POLS 207-Lim TAMU Exam 1

Public Policy changes in the 1960's led to what?

Laws which led to an increase in diversity of United States

Who creates local government?

state government

White Population has been ___ while Hispanic population has been ____ and African American Population has _____

decreasing; increasing; remained the same

What is happening to Asian Populations?

increasing

Life expectancy for African Americans is _____ compared to other ethnicities

lower

Why is life expectancy for AA compared to other ethnicities lower?

low education, income, and health care

Hispanics have a high population in the United Stats because of _______

Family Reunification

Asian population was limited by what?

the Chinese Exclusion Act

Who created the Federal Government

the states

Why does Texas have a unique political culture?

We were an independent country before we became part of the US

What is the correlation between total per capita state revenues and total per capita state expenditures?

positive

When are data visualizations using maps superior to scatterplot data visualizations?

When there are strong regional patterns

What is the correlation rate between state incarceration rates and violent crime rates?

positive

_____ is when the national law beats state law

Supremacy clause

3 actors of our Federal System

President and congress pass laws; State legislature and executive create policies (laws we are most affected by); US Supreme Court decides whether a law is constitutional of unconstitutional

What is the total government spending?

6.5 trillion

What percentage does the Federal Government spend?

58%

What percentage do the states spend?

42%

What percentage of state spending comes from the federal government in the form of grants?

9%

Federal Government spending?

1. income security

2. healthcare

3. national defense

4. general public services

State Government spending?

1. education

2. health

3. general public service

4. public order and safety

What is #1 in state spending?

education

what is one important thing to remember when comparing states?

account for rates-be sure you are comparing apples to apples

Is TX above or below the US average for high school completion and bachelors degrees?

below

Where does Texas stand on Per Capita Income?

Texas is average

Are there any weird state in regards to per capita income yes!

Utah-children Alaska & Wyoming-oil

Which is the most highly metropolitan state?

Hawaii

Which states have the highest non citizen populations?

California (gateway state), Texas, Florida, NY

Where does Texas stand on Unemployment rate?

lower unemployment because lots of minimum wage jobs

What is Life expectancy related to

infant mortaility, income, education

Which states are highest in poverty?

Louisianna and Mississippi

Who determines who qualifies for TANF?

states

Do southern state typically have high or low TANF benefits?

low

Where does Texas stand on percent HS completion?

low (South usually has lower education levels)

Does the south have more or less poverty crimes than the rest of the US?

more

Where does Texas stand on executions?

highest

What about executions per 100,000?

Oklahoma is the highest

Does Texas have the highest number of death row inmates?

no

does the south have higher or lower life expectancy?

lower

does texas have high or low tax burden?

low

which part of the US is most religious?

south

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Per capita Income and Percent High School Completion 2010. What are the values % and income?

Above. 81% of population aged 25 and older have completed high school and the state per capita income is $38,000

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Per Capita Income and Percent Bachelor's Degrees or Higher 2010?

Barely Above.

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Per Capita State and Local Total Revenue and Per Capita Income 2010

Below

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Per Capita State and Local Total Expenditure and Revenue 2010

Barley Above.

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Violent Crime Rate and Incarceration Rate 2010

Above

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Release Rates and New Prisoner Rate 2009

Below

States with higher violent crime rates have ______________. It is noteworthy that MS, OK, AL, TX, AK have the ______- in the nation.

higher percent of residents incarcerated

______and ________- are both close to average on per capita income but are among the highest poverty states

Texas and Louisiana. Large numbers of residents who are wealthy and improvished

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Poverty and Per Capita Income 2010

Above

Is texas above or below the regression line for: Life Expectancy and Infant Mortality 2010

Below

What are the four major legal issues dealing with guns in the US

What firearms are permissible, where firearms are permissible, who is excluded from owning and bearing firearms, and how can change in ownership of permissible firearms occur

In total government spending what are the four most expensive services?

Health, Income Security, Education, General Public Service

What percent of the population in Texas is Metropolitan?

94-98% Upper middle

What was Texas' Per capita income in 2012

$40,000-45,000 Upper middle

What was Texas' Unemployment Rate in June 2012

6.0-7.5% Lower Middle

How many murders per 100,000 people did Texas have in 2011?

3-5 lower middle

What was Texas' Wellbeing in 2012

Middle, 26th

Who created local governments?

States

Which level of government has the most impact on public school affecting elementary and secondary education?

State and local governments

Which level of government is responsible for National Defense?

Federal

What does the federal government spend 1,200 billion dollars on?

Income Security - SS, welfare, etc

Maximum Monthly TANF Benefit For A Family of Three With No Income in Texas?

249

If present population growth continues past 2005, a majority of Texas' population will be __________ by 2030.

Hispanic

How many Executions Since 1976 has Texas had?

474 - the most ever, OK is at a higher rate though

Texas State and Local GovernmentTax Burden 2009

7.9

Are there any weird state in regards to per capita income

yes! Utah-children Alaska-oil

Where does TExas stand on Unemployment rate?

lower unemployment because lots of minimum wage jobs

What is Life expectancy related to>

infant mortaility, income, education

Does the south have higher or lower life expectancy?

lower

Federalism

is the relationship between the federal government and the states and how that has changed over time. It is important to note that the federal government does not control the states, rather federalism is a state-centric system. The federal government is an ever-changing majority of states working together. The conflict in the system does not stem from federal vs. state, but rather between the majority and minorities of the states working to define policy. In american federalism, no government is always the master. States are the fundamental unit of government in american federalism.

How does federalism affect relations between states and local governments?

The relationship between state and local government mirrors that between federal and state government.

Who are the actors in our federalism?

Federal, state, and local government. Through the electoral college, states made themselves the central actors in choosing the president and vice president.

How do states act as laboratories for experimenting with different policies?

Each state implements different policies. By observing how well they work, it is the equivalent of testing each policy. However it is not a perfect environment and we don't really have control over it. We're merely able to see what goes on and draw our conclusions from it.

What happens when a state or local law is declared unconstitutional?

The federal law is applied.

Which law is applied when a state or local law is declared unconstitutional?

The federal law is applied.

Who creates local governments?

States created the federal government and continue to create and oversee local governments.

Which level of government is responsible for national defense?

Federal government.

Which level of government has the most impact on public policies affecting elementary and secondary education, higher education, marriage, and speed limits?

State

Which of the following is financed mainly by the federal government?

Welfare/Social services

What would be the impact on state and local governments if the federal government stopped transferring federal funds to them?

States would lose approximately 9% of their total spending -- $550 billion in federal funds.

Is the state where you live the "best" state? What empirical data would you use to answer this question?

Size & population, % of metropolitarian areas vs. rural areas, per capita income, unemployment, crime rates

Which laws affect us more? Federal, state, or local?

State > Local > Federal