Public Policy Current Events Analysis - Essay Example

Chesapeake Bay is a crucial waterway. The bay is presently in critical condition and is facing a lot of challenges especially through pollution. Perhaps, the greatest source of pollution arises from increased nutrients in the bay especially phosphorus and nitrogen. Though, these nutrients are fundamental to sustain aquatic biological growth, if present in quantity excessive of the basic requirements, like in the Chesapeake Bay, they lead to excessive growth of algae and phytoplankton. This has had a twin effect.

The algae have blocked sunlight, thus, preventing penetration to the deeper end water, thus, compromising the growth of bay grass. Secondly, when the algae die they use available oxygen in the deeper areas for decomposition creating dead zones, whereby the dissolved oxygen levels becomes too low to sustain marine life. This has led to dwindling of fishery resources in the bay. From the documentary, it is clear that these nutrients arise from a horde of sources notably from agricultural farms and sewage.

Chicken manure is loaded with nitrogen and phosphorus which when carried to the bay by the rivers culminates in the dead zone. Hedrick smith also points to the fisherman as a source of the problems facing the Bay. He states that humans have drastically overfished the fisheries resources. This information has been known by the formal policy makers for quite a long time. Charles fox, EPA assistant administrator between 1998 and 2001, admits to this. They tried several methods to combat the problem such as trying to enact regulations and laws and initiating programmes to treat the sewage system.

Nevertheless, they have been unable to combat this menace due to a horde of factors. Key among them is the lack of political will, despite available information showing what is necessary to save Chesapeake Bay. Leon Billing, US senate staff from 1966 to 1980 compares the same situation to the passage of Clean Water Act, which when it was passed in the senate, and the house, President Nixon vetoed it despite pressure from the people to enact the law to govern pollution. Charles Fox also points to preferential treatment to successful business stating that the Reagan administration had a deregulatory agenda often inviting successful businesses for a list of regulation they would want to relief.

Further, he blames the administration for being an obstacle to the operations of EPA, stopping its operations for a period of about seven years and instead appointing people to run the EPA, people who were opposed to its mission. Informal policy actors have played a prominent role too.This is through active lobbying. Leon Billings states that the big chicken companies have hired top guns to lobby against the enactment of any meaningful regulations on the agriculture sector and, thus, influenced policy makers.

When the Maryland legislature tried to compel mandatory nutrient management by farmers, they were opposed to the bill. Jim Perdue argues that the bill was a threat to survival of the industry in totality. Other informal policy actors include the public pressure, interest groups such as the non-governmental organization. PART 2 Gay marriage has emerged on the agenda because of both formal and informal actors. Same sex marriage has been a problem in the society for a while. It has captured public interest and as a result led to public debates whether to legalize it or not.

With regards to New York, it was made an agenda due to electoral pledges, as