unit 3 ap gov review

Culture War

name given by political scientists to the divide over social issues involving privacy such as abortion, or marriage equality and what the role of government should be in establishing and regulating moral values

Deficit Spending

government spending that exceeds revenue

Discretionary Spending

government spending that can change and is implemented by Congress through appropriations bills

Federal Reserve System

independent government agency that regulates the economy, and consists of 12 banks and a Board and Chairman, appointed by the President.

Fiscal Policy

the use of taxes and spending by the Congress and the President to shape the U.S. economy

Keynesian Economic Theory

the government can impact the productivity of the economy by manipulating tax levels and public spending.

who often supports keynesian economic theory

liberals

keynasian economic theory wants ___ taxes and ____ spending during times of inflation ____ taxes and ____ spending during times of recession

higher taxes and lower spending; lower taxes and increased spending

Monetary Policy

economic policy created by the Federal Reserve, which regulates the money supply and interest rates to keep the economy stable

Non Discretionary Spending

government spending that is required by law or already mandated by the government, such as programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

Orthodox Viewpoint

morality should take precedence over personal freedom

Progressive Viewpoint

personal freedom and flexibility in reevaluating traditional rules and values is more important

Orthodox vs. Progressive Viewpoint is part of the what

Culture war debate

Political Culture

common set of basic values and beliefs about our country and what it means to be an American that is shared by most citizens

Political Ideology

a consistent set of beliefs about politics, public policy and the role of government

Political Socialization

lifelong process by which you acquire your political culture and political ideology.

Revenue

money taken in by the government, through various taxes, custom duties, the sale of government securities and the collection of some fees

Supply-side Economic Theory

holds that by lowering taxes and regulations on business, consumers will eventually benefit by the creation of more jobs and more goods and services.

who often supports Supply side Economic Theory

conservatives

Trickle-down theory

the idea that creating greater wealth at the top eventually trickles down to all levels of the economy

what are the six sources of political socialization?

Family, education, group affiliation, demographic factors, globalization and the media, events

how is political ideology acquired

through political socialization - like political culture

political culture vs ideology

culture reflects big principles, values, how government should function while ideology is view of what government should do

what 3 main ideologies do Americans fall under

Conservative, liberal, moderate

• free market

• little gov regulation of business - limited gov

• strong military

• traditional values

• oppose expensive federal programs

Conservative

• regulation of econ/business

• increased spending on welfare

• affirmative action + marriage/gender equal

• abortion rights

• national healthcare system

• oppose school prayer and military spending

Liberal

Moderate

less consistent ideology, pragmatists, least philosophical of 3 groups

what happened in 1925

14th amendment - nationalization of BoR through incorporation doctrine

what ended poll taxes

ratification of 24th amendment

what was more effective than the 24th amendment and increased black turnout

Voting Rights Act of 1965

2 parts of federal budget

mandatory and discretionary

who is responsible for setting formulas for mandatory payouts

congress

which part of federal spending is larger

mandatory

tax policy why

determine most effective way of meeting nation's revenue obligations without harming other public policy goals 

progressive tax

effective tax rate increases and taxpayers income increaseswh

who prefers progressive tax systems

keynesians

regressive tax

lower the overall rate as individuals make more money

who prefers regressive tax systems

supply siders

what makes up 3 largest sources of income for federal gov

income tax, payroll tax, excise tax

federal reserve act (1913)

established federal reserve system (fed) as central bank of the United States

fiscal policy controlled by who

president and congress

fiscal policy

the way that government uses taxation and government spending to support or improve the overall health of the American economy 

deficit spending

adds to national debt, which raises debt payment which is part of mandatory spending in the budget  

what percentage of Americans consistently vote along party lines?

20%

monetary policy

Policy that is controlled by the Federal Reserve Board and regulates the money supply and interest rates to control inflation and keep the economy healthy and stable

Policy that is controlled by the President and Congress and includes the budget, taxes and government spending is called

fiscal policy

Political scientist Harold Lasswell defined politics as–

"who gets what, when and how"

On a political spectrum above,  where do the majority of Americans fall?

 

just to the left or right of center, from Liberal to Conservative

What is the connection between political ideology and public policy?

The public polices that are enacted by our government at any given time reflect the ideology of the citizens who choose to participate in the political process.

political elites

Political opinion leaders who may be in the Media, lead interest groups or serve in government, and alert the public to changes or problems.

What best describes the way the government approaches economic policy?

The government uses monetary policy, formulated by the Federal Reserve and fiscal policy, formulated by Congress and the President to keep the economy healthy and fund public policies.

When attempting to formulate a budget, one of the major problems faced by the President and Congress is–

the percentage of revenue available for discretionary spending is low and the percentage of revenue needed for non discretionary spending continues to rise.