POLS 207 Exam 3

Payroll Tax

Tax taken from payroll to help the unemployed

Which programs do state and local governments provide?

-Education

-Social Services

-Public Safety

-Transportation

Know the impeachment process

-It is a political, not legal process

-Impeachment, Trial, Removal

-Typically initiated in the lower house, tried in the upper house, two-thirds vote to convict

-Criminal investigations

-Recall

Know the executive positions in Texas

-Lieutenant Governor: Performs duties comparable to those the vice president of the U.S. does for the president

-Attorney General: Has more real powers and responsibilities than the lieutenant governor. He defends the laws and constitution of Texas, represents the state in litigation, and approves public bond issues

-Comptroller of Public Accounts: Help control the public purse

-Secretary of State: chief elections officer, the protocol officer for state and international matters, and the liaison for the governor on Mexican and border matters

-Land Commissioner: responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state

-Agriculture Commissioner: responsible for matters pertaining to agriculture, rural community affairs, and related matters

-Texas Railroad Commission (3 members): agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining. Despite its name, it no longer regulates railroads

-State Board of Education: Devises policies and sets academic standards for Texas public schools, as well as overseeing the state Permanent School Fund and selecting textbooks to be used in Texas schools.

Know the different powers of the governor in Texas

• the constitutional position of governors relative to others

• their powers of appointment and removal over state officials

• their ability or inability to succeed themselves

• their powers over the state budget

• their veto powers

• their position in their own party and its position in state politics

Know the different types of vetoes

-Post-Adjournment Veto: Governor can veto a bill after a session has been adjourned and legislature can't do anything about it

-Pocket Veto: A type of veto occurring when congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president and the president simply lets the bill die

-Line-item veto: Can reject particular items in a bill

-Legislative veto: Vote in congress to override a presidential decision

What is the role of governors in the budget process?

Governor starts the budget process has very little control other than that

What are executive orders?

A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law

Know the different executive positions across the states (lieutenant governor, attorney general, etc.) (cont'd from 3)

-Treasurers, auditors, comptrollers: help control the public purse

-Personal staff: Governors hire a small group of dedicated personal aides

Why is the post-adjournment veto so powerful?

Governor can veto a bill after a session has been adjourned and legislature can't do anything about it

What is the No Child Left Behind Act?

states are required to test students in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school.

-Testing

•Federal Funding is tied to test scores

•Failing Schools get less money

•Teachers end up teaching for the tests and nothing else

-Parental Choice

•Parents move their kids out of failing schools

-State Flexibility

•State has control control over what they spend the funding on specifically

-Controversy

•Comprised the quality of education and drove the struggling schools deeper into the shitter.

•Every other industrialized nation is beating us in education

•Obama administration gutted NCLB and has been replaced by Common Core

•The federal government has never been able to put together a good nationwide educational plan, regardless of which party is under control.

What is gross domestic product?

The total value of all the goods and services produced in the United States in a year; a measure of the size of the US economy

What are progressive taxes?

-Higher income, higher percent of taxes

-Low income, lower percent of taxes

What are regressive taxes?

-Higher income, less tax percentage

-Less income, higher tax burden

-Flat rate taxes are considered regressive

What are the different sources of tax revenue for both state and local governments?

-Sales tax

-Property tax

How are property tax exemptions used?

-Some properties, such are those owned by religious organizations or governments, are completely exempt from paying property taxes

-Others are partially exempt, such as veterans who qualify for an exemption on part of their homes, and homeowners who are eligible for the School Tax Relief (STAR) program

Which taxes are considered regressive?

Local property taxes

What are excise taxes?

-Taxes that are implemented to govern behavior

•Cigarette, alcohol, gas

Why do states look to keep their corporate taxes low?

Attract businesses to come to the state

What is meant by tax burden?

Taxes as a percent of a person's income; the larger the proportion of the income paid in taxes, the larger the tax burden

Which level of government is affected the most by limitations on taxation?

Local

How do most Americans feel about taxes?

They are too high

What are the merit and spoils systems?

-Merit: getting a job based on your ability to do the job

-Spoils system: not about what you know but who you know

What is outsourcing?

Hiring people from a different company instead of people within

Know the different types of bonds

-General Obligations Bond: a common type of municipal bond in the United States that is secured by a state or local government's pledge to use legally available resources, including tax revenues, to repay bond holders); more secure so lenders are willing to accept lower interest rates

-Revenue Bonds: bonds issue by governments for specific projects and back only by whatever revenues the projects generate; lenders face greater risks and require higher interest payments

How is the academic performance measured?

-Educational Attainment

-Standardized Testing

-Dropout rates

What are magnet schools?

Public school offering special instruction and programs not available elsewhere designed to attract a more diverse student body from throughout a school district

What are charter schools?

-Schools operated with public funds by private community groups under a charter from public school districts or other granting agency

•Could be church based, a private investment firm, etc.

•Gives an alternative to the normal K-12 decision

What are vouchers?

A government-funded voucher redeemable for tuition fees at a school other than the public school that a student could attend free

When can money be given to a religious educational institute?

-If it passes the Lemon Test

•Must have a secular purpose

•Must never advance or inhibit religion

•Must not entangle government with religion

How do states ensure local compliance with state educational policy?

-Bureaucratic oversight

-Involvement of state boards of education, state commissioners, and state

-Financial control through state allocation of funds to local school districts

What body typically controls education within a state?

State Boards of Education

Where do most schools get their revenue from?

Local property taxes as well as grants from the state and federal government

What do superintendents do?

They run the day to day operations of the schools

Why is zoning important?

Inequalities among school districts - funding usually linked to property taxes, which vary widely

Who is responsible for public welfare?

Federal government

What has been the effect of Social Security?

It has removed people in whole or in part from welfare dependency, thus reducing overall welfare problems

What changes occurred with the introduction of the TANF program?

-Federal government still paid for it but power back to the states and allowed them to set criteria

-Replaced the AFDC federal entitlement program

What is Medicare?

Provides prepaid hospital insurance for the aged and low-cost voluntary medical insurance for the aged under federal administration

Which public assistance program do states spend the most on?

Medicaid