American Government Final

what do each of the terms - “public” and “private” - refer when they are used in government and political discussions?

Public refers to everyone. private refers to not everyone

What two questions must be answered in order for an issue to be deemed public or private?

Who controls it? 

Who benefits from it? 

Is Concordia Ann Arbor a public or private institution?

Private because the president and board run it, but anyone with the qualifications can be accepted 

List and briefly explain the five-step process by which public policy is created

1. What’s most important?  AKA agenda setting   

2. What should be done?  AKA Policy formation   

3. How will this get approved  AKA Policy adoptions  

4. How will the policy take effect?  AKA Policy Implementation  

5. How do we measure success?  AKA policy evaluation 

What is agenda setting?

The process of determining the issues that should receive the most immediate attention 

What is policy formation?

Involves specific action steps needed for government to address the problem actual policy creation   

What is policy adoptions?

Involves the process Congress follows to approve this action plan (how will we pay for this)

What is policy implementation?

who in the executive branch will carry out the policy/program  

What is policy evaluation?

The process of reviewing a policy law or program and deciding:  

1. If a law/policy met its goal 

2. If the policy was efficient using government resources   

3. Whether or not any changes need to be made to the policy  

What is free-market economy?

An economic market system in which prices and wages are based on competition among private businesses and not controlled by a government 

In terms of the U.S. government’s relationship with the economy, on what key point do most American political leaders agree and what do they disagree on?

Broad agreement = the government should ensure the economy’s health  

Serious disagreement = How the government accomplished this goal 

State and describe the two main economic schools of thought about the way the federal government should be involved in the American economy,

Supply side economics: increasing the supply of goods and services usually through tax cuts and in the process creating more jobs. Market will do what the market will do. Wealthy people will trickle down to the other people. Enough goods. 

Demand side economics: making the goods that the people demand. Government will take over. Enough money. 

Match each of the two major political parties with the economic school of thought each party supports

Supply = republican

Demand = democrats

Which individuals were arguably the most influential in shaping each of the two economic schools of thought?

Supply side: Adam Smith: the wealth of Nations 1776 

Demand side (Keynesian): John Maynard Keynes 

How many branches make up the U.S. federal government?  

What are these branches called?

3, legislature, executive, and judicial

What institutions were created by the U.S. Constitution to carry out the work of the legislature branch?

U.S Congress

What institutions were created by the U.S. Constitution to carry out the work of the Executive branch?

President

What institutions were created by the U.S. Constitution to carry out the work of the Judicial branch?

U.S Courts System

What political (or government) problem was Montesquieu proposing to solve through his concept of the separation of powers? 

Tyranny

What IS the concept of separation of powers?

Dividing government powers into different parts that: Make laws and Enforce laws. A series of checks and balances

Explain the two key ideas that were a part of Montesquieu’s proposal according to class lecture

Checks and Balances

How did the framers of the Constitution apply this idea of checks and balances to the U.S. government structure?

Creating three separate branches of government  

How was the word institution defined in class?

An established practice, relationship, office, or organization created by a society with the purpose of providing order,  services and other practices of significance to that society

What are the three types of representation explored in the textbook?

1. Constituent representation

2. Descriptive representation

3. Collective representation

What are delegate representation:

Agents for the constituents, carrying out the majority will of the constituents. 

What are trustee representation

Entrusted by the voters to represent their best interests and make decisions using their best individual/collective judgment

What are politico representation

Representatives act as either trustee or delegate based on political calculations about who is best served: constituents or the nation

Link delegate representation and trustee representation to the form of democratic government with which it most closely fits.

Trustee: republic  

Delegate: Democracy

Identify the type of representation that is most at work in the U.S. Senate

Trustee

Explain the role that Congressional Apportionment plays in determining how the U.S. House of Representatives is arranged

Ensures that each state's representation in Congress is proportional to its population: census. Elected by Congressional districts 

How many seats (members) are in the House of Representatives?  

435 seats

Why doesn’t the practice of apportionment apply to the Senate?  

Each state gets 2 senators no matter the population

List and briefly describe the three steps for electing lawmakers that apply to BOTH houses of the Congress

1. Candidate recruitment: usually recruited by state party officials   

2. Primary elections: the party’s nominee is elected 

3. General election: the citizens vote 

outline the steps by which a bill becomes a law 

1. Submitted to the chamber clerk 

2. Given a number and assigned to a standing committee 

3. Usually passed to a sub-committee (95% of bill don’t make it passed committee) 

4. Committees (sub and full) decide and agree on the bill’s wording  

5. Full committee send the bill to the chamber floor 

6. Rules about how the bill will be debated are created 

   a. House of Representatives: Rules committee decides how the bill will be debated 

   b. Senate: Bill is presented with a consent agreement  governing debate  

7. Bill is debated on the floor of the chamber which it is introduced 

8. Bills passed by one chamber are sent to the other chamber where the process starts all over again 

9. If chambers can’t agree on the same wording for a bill, the two bills go to a Conference Committee 

10. Conf. committee works out wording difference to create one bill. 

11. Both chambers vote on the unified bill from conference committee 

12. Bills that pass both chambers with same wording go to the president to sign. 

13. President signs the bill into law 

What are the three constitutional qualifications a person must meet to become president?

1. Natural born U.S citizen 

2. At least 35 years old  

3. Resident of the U.S for at least 14 years 

What are emergency powers?

special authorities granted to the president to take swift action during a crisis like war  

What are executive orders?

rules or instructions the president gives the government. Tell government workers what to do or how to do it. Have the power of law, and doesn’t need to go through Congress

What are executive privilege?

Their right to keep certain documents or conversations secret especially when it involves national security. Courts can force them to share though  

What are executive agreements?

deals made by the president and other countries without needing senates approval

What are the six presidential functions?

1. Chief of State 

2. Chief of executive  

3. Chief Diplomat  

4. Commander-in-chief 

5. Chief legislature 

6. Party Chief  

Describe the role of chief of state

The symbolic leader of the US, performing largely ceremonial duties

Describe the role of chief of executive

Actually, running the federal government, executing policies and enforcing laws. 

Describe chief of diplomat

The lead initiator and guide for U.S. foreign policy 

Describe Commander in chief

The head of all the U.S. military forces. 

Describe Chief legislature

Advises and guides the Congress in its lawmaking duties; signs bills into law 

Describe Party Chief

Presidents are leaders of their own political party as long as they are in office.

As discussed in class, the two words that make up the word, “bureaucracy” literally mean what? 

Means: “Rule by desks or offices” 

“Bureau” = French for “desk” or “office”(not furniture or space but position)  

“Kratos” = Greek for “authority” or “rule” 

With which of the three branches of U.S. government is the federal bureaucracy most aligned?

presidential institution 

what are the four specific functions of the federal bureaucracy? 

1. Interprets and implements the law 

2. Makes rules for agency/programs  

3. Provides expert advice to government officials  

4. Resolves disputes: between citizens and governments 

Which of these functions was illustrated in Prof Hendrix’s story of his youthful encounter with the I.R.S.

All but makes laws for agency/programs 

What are the four areas that make up the Presidential Institution

1. The President  

2. White House Staff

3. Executive Office of the President

4. The Cabinet

explain the common law tradition and why it is so important to the American justice system. 

Also known as stare decisis which means to stand on decided cases 

What is judicial review?

The power of the courts to declare unconstitutional federal or state laws and other acts of government

When and during what Supreme Court case did judicial review become the guiding principle of the U.S. court system?

Marbury vs Madison, Established the judicial review in 1803. After Thomas Jefferson was elected

How is judicial review related to the common law tradition of American jurisprudence? 

It was tradition for courts to interpret law, no where in the Constitution does it say for the courts to do this 

In addition to the common law tradition, what are the three other sources of American law

1. Constitutions (U.S and state) 

2. Legislatures (Statues or statutory law/multi-level)  

3. Administrative regulations 

list and briefly explain the two primary standards for determining whether a court case could be heard in a federal court

1. A federal question: is the question that is based in whole or in part on the U.S Constitution, a treaty, or federal law 

2. Diversity of Citizenship: the parties are from different states or different countries

List and describe the three main levels of the federal court system.

1. District courts: hear the case first 

2. Circuit courts: review district case 

3. Supreme court: final review 

What type of federal court hears the vast majority of federal cases compared to the other courts?  

District Courts

Explain the concept of original jurisdiction

District courts have Original jurisdiction: they have the authority to hear cases first

Who is the current chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court?  

John Roberts

What title is given to the members of the U.S. Supreme Court who are not the chief justice?

Associate Justices 

Individualists believe that the primary goal of the government is

 Less government control. Focused on individual freedoms and rights 

Collectivists believe that the primary goal of the government is

More government control. Focus on what's good for society  

extreme economic collectivism leads to

communism

extreme cultural collectivism leads to

Fascism

List and briefly describe Aristotle’s six types of government outlined in his Politics. Which governments did Aristotle label as “good” and which governments were labeled “bad”? 

Good: Monarch: king or queen, Aristocracy: rulers chosen for their good traits, Polity: mixed government with elements of democracy and oligarchy/rules by middle class  

Bad: Tyranny: single ruler who oppresses, Oligarchy: ruled by the wealthy, Democracy: majority rules so usually the poor

Name the THREE CORE VALUES OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT and what governs them

Justice

Order 

Equality

Liberty

Describe Justice

fairness  

• Governs how the other 3 values are applied 

• As a safeguard or guard rail, to make sure the other 3 are being applied fairly  

Describe Equality

all people should have equal value in the eyes of the law 

Describe Liberty

all people should be free from government control so that they can enjoy their life and secure their place in this world 

Describe Order

members of a society need organized structures that ensure peace, security, and prosperity 

What is Gerrymandering?

Dividing a geographic region into election districts to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible 

List and explain the four basic steps involved in the process of electing a U.S. president.

1. Presidential candidates campaign by state to generate support (both financial and electoral) for their candidacy. 

2. Through a state-based series of primaries and caucuses, presidential candidates gain delegates committed to nominating them as their political party's presidential nominee. 

3. At the national convention of their respective political parties, individual presidential candidates are officially nominated as their party's presidential nominee. 

4. Through a general election, each of the 50 states officially selects the candidate of its choice for president of the United States 

What is Constituent representation

An individual member of a body of voters represented by a particular politician  

What is Descriptive representation

Focused on demographic characteristics like race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual identity  

What is Collective representation

Focuses on how the institution itself represents the American people as a whole not just individual members representing specific districts/states 

Identify the type of representation that is most at work in the House of Representatives

Delegates