Category: Political science : Government

Discussion Introduction:
Better Buying Power or BBP is the title of a Department

Discussion Introduction:
Better Buying Power or BBP is the title of a Department of Defense document that is a blueprint of policy and advice and guidance for this week’s discussion. In today’s new climate of “doing more without more” and the goals from the Pentagon and White House since the beginning of 2017, this topic has taken on more importance.
Use the following resources plus any additional you deem necessary to answer the Discussion questions.
References Reading to start this discussion:
Resources for this week’s discussion start with “What is Better Buying Power” and “Defense Acquisition at a Crossroad”  located in the e-reserve for this week’s reading.
Discussion Questions:
Speculate on how Better Buying Power and process improvement of government contractors for military equipment requirements across all the Defense Department will make things more efficient?
Should the President of the US issue any an executive order to impact the Better Buying Power to support the Defense Department mission support equipment needs? If not, why not? If yes, what would such an executive order include?
Use the  readings, university library, Internet, or other reputable sources to complete this assignment. Feel free to use your own experiences as well.

Instructions
Assignment Instructions:
 Read the following:
 
Nalis, D., Schütz,

Instructions
Assignment Instructions:
 Read the following:
 
Nalis, D., Schütz, A., & Pastukhov, A. (2018). The Bamberg Trucking Game: A Paradigm for Assessing the Detection of Win–Win Solutions in a Potential Conflict Scenario. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 138.
 
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00138/full
 
Discuss the difference between compromise and win-win outcomes in negotiation sessions. Include library article references to justify the reasoning.  Be sure to cite and reference supporting material.
Prompt:
Read the article by Nalis, Schultz, and Pastuhov.  Discuss the degree the trucking game is useful for understanding negotiation techniques.
Create section titles-use essay title name for the introduction. The introduction should be the only section title with no bold font. The rest of the section titles (levels one and two) should be in bold font.

Remarks by President Biden in Statement to the American People; July 24, 2024 (

Remarks by President Biden in Statement to the American People; July 24, 2024 ( https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/07/24/remarks-by-president-biden-in-statement-to-the-american-people/ )
Read through the transcript of President Biden’s address to the American People the evening of July 24th. For your exam, I am going to highlight several passages and I want you to write your response to the questions posed. 
“…But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title. …But the sacred task of perfecting our Union – it’s not about me. It’s about you, your families, your futures. It’s about “We the People.” I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come. America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide: Do we still believe in honesty, decency, and respect; freedom, justice, and democracy? In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies [sic] as fellow Americans. America is an idea – an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. … The idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We’re all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to it – to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. …In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. …Now the choice is up to you, the American people. When you make the choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin, …When Benjamin Franklin was asked as he emerged from…-the convention going on whether the Founders had given America a monarchy or a republic, Franklin’s response was, “A republic, if you can keep it.” “A republic if you can keep it.” Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands. …That’s what’s so special about America. We are a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. …History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.” 
You need to write 400-500 words answering the following questions:
What does the “idea of America” look like to you? What does the future of America look like to you? What do you want from your country? 
In your response you must address no less than 4 different issues; for example, but not limited to, climate change, immigration, environment, economy, equality, healthcare, higher education, gun safety, etc. 
You need to finish your response with a vision statement for America (this does not count towards the word count). 
Look through this website that describes what a successful vision statement (we’re using the nonprofit example) should contain and how to write one. Remember an effective vision statement should be audacious, rooted in existing assets, future casting, inspiring and motivating, purpose-driven, and clear. 
Nonprofit Vision Statement ( https://prosper-strategies.com/write-nonprofit-vision-statement-will-truly-shape-future/ )
 

Visit the following website:
Brown Revisited ( https://brown.oyez.org )
Oyez has

Visit the following website:
Brown Revisited ( https://brown.oyez.org )
Oyez has done incredible job of putting this entire website together. Go through all of it; listen to all the audio. There are nine sections. 
This assignment will be two parts (submitted together). 
First:
Write a 300-400 word summary of what you learned. Be very specific with your details to support your claims of what you learned. Make sure to answer what you learned about the “case for segregation”, “precedents”, and the “deliberations”. 
 
Second:
This will be a very personal answer. You will not be graded your personal thoughts. You’re going to be graded on ability to define your answer and support for your statements. 
Given the current tide of Christian Nationalism (even if you’re not Christian this affects you too and no, I’m not putting Christians on blast but there’s a changing tide when states are now requiring the 10 commandments to be posted in classrooms or requiring the Bible to be taught while passing some very extreme laws targeting very specific groups of people), I want you to think about the following statements. 
“Jesus is the refugee. The child in Gaza. The transgender co-worker. The migrant by the barbwire. The kid with no lunch money. The man on death row. The single mom with two jobs. The neighbor with a disability. The friend with an addiction. How you treat them, is how you treat Jesus”. 
“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” Malcolm X. 
“First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me”    Pastor Martin Niemöller
After pondering those quotes. I want you to think about the following questions. 
When did we become afraid to speak up against injustice? 
I’m not referring to internet courage and fighting with some random person on X (Twitter) or Facebook. I am referring to every day interactions. 
When did we become so brazen in our hatred? 
Think about all the things President Trump has said about immigrants and people cheer, applaud, shower him with praise, repeat it and worse, believe it. 
When did we become silent? 
The LBGTQ+ community and women being denied the basic right to healthcare (when a woman must be at the 90/10 (only a 10 percent probability of survival) mark before doctors can intervene in a pregnancy is a denial of healthcare). 
For the second part of your assignment, I want you to answer the following question. It must be a minimum of 400 words. 
Do you have courage? Could you cast away everything you believe in and fight to protect another group of people? Would you be willing to lose everything to fight against injustice? 
Your answer here will be very personal. I am only grading you on how clearly you define your answer and how you support your answer. Above everything, I want you to be 100% honest in this answer. Think about what I am asking. Could you lose everything? Do you have the courage demonstrated in the feminist movement? The Civil Rights movement? The Gay movement of the 1980’s? Etc. 

Use the discussion forum to interact with other students like one would discuss

Use the discussion forum to interact with other students like one would discuss topics in a live classroom setting. 
Select a topic of interest from the reading and let other students see the insights you gained.
This week discuss the topic below as you would in a classroom setting. Planning the source selection process requires requests for proposals and statements of work created in sufficient detail to allow contractors to respond. 
Discuss the process outlined in the reading resource, “LPTA Versus Tradeoff: An analysis of Contract Source Selection Strategies and Performance Outcomes
Baker, A, Bono, I, Devoe, U, & Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States. (2016). LPTA Versus tradeoff: Analysis of contract source selection strategies and performance outcomes. Retrieved from:
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD1026098 
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1026098.pdf

Analyze two of the following websites:
Congressional Budget Office            w

Analyze two of the following websites:
Congressional Budget Office            www.cbo.gov
National Association of State Budget Officers        www.nasbo.org
OECD Budgeting and Public Expenditures    http://www.oecd.org
Tax Policy Center (Urban Institute-Brookings)              www.taxpolicycenter.org
U.S. Office of Management and Budget          www.whitehouse.gov/omb
Government Finance Officers Association www.gfoa.org
This organization represents many of the Finance Directors and other finance professionals in the public sector. It as additional links to reference materials, training, and other good-to-know information.
Government Accounting Standards Board www.gasb.org
Please use simple vocabulary and grammar