nutrition diet, packed with grotesque amounts of sugar and saturated/trans-fats, packaged up with all manner of artificial preservatives, colours and taste enhancers, passing as food, generates addiction through skewing of qualitative taste signals, subsequent obesity, disruption of healthy biological processes (insulin overflow and hyperactivity through high-intensity dumping of glucose into the system by virtue of chemical-soup soft-drinks for example) and hormonal imbalances leading to diabetes. This comes together with chronic nutritional deficiencies, fuelling problems such as autism, ADHD,...(insert acronym).
All the labelling mainly serves the pharmaceutical companies who, through government control of the medical sphere resulting in competition restricting, anti-market practices, and intrenched by mandatory medical associations (special-interest tyrannies of control-freaks), reinforce such problems through a myriad of 'targeted' drugs which superficially claim to treat symptoms, ignoring the treatment of causes which is required in order to solve the problem. Furthermore, government policy, and this seems particularly pronounced in the U.S, more often than not subsidising and allowing loopholes (e.g. ingredient concealment, immoral advertising monopoly, phoney safety 'investigations' etc...) for the food-imitation 'industry,' facilitating an inordinate degree of influence and control by the junk lobby, allowing anti-ecological corporatism to run-amok, does little to assuage the problems with which we are faced. Indeed, a focus on preventative nutrition and cause-orientated, 'functional medicine,' as it is increasingly being called, within the auspices of a greater socio-political movement, is indispensable if we are going to stem and turn the tide of these problems moving into the 21st century.
Things are on the move and it seems schools are increasingly weaving basic nutritional awareness into their curriculum. In Australia there has certainly been promising progress, with many schools implementing snack policies which encourage fruits and vegetables and even some policy banning certain soft drinks and junk vending machines from school premises. It is to be hoped that these changes are set against the proper educational background. Much of this improvement is a reflection of societal shifts; the global food movement, focusing on sustainable agriculture and natural forms of cultivation has many different specific offshoots - the rise of understanding and subsequent demand for the benefits of organic food has been very pronounced, and this has come with a realisation of the need to support local produce and work towards sustainable agricultural practices. At the same time there is a growing focus on alternative medicine and the intrinsic merits of preventative living, allowing more informed and balanced medical choices, as the failures and immoral and unsustainable consequences of the special interest biased mainstream health system become ever more patent.
All this is leading to an explosion of farmers markets, which are able to offer quality and prices which are not reflective of the imbalances and artificiality of international corporatism (unfair corporate monopoly through domestic and international, government facilitated trade biases, allowing for the absurd situation of limp, pesticide infested, nutritionally leeched fibres passing as fruit and veggies taking precedence over local produce in a community). There are programs underway which have linked this local produce with schools, bringing astounding benefits to the community. I think there is a growing understanding that the more self-contained a regional economy can be, the better it is for all. We do still have a long way to go before government policy adequately reflects these changes, yet I believe the pressure will grow; as the global economy becomes more and more unstable people will increasingly move towards the safety of greater community sustainability, with aggressive and destructive forms of industrial corporatism no longer harbouring the same degree of sway in this changed world.
Schools will continue to cater to community expectations, as they become an increasingly fertile environment for the development of healthy eating habits, within a greater focus on substantive lifestyle practices. Many teaching courses now incorporate mandatory nutritional components, which is another promising sign. Society must find its feat in our modern world and develop sustainable structures which incorporate the benefits of a modern lifestyle into a necessary awareness of what we require to stay healthy. People are learning and the more we can all contribute to spreading knowledge of what sustainable living and good nutritional awareness means, the more healthy society can become. We are part of local and global ecologies which can only survive in their rich fertility if we adapt our modern lifestyle to become synergistic with one's natural environment. The illusion-induced focus on monoculture and productivity which has developed in the agricultural field disrupts our ecology, leaves us poorer, attacks our health, and robs future generations of the resources they require. A more local, quality driven focus, naturally taking advantage of the ecological and economic fundamentals of our environment is the key to prosperous, more sustainable societies.You also can get more information here

What American Need To Know About Taxes

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 08:37:00 +0000

By David McKeegan

In 1916 the U.S. government passed a law that required U.S. citizens living abroad (expatriates) to file a U.S. tax return. For many years the law's provisions were largely ignored, but not anymore. The Obama administration has a $400 billion hole in the budget that it needs to fill, and it believes it can raise 25 percent of that amount by cracking down on offshore tax abuse. To that end, the president has increased the IRS's budget by $128 million and authorized the hiring of 800 new IRS agents to track down people with money overseas and prosecute those who have not been paying taxes. U.S. citizens living abroad are now under the microscope. If you live abroad or are thinking about moving abroad to live, work, or retire, you will need to know:
- the income thresholds that will require you to file a U.S. federal tax return;
- the tax obligations that you will have if you are self-employed;
- foreign bank account reporting requirements and thresholds;
- the amount of foreign earned income that is excluded from taxes; and
- whether the jurisdiction where you live has entered into a tax treaty with the United States and how (or if) the treaty affects your tax liability.
All U.S. citizens and green card holders are required to file a federal tax return each year if their income is over the minimum threshold. It doesn't matter where the income was earned, and it doesn't matter if taxes are paid locally. The federal thresholds are currently:
- single filers with income over $8,950;
- married filers filing jointly with income over $17,900; and
- married filers filing separately with income over $3,500.
If you are self-employed, you still have to pay self-employment tax (Social Security), which must be paid without regard to the foreign earned income exclusion. Visit the Social Security Administration's Web site ( http://www.ssa.gov/international/index.html ) to determine how it will work in your circumstance, but generally speaking, you will either need to pay U.S. Social Security taxes or opt out of it. You probably never thought about this, and you may pay a local version of this tax (such as National Insurance in the U.K.). If you have not filed in a few years, this can add up, and you may owe thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars!
The last but certainly not least important thing you need to know is that if you have more than $10,000 or the equivalent in a foreign bank account, you must report it to the U.S. Treasury in a foreign bank account report (FBAR). To be exact, a "U.S. person" -- defined as a citizen or resident of the U.S., a domestic partnership, a domestic corporation, or a domestic estate or trust -- must report such amounts each year or face stiff fines and potential jail time.
To report the money, you will need to complete a Form TDF 90-22-1, "Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts," by June 30. Even if you get an extension for your tax return, you will not get an extension of time to file the Form TDF 90-22-1. The IRS offers taxpayers help in completing the form. (Help in completing Form TD F 90-22.1 (PDF) is available at 800-800-2877, option 2. The form is available online at IRS.gov and at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's Web site or by telephone at 800-829-3676. Questions about the FBAR can be e-mailed to FBARquestions@irs.gov.)
The news isn't all bad. The U.S. government will not tax the first $91,400 of an expatriate's foreign earned income, and the United States has tax treaties with many countries that prevent expatriates from being subject to double taxation. If the foreign tax rate is lower than the U.S. rate, and your income is greater than the foreign earned income level, then you would only have to pay the difference between the foreign tax and the U.S. tax rate.
The IRS also understands that not everyone has the same tax year end and so gives all permanent residents of foreign countries an automatic extension, until June 15, to file. If you owe money, however, interest will be calculated as of the April 15 deadline, so it pays to file early.There are more you can learn .Try visit this link.

How To Win Elections.

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 08:12:00 +0000

By Justin Hartfield

Unlike the traditional think tank, whose ideas are introduced into the mainstream only after decades of academic discussion, it is this organization's duty to promote the greater awareness of American politics through mass appeal. We believe it is also the American politician's duty to be in touch with his constituency and communicate more effectively to them than as most do currently. Frankly, America is missing the great orators and politicians of yesteryear, who were able to spark intelligent debate amongst the populace. It is in this spirit that the PI provides several tips which politicians and citizens alike can use to increase their own personal magnetism.
1. They find everything fascinating
Interesting people find everything interesting: their fellow humans, a leaf, the sound of the ocean, even a pebble on the ground. JFK was noted for his ability to consume several thick tomes in one single sitting. They pay incredible attention to detail; it has been said that Bill Clinton has the ability to recall the names of people he shook hands with years prior. Life is in the details, and good politicians should be able to recall the names of every foreign dignitary and the voting record of all their major rivals.
The only way to verbalize particularly fascinating or insightful ideas is to actually be fascinated by the ideas which are being conveyed. There is no way to fake this. If a candidate has shallow knowledge of a particular platform issue, their rhetoric will reflect their lack of passion.
2. They relate well to their audience
The archetype for the late 20th century politician would have to be President Clinton. Not only was he artful with his diction, he was able to adapt instantly to any social setting. His appearance on MTV, marked by the famous "I didn't inhale" (talk about artful), was a lesson on suavity and assimilation. His other famous TV stunt, a Jazz saxophone performance on The Arsenio Hall Show, was like watching Woods 30' chip-in at Augusta: a remarkable performance by a professional in the prime of his career doing exactly what he does best. By showing America that he was actually in touch and even somewhat cool (especially in comparison to the incumbent George Bush), he was better able to relate to the general public and thus gain their trust. The elder President Bush was only able to watch his opponent on television, wholly aware of his own inability to relate to the common citizen.
3. They always leave you with a sense of wanting more
Comedians save their best joke for the end of their set. Magicians save their best trick until the finale. Lawyers save their best rhetorical defenses for the closing arguments. They are all trying to leave the audience with a sense of wanting more. By verbally slapping the audience with a brilliant piece of logic in the closing sentences of a closing argument, a shrewd lawyer can negate holes in the mind of the jurors and swing the panel in their favor.
A good ending can be almost a panacea. It allows listeners to dissolve any logical fallacies they've discovered prior to the conclusion and turns their attention solely on the piece of information in climax. So the charismatic politician takes this idea one step further and sandwiches their audience with a great opening, then boring political rhetoric, then a great close. One of the better speeches in the history of this young nation was extremely short as Presidential speeches go, but featured a great opening and a great close and almost certainly left the audience wanting more. A gifted politician is always giving his audience the gift of missing him.
4. They often have hyper-masculine or other sexual auras
A politician is a salesman who is selling himself as the product. The strong and distinctive voice, from Roosevelt to JFK to Clinton, is a testament to the power of a strong masculine aura. America adores its combat heros; it's the reason why former Generals get elected President. It's the reason why an actor with practically no prior government related experience can beat an incumbent on a recall for the highest position in the California state legislature. The gamblin', rough-and-ready cowboy is in every young American boy's imagination and every young female's heart.
Ann Coulter is engaging because of her contrasting hyper-masculine demeanor combined with her attractive feminine appearance. It is human nature to assume that an extraordinarily masculine person would also be a good leader. Here comes the Governator to kick the "wussies'" asses, take their women (funny how those accounts of Arnold's infidelity and harassment only increased his popularity), and fire .50 caliber ammo through all of his predecessors "girly" contracts. What about the first televised Presidential debate featuring a sickly, sweaty, stooped over Nixon and a dynamic, effervescent Kennedy? Sex sells, especially in politics, because it is an area which is mostly devoid of attractive personalities.
5. They always make you think they have your best interests at heart
An adept statesman can make a voter believe that he is actually more important than just one individual. Politicians in their speeches use the royal "we" instead of "I" to create a sense of togetherness. It's "us" versus the system, "we" are "united" against this Bush administration, a "coalition" to boycott Knott's Berry Farm. He also makes you believe that he is "working for the little guys," and he can still hear their voices despite the "underhanded smear tactics" of his opposition trying to reframe the "real issues."Read more on this.

Political Parties In Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:45:00 +0000

Before World War II, there was limited political activity in Malaya, but the Japanese occupation and its aftermath brought a new political awareness. Postwar political parties sought independence, and although the Malays feared domination by the populous minorities, particularly the economically stronger Chinese. The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the leading Malay party, and the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) formed the Alliance Party in 1952. This party was later joined by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and became the nation's dominant political party. The Malayan Communist Party, a powerful and well-organized group after the war, penetrated and dominated the trade unions. In 1948, after the Communists had resorted to arms, they were outlawed.
In the elections of April 1964, the Alliance Party won a majority of 89 of the 154 House seats. The third general election since independence was held in Peninsular Malaysia on 10 May 1969; in the balloting, the Alliance Party suffered a setback, winning only 66 seats. The election was followed by communal rioting, mainly between Malays and Chinese, resulting in much loss of life and damage to property. The government suspended parliament and declared a state of emergency; elections in Sarawak and Sabah were postponed until July 1970. By the time parliament was reconvened on 22 February 1971, the Alliance had achieved a two-thirds majority (required for the passage of constitutional amendments) with the addition of 10 unopposed seats from Sabah and through a coalition with the Sarawak United People's Party, which controlled 12 seats.
The elections for state assemblies also resulted in a setback for the Alliance Party, which before the elections had controlled 10 of the 13 state assemblies, but after the elections only 7. In September 1970, Tunku Abdul Rahman retired as prime minister and was replaced by the deputy prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak. In 1973, the Alliance Party formed a broader coalition consisting of the UMNO, MCA, MIC, and eight minority parties. Known as the National Front and led by the UMNO, the ruling coalition was returned to power in the 1974, 1978, 1982, and 1986 elections with overwhelming majorities (148 of 177 seats in 1986). The principal opposition parties, which win few seats owing to a legislative apportionment scheme that heavily favors Malay voters, are the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), founded in 1966, and the Pan-Malayan Islamic Party, dedicated to establishing an Islamic state.
In July 1981, Datuk Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad replaced Datuk Hussein bin Onn as prime minister. As of 1986, the National Front also had majorities in 11 of 13 state legislatures; the state assembly of Sabah, the lone exception, was under the control of the Sabah People's Union (Berjaya). In the 1986 elections, Chinese voters moved away from the MCA and toward the DAP. In April 1987, Mahathir narrowly overcame a challenge to his leadership of the UMNO.
As of 2003 there were more than 20 registered parties. The governing coalition is the Barisan Nasional (National Front), led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and comprising 13 other parties, most ethnically based. Major opposition groups are the Muslim Unity Movement (APU), dominated by the Parti Se-Islam Malaysia (PAS), the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is predominantly Chinese and socialist, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), and the newly formed National Justice Party formed by Wan Aziziah Wan Ismail, the wife of jailed government official Anwar Ibrahim.
In the election held 28 and 29 November 1999, the 193 seats of the lower house were distributed as follows: National Front (148 seats), DAP (10), PBS (3), and PAS (27), and Parti Keadilan Nasional (5). In the election, PAS won control of the state governments of Kelantan and Terengganu, giving it two of Malaysia's 13 states. The next elections must be held by 20 December 2004, but because Mahathir has announced he will resign by October 2003, an election is expected to be called before he leaves office in the hope of capitalizing on voters' goodwill towards the UMNO.

What is Political Science?

noreply@blogger.com (yuzila60) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 09:51:00 +0000

Political science is a branch of the social sciences that is mainly practiced in the United States and United Kingdom. Political science is the analysis, description, and prediction of political behavior, political systems and politics. Another way of describing political science is calling it "what politicians study in college." Like the other social sciences, political science is a "soft" science, meaning it revolves more around subjective interpretations than hard data. Due to the complexity of human behavior when it comes to politics, it will be a long time before it can be anything else.

The object of political science courses is to groom a student for a career in politics, or give them an awareness of the political process that might be useful in some other career. Politics is complicated, both in terms of the rules and the strategies to be used.

Political science as a discipline is relatively recent, with the name popping up in America immediately after the Civil War. Quickly the name also spread to the UK. Although universities around the world have political courses, they tend to lack the scientific flavor of "political science" courses specifically.

Political science has clear antecedents stretching back to ancient civilizations: moral philosophy, political philosophy, political economy, history, and so on. Clearly, many of the leaders of history were aware of the ins and outs of politics, although circumstances tended to be more chaotic, and military prowess alone may have been sufficient to gain control of a nation or empire. With the more recent establishment of stable states and the suppression of corruption, politicians have had more incentive to work within the system as it exists, leading to the discipline of political science.

The most influential work in political science is probably The Prince, written by the Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli in 1513. The book puts forth strategies for a leader to establish a strong empire in the face of various challenges. The main argument is that while a leader should publicly seem good and just, behind the scenes it may be worth taking underhanded actions to achieve political goals. This argument has led The Prince to also be one of the most controversial political books of all time.