Texas Government Flashcards

Flashcards on Texas Government

What are the regions of Texas?

Panhandle, Big Bend, Hill Country, South Texas, Gulf Coast, Prairies and Lakes, Pine Woods

What are the different cultures of Texas?

Southern vs. Western; White, African American, Asian, Latino/a; Rural and Urban

What are the different people and settlements into Texas

First Nations/Native Americans, Spaniards/Tejanos/Mexican Settlers, European Settlers & African American Slavery, German Immigrants, Workers from Oil Boom

What is Texas' Land-Based Economy?

Pre-civil war – Cotton, Post-civil war - cattle, Twentieth century – oil, Today – Tech and industry shifting from land-based economy

What are the major cities in Texas?

Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin

What is Political Culture?

Values and beliefs of government and citizenship

What are the American Sub-Cultures?

Moralistic, Individualistic, Traditionalistic

What is the Moralistic subculture?

A positive force for common good

What is the Individualistic subculture?

Government should benefit the individual over society

What is the Traditionalistic subculture?

Government maintains status quo usually benefiting the elites

Describe Texas' Political Culture

Government is limited and citizen participation is discouraged; Private sector should take priority whenever possible

What is Political Culture?

Values and beliefs of government and citizenship

What is Political Culture?

Values and beliefs of government and citizenship

What is Red State One-Party Dominance?

Texas was dominated for 100 years by Democratic Party which was the party of the South

What is Politics?

The process that determines whose values will prevail in society

What are the three approaches to studying PSCI?

Institutions approach, Behavioral approach, Empirical Policy analysis approach

What is Political competition and conflict rooted in?

Society’s resources are finite, but people’s appetites are not; People see things in different ways.

What is Government?

A public institution with the authority to allocate values and resources in society

What is Public policy?

What government formulates, Laws, rules, regulations, ordinances

What is Power?

Refers to the ability of persons or institutions to control policy decisions

What is Authority?

Power exercised through the laws and institutions of government

What is Jurisdiction?

The scope or area where the power is concentrated

What is Sovereignty?

The ultimate authority to self-govern

What is Legitimacy?

The belief people have that their government is based upon morally right principles, and that therefore they should obey its laws

What is Majoritarianism?

This is the concept the that numerical majority prevails not only in counting votes

What is Pluralism?

This holds that policies are effectively decided through power wielded by multiple and diverse special interests that dominate particular policy areas

What is Elitism?

This holds that policy is controlled by a small number of well-positioned, highly influential individuals

What is Autocracy?

One ruler

What is Aristocracy?

Privileged-class rulers

What is Oligarchy?

Small group of rulers

What is Democracy?

Public rules

What is Anarchy?

Having no ruler

What is Tyranny?

Single ruler with absolute power misusing that power

What is Authoritarianism?

Favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom

What is Totalitarian?

Government that seeks to eliminate all challengers

What is Direct democracy?

All citizens all directly participate

What is Republican Democracy?

Elected officials make decisions and people/eligible voters decide who gets elected to make decisions for public

What is Fascism?

Race politics there is no equality in citizenship - master race or state

What is Capitalism?

Private production and decision with individually or corporate ownership

What is Democratic socialism?

Government social policies through democratically elected government rather than a vanguard led revolution

What is Democratic socialism?

Government social policies through democratically elected government rather than a vanguard led revolution

What is Democratic socialism?

government social policies through democratically elected government rather than a vanguard led revolution

What is Socialism?

Socialism retains its emphasis on economic equality, asserting for intervention of the state in the means of production and redistribution with public over private ownership

What is Communism?

Public ownership of the means of production and equal redistribution. Command economy: top down

What is Constitutional government?

Rule in which formal and effective limits are place on governmental power

What is Classical Liberalism?

Individuals are rational beings, virtue and reason Rational actors can make cost and benefits analysis; utility maximization = greatest good/happiness/ benefit over the least amount of cost

Who are Rationalist?

Reasons, ideas are innate in our minds

Who are Empiricsm?

Ideas come from our senses/experiences and we are able understand and observe experiences because we have reason

What is Descriptive Assumptions: of the State of Nature?

Persons in a state of perfect equality No Subordination Individual equality Moral relations

What is Normative Assumptions of the state of nature?

Reason - Optimistic on the nature of man’s ability to reason and come to empirical conclusions. Toleration - Belief is a personal choice - Relatively peaceful Rational dispute resolution

What is Natural law?

Duties we must preserve life, liberty and property.

What is Natural rights?

The rights to all that cannot be taken away, inalienable

What is the Social Contract?

Conditionally transfer some of their rights to the government

What is the Reason for State and Purpose of the State?

Governments exist by the consent of the people

What is the limit of citizens obligation?

The people take power back from the government to which they have entrusted it, they can take back their original authority and overthrow the government

What are Locke’s thoughts on Religion and State?

There should not be a state religion because true conversion cannot occur through coercion

What is Checks/Offense?

The power to intervene if one of the branches acts out of terms

What is Encroachment?

Giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others

What is Offensive measure?

Different branches keep each other from going beyond their legal jurisdictions

What is Defense measure?

The power to thwart-off encroachment from another branch

What is Balance?

You must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

Describe The Courts Selection Process:

Texas vs Federal Courts Selection

What is Federalism?

Federal system - This is a structure of government which is characterized by a division (or sharing of) powers between a national government and associated regional (or state) governments.

What is Confederal ?

Central government is an organ of the sub- national governments

What is Unitary?

The sub-national units are organs of the central government

What is Federal?

Balance of power and jurisdiction between the national and sub- national governments

What is Federal Power in States?

Dual federalism/Layer Cake or Cooperative Federalism/Marble Cake

What is Dual federalism/Layer Cake?

Fed and State governments have little interaction

What is Cooperative Federalism/Marble Cake?

Increased interaction between national and state in solving public issues.

What is Devolution?

Movement of power from the national/fed government to sub-units/states

What is Centralization?

Concentration of power toward the national government with federal grants to states, and new laws and constitutional amendments that provide for Federal intervention.

What is Advantages of Federalism?

Permeated Power, Checks, Grievances can be addressed faster

What is Federal/National Government power?

Power of the federal government are found in the Constitution

What is State power?

Whatever powers that have not enumerated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states belong to the states.

What is Concurrent Powers?

These are powers exercised by both state and federal government