APGOV Unit 1

libertarianism

freedom is the highest moral value, minimal government intervention in both social and economic matters

Ayn Rand

virtue of selfishness —> gov’s essential purpose & moral justification is the protection of individual rights; men must consent their use of physical force to the government

John Stossel

spontaneous order —> there is a superiority in evolved systems instead of designed ones

limited government

gov power is restricted by law, typically through a governing document to protect individual rights; gov can only exercise powers granted in the document

coercive federalism

use of federal power to compel state and local governments to implement national policies and programs, often through the threat of withholding funding or imposing penalties

state of nature

condition of complete liberty, free to act & use property, equality

why do people leave the state of nature?

insecurity of stature of nature —> no way to enforce this law; seek more secure way to protect fundamental rights

what did locke claim was the primary purpose of gov?

protect property —> lives, liberties, estates (fruits of ones own labor)

social contract theory (locke + democracy)

people implicitly give gov power & in return gov protects peoples’ rights. if gov misuses their power the people can overthrow their government

paine’s common sense

government is a necessary evil; purpose of government is security; “produced by our wickedness”

natural rights

inherent, universal rights that all humans possess by virtue of their humanity

popular sovereignty

gov power originates from and is sustained by consent of people

republicanism

belief that government should be based on the consent of the governed and that representatives should be elected to serve the interests of the people; popular sovereignty, representative gov, rule of law

issues

conflicts between interests, ideas, or beliefs of different citizens

politics

activity (negotiation, argument, persuasion, force) to agitate or settle issues; disputes over who should pay/benefit

power

ability to get others to act accordingly to one’s intentions

authority

rightful use of power (recognized right to command)

legitimacy

what makes authority rightful —> US legitimacy comes from constitution

direct democracy

rule of the many, citizens vote directly on policy; hard to sustain in large, complex societies

representative democracy

(indirect democracy) leaders compete for people’s votes

what are the justifications for representative democracy?

public lacks time and knowledge to decide policy directly; direct democracy risks poor decisions (passion-driven demagogues)

what are the conditions for representative democracy?

genuine competition for leadership; frequent, free elections (Paine); meaningful choices among candidates/parties; campaign funding mechanisms

does direct democracy exist in the US?

yes, partially through referenda, but framers preferred representative democracy

what are the three types of representative democracy? what goal do they share?

participatory dem, pluralist dem, elite dem; where/how do you influence the representative

participatory democracy

broad civic engagement, citizens directly involved in political decisions rather than solely through elected officials; ex. gathering signatures to set state ballot measures, movements, protests, marches

pluralist democracy

diverse interest groups compete for influence with public policy emerging from ongoing negotiation; ex. AARP

elite democracy

limited group of highly influential holds real power and makes key decisions; i.e. someone who has more of a desired resource

five views of political power

class view, power elite view, bureaucratic view, pluralist view, creedal passion view

costs

burdens of policy (ex. taxes, risks)

benefits

gains from policy (ex. aid, security)

political incentive

favor policies with visible benefits for many and low, hidden costs for someone else

what are the 4 types of politics?

majoritarian, interest group, client, entrepreneurial

majoritarian politics

distributed benefits + distributed costs (ex. social security, national defense)

interest group politics

concentrated benefits + concentrated costs; founded by organized groups for specific cause, public usually uninvolved

client politics

concentrated benefits + distributed costs (often allocating gov $$ for securing direct expenditures)

entrepreneurial politics

distributed benefits + concentrated costs (ex. environmental regulation)

federalist views

support constitution, large (geographic) republic, more “energetic” n’tl gov (kind of takes power from states)

antifederalist views

didn’t support constitution, small republic (separate states)

was the revolutionary war ideological or economic?

ideological

weaknesses of the articles of confederation (1781)

created “league of friendship”; no power to tax or regulate commerce; couldn’t rally an army; each state sovereign (1 vote in congress); 9/13 voted needed for laws; unanimity for amendments; interstate conflicts (could lead to foreign manipulation)

virginia plan (madison/rudolph)

strong n’tl gov (3 branches); bicameral legislature (1st house elected by people based on population, 2nd house chosen by 1st from state nominees); legislative supremacy (could veto states laws); executive & judiciary branch chosen by legislature, “council of revision” to veto laws

new jersey plan (paterson)

proposed unicameral legislature in which each state had one vote

connecticut (the great) compromise

bicameral; HoR seats by population and elected by people; senate seats 2 per state, elected by state legislature

shay’s rebellion 1787

uprising led by Daniel Shays in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes; caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working; CENTRAL GOV COULD’NT RAISE AN ARMY

three-fifths compromise

agreement that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in determining representation in Congress; repealed by 14th amendment

judicial review

limits popular majorities; the power of the courts to declare acts of legislature and of the executive to be unconstitutional and hence null and void

examples of enumerated federal powers

power to coin money, declare war, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, establish post offices, and control naturalization

examples of powers reserved to states

regulating intrastate commerce, creating public school systems, issuing licenses (like driver's licenses), establishing local governments, and conducting elections

concurrent powers

ability to levy taxes, build roads, establish courts, and create and enforce laws

federalist 10

(madison) WHY LARGE REPUBLICS? a well constructed union is necessary to safeguard against the dangers of faction, because its extensive size and representative structure control the EFFECTS of factions by making it difficult for an unjust majority to form a common oppressive interest or coordinated action if one exists

what is the major cause of faction

various and unequal distribution of property

brutus 1

the new constitution’s consolidation of 13 states into one great republic, evident due to its creation of absolute and uncontrollable power + montasqeuie view, is reason to reject its adoption (ex. necessary proper clause, supremacy clause

federalist 51

(madison) solving how to keep each branch in “its proper place” through the interior design of the government; empower gov but force it to control itself

unitary system

sovereignty is wholly in the hands of national government

confederate system

states are sovereign and national government is allowed to do only that which the states permit

federalist 28

citizens should shift their support between state and federal gov to keep the two in balance

necessary and proper clause

article I grants congress power to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying out into execution the foregoing powers”, “elastic clause”

commerce clause

congress has power to regulate interstate commerce

doctrine of nullification

OVERRULED DURING CIVIL WAR, state can declare a federal law null and void if it believes that the law violates the constitution

dual federalism

state and federal governments have distinct, separate powers, like a layer cake

cooperative federalism

national and state gov share power and work together on issues, like a marble cake

reserved powers

X amendment, powers not delegated to fed and not prohibited by states are reserved to teh states

inherent powers

few in #, for any country (ex. borders, deportation, relation with foreign nations)

initiative

state proposes law

referendum

voters decide on a law proposed by states

recall

removing an elected official

gibbons vs. ogden (1824)

established the supremacy of federal law over state law in regulating interstate commerce

intergovernmental funding

Intergovernmental lobbying is when one government (like a state or local government) lobbies another level of government to influence policy and funding

Full Faith and Credit Clause

states must recognize the legal acts and documents of other states

Privileges and Immunities Clause

states can’t discriminate against citizens from other states

Extradition

process of returning an accused person to the state where the crime was committed

mcculloch v. maryland (1819)

supremacy of federal laws & implied powers; No, Maryland can’t tax the bank; yes, Congress can create one; Necessary and Proper Clause (implied powers) and Supremacy Clause

Amending process

proposal by 2/3 of Congress and ratification by 3/4 of states

United States v. Lopez (1995)

limits on Congress’s power under Commerce Clause; reasserted x amendement

devolution

transfer of certain powers and responsibilities from the federal government to state and local governments

devolution revolution

mid-1990s, when federal programs were downsized and state responsibilities increased

block grant

given for more general purposes with fewer strings attached

categorical grant

issued for specific purposes defined by federal law, these grants give Congress more control over how money is spent

mandates

rules that states MUST follow, sometimes as a condition of receiving aid, sometimes unfunded mandates

conditions of aid

terms set by the federal government that states must meet to receive certain funds, cant be coercive