POL 2302 American State and Local Politics J2

Unit VIII Journal

For this journal, you are going to build your own government!

Imagine that a privately-owned island off the coast of Florida has been left to you by the eccentric owner who recently died. The island is large enough for several small communities to be developed.

Create a name for your new island, and reflect on the following questions:

· How would you develop your island government? What are the important foundational elements?

· What type of local government, judicial and law enforcement systems, and other services you would establish?

· How would you implement your government and services?

· Would you have a strong or weak mayor?

· Would there be a council or commission? How many would serve, and what might be the length of their terms?

· How would taxes support your island, and how would they be collected?

Consider all you have learned in this course as you build your island. You can mix and match your government, judicial, and law enforcement decisions, but you must fully explain the reasons why you chose the types of systems. You must also address how your government would work with other governments/agencies and in what ways. You can pull concepts from

previous readings in this course (not just those assigned in this unit) to develop this journal entry.

Your journal submission must be at least 500 words in length. Outside sources and APA Style are not required.