Chapter 16-18 AP Gov Public Policy Puente

Center for Disease Control

The federal agency specifically responsible for tracking and controlling the spread of infectious diseases in the US

Central Intelligence Agency

An agency created after World War II to coordinate American intelligence activities abroad. It became involved in intrigue, conspiracy, and meddling as well.

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

customs, duties, tariffs

Taxes levied on imports to help protect a nation's industry, business, labor and agriculture from foreign competition or to raise revenue

deficit

An excess of federal expenditures over federal revenues.

deficit spending

Government practice of spending more than it takes in from taxes

deflation

A contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices

diplomacy

Negotiation between nations

entitlement programs

Programs such as unemployment insurance, disability relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens.

estate taxes

taxes levied on a person's estate or total holdings after that person's death

executive agreements

Agreements with other countries that do not need senate approval

Federal Reserve Board

A seven-member board that sets member banks reserve requirements, controls the discount rate, and makes other economic decisions.

Federal Reserve System

The country's central banking system, which is responsible for the nation's monetary policy by regulating the supply of money and interest rates

fiscal policy

A government policy for dealing with the budget (especially with taxation and borrowing)

Food and Drug Administration

a federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products

Foreign Service

the part of the State Department that supplies diplomats for the United States embassies and consulates around the world

Head Start

A program funded by the federal government and designed to prepare children to start school; provides locally run child care to lower-income and disadvantaged children from birth to five years old

inflation

A general and progressive increase in prices

isolationism

A policy of nonparticipation in international economic and political relations

Joint Chiefs of Staff

High-ranking military officers who represent the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines. They assist the civilian leaders of the Department of Defense-advise the president on security matters.

Keynesian Economics

Theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes, stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms.

laissez-faire policy

the hands-off policy toward buisness and industry favored by the Republican-controlled federal government in the period after the Civil War

Medicare

A federal program of health insurance for persons 65 years of age and older

monetary policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.

monopolies

Corporations that gain complete control of the production of a single good or service.

national debt

The sum of government deficits over time.

National Security Advisor

National Security Council; advises the president on policies concerning national security and foreign relations by meeting w/ other security departments (FBI, Secretary of Defense, etc)

National Security Council

An office created in 1947 to coordinate the president's foreign and military policy advisers. Its formal members are the president, vice president, secretary of state, and secretary of defense, and it is managed by the president's national security assistant.

No Child Left Behind

2001 law that set high standards and measurable goals for education.

preemption

A doctrine under which certain federal laws preempt, or take precedence over, conflicting state or local laws.

privatization

To change from government or public ownership or control to private ownership or control. (like moving from HCSD run buses to Durham Transportation)

progressive tax

A tax for which the percentage of income paid in taxes increases as income increases

Public Health Service

sets national health policies, medical research, disease prevention, and enforces health and safety standards

social insurance taxes

Taxes collected from employees and employers to pay for major social programs; also known as payroll taxes and social insurance taxes

Social Security

1935, guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health

Clean Air Act

1970- law that established national standards for states, strict auto emissions guidelines, and regulations, which set air pollution standardds for private industry

Affordable Care Act

law passed in 2010 to expand access to insurance, address cost reduction and affordability, improve the quality of healthcare, and introduce the Patient's Bill of Rights

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

An economic organization that is primarily made up of Middle Eastern Countries that seeks to control the amount of oil its members produce and sell to other nations, ultimately controlling the price of oil.

balance of trade

difference between how much a country imports and how much it exports

Superfund Act of 1980

makes owners of hazardous waste sites responsible for clean-up of sites

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment

Poverty Line

A method used to count the number of poor people, it considers what a family must spend for an "austere" standard of living.

unemployment rate

the portion of people in the labor force who are not working or searching for work.

Diplomacy

The practice of conducting negotiations between countries

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

An international treaty, signed in 1968, that aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

economic sanctions

Boycotts, embargoes, and other economic measures that one country uses to pressure another country into changing its policies.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

an international organization that acts as a lender of last resort, providing loans to troubled nations, and also works to promote trade through financial cooperation