Exam 3 Review: POLS 206 Smith

1) Where is the center of policymaking?

Congress

2) What are the attractions to the job of being a member of Congress?

Power, salary, retirement and health benefits

3) What is substantive representation?

When the representative’s views and actions reflect the people’s views and interest, regardless of resemblance to the group

4) What is meant by pork barrel projects?

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district. Helps congressmen get reelected.

5) What are the advantages of incumbency and why do incumbents lose?

They usually win due to familiarity, money, and resources. Lose during scandals or if they have served for much too long (20+ years)

6) What do PACs buy with their money?

Access to the politician

7) What is bicameralism?

System of being split into two chambers for one legislative body. House and Senate make up congress

Impeachment

the process of bringing charges against a government official for wrongdoing. 

Impeachment Process

starts in the house, they bring forth evidence and vote for impeachment, if impeached the senate will hold a trial to reach a verdict to remove the official from office

House

 435 members based off population, 2 year terms, only need to be 25 and a 7 year citizen, speaker in charge of impeachment and revenue bills, debate is limited

Senate

100 members (2 per state), 6 year terms, must be 30 and a 9 year citizen, in charge of treaties, approving presidential nomination, foreign affairs, unlimited debate

10) What do congressional whips do?

Party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to the passage of a bill favored by the party.

11) What is a filibuster?

A senate strategy where a senator opposed to a piece of legislation uses their right to unlimited debate to prevent the senate from ever voting on a bill. 60 members are needed to halt a filibuster on legislation.

12) Why are committees and subcommittees important to Congress?

Do the work in congress, writing/rewriting and drafting legislation, make suggestions on whether it should pass or not

Standing Committee

permanent and generally more powerful than other comittees

Select Committees

created for a specific purpose, investigate certain problems, temporary

Joint Committees

permanent committees with members from the house and senate, make recommendations

Conference Committees

has members from both houses, they meet to compromise agreement on a bill or law that has emerged from both houses in different forms

14) What is presidential power according to Neustadt?

Power to persuade, not command

15) Know the 22nd Amendment

A president cannot be elected more than twice, ratified in 1951

16) Know the responsibilities of the vice-president

President of senate, breaks ties in senate, assumes presidency if the president can no longer serve

17) How does the President control the bureaucracy?

Power to appoint, head of the agency, executive orders

OMB (office of management and budget)

oversees the performance of federal agencies and administers the federal budget

NSC (national security council)

advises the president regarding integration of forging, military, and domestic policies that relate to national security

CEA (council of economic advisors)

offers economic advice to the president on the formulation of domestic and international economic policy

Legislative veto

 a vote in congress to override a presidential decision

Pocket veto

a type of veto where the president lets a bill die by not voting on it during the 10 day period

20) What is a midterm election?

A congressional election in the middle of a presidential term

21) What are electoral mandates?

The idea that an election victory signals support for the winners proposed policies 

22) Know the War Powers Resolution (1973)

Requires that the president consults with congress whenever possible prior to using the military and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless congress grants an extension or declares war. Passed due to vietnam war, presidents have viewed it as unconstitutional

23) How does the president use the press?

Uses it to get his point across, used to help keep the public informed

24) How do presidents use public opinion and public approval?

President can use them to sway congress into doing something that he wants

25) Know the budget process

1. President submits a budget request to congress

2. Lawmakers release their own budget plans and set overall spending levels with a budget resolution

3. House and senate subcommittees set funding for each program

4. House and senate resolve their differences

5. President signs and becomes law

26) What is incrementalism?

Describes the budget process in which the best way to guess the current year's budget is to take last years and “plus a little bit more” 

27) What is the military industrial complex?

An informal alliance between a nation’s military and the arms industry that supplies it. Seen together as a vested interest which influences public policy

28) What is budget reconciliation?

Congressional process through which program authorizations are revised to achieve required savings. Also includes tax or other revenue adjustments

Authorization Bill

An act of congress that establishes. Continues, or changes a discretionary government program or an entitlement. It specifies program goals and maximum expenditures for discretionary programs. 

Appropriations Bill

act of congress that funds programs within limits established authorization bills. Appropriations usually cover one year.

30) Which committees write tax codes in Congress?

Ways and Means committees

What is the budget

Policy document allocating expenditures and benefits for the year

who prepares the budget for the President

 Office of Management and Budget

who prepares the budget for the Congress

Congressional Budget Office

32) What are uncontrollable expenditures?

Expenditures that are determined by how many eligible beneficiaries there are for a program or by previous obligations of the government that congress cannot easily control

33) What is the major reason why the national debt increases?

We spend more than we take in

34) Know where the U.S. government gets its revenues

Taxes

35) What are tax expenditures?

Revenue losses that result from special exemptions, excursions, or deductions allowed by federal tax law

36) Know the 16th Amendment

Congress can collect income taxes

37) What are social welfare policies?

Programs that offer public services, financial aid, and other assistance to those who meet specific needs

38) What is income distribution?

Upper 1% is making 60% of the income, disproportionate

39) What are entitlements?

Policies for which congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients. Social Security benefits are an example

40) What are means-tested programs?

Social welfare programs based on need/income

What is Medicare

health insurance for the elderly

What is Medicaid

health insurance for the poor

42) What is the poverty line?

Level of income which a family of 4 can have a basic level of life, currency at 22,000

43) Know the differences between the welfare systems in Europe and America

America has far fewer benefits but less taxes

Regressive Tax System

if you make more your taxes are less

Progressive Tax System

if you make more your taxes are more

45) Know the different tax revenue sources

Income, corporate, property, sales, payroll, etc

46) What are transfer payments?

Payments from the government treasurer directly to the individual, about half the federal budget, social security and disability are examples