AP Gov Midterm Terms & Definitions for Political Science

How is Social Security funded

payroll taxes

Who gets Social Security

Old Age = monthly payments

Survivors (orphans or lost a spouse) = collect what would have been parent's/spouse's social security

Disability Insurance (physical or mental disability limits employment) = payments

NOT means based

How expensive is Social Security

the most costly government program (over 6 billion)

means-based program

eligibility is determined by income

ex: Welfare, Medicaid, Access, Food Stamps

who is the biggest group to get means-based programs

single moms and their children

who does Medicare benefit

people over 65 and some disabled people

who runs Medicare

federal government

how is Medicare paid for

payroll taxes, and some still have payments

who does Medicaid benefit

low income

who runs Medicaid

state governments

how is Medicaid paid for

payroll taxes matched by employers

Welfare/TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)

gives support for low income on a temporary basis

abolished the longtime welfare policy, AFDC

how did Welfare change from the AFDC to the new TANF

run by states

used to be for married women whose husbands died

TANF gives support on a temporary basis and is more generalized

where do most people get their healthcare

through their job

many still get it through a government program

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

expanded Medicare

created health care exchanges to buy cheaper insurance as a group

people penalized for not having insurance

How have the Supreme Court and laws passed by Congress changed the Affordable Care Act since 2012?

states can opt out of Medicaid expansion

business owners do not have to provide contraceptives

no one will be penalized if they do not get health insurance

political views of Affordable Care Act (AKA Obama Care)

Democrats support

Republicans against

Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)

health care coverage for children

charter schools

publicly funded

some exist in PA

loose regulations with standards/testing

do not have to pay tuition to attend

educational vouchers

rebate on property tax bills that goes to parents who send children to private schools with tuition

not allowed in PA

concerns with public education funding

funded through property tax

what is considered a decent unemployment rate

3-5%

how does the unemployment program work

paid for through small payroll tax and partially by employer

temporary payment (about 6 months) from the government for workers who have been laid off from their jobs

main sources of revenue for national government

taxes (income, capital gains, payroll)

capital gains

tax on earnings from long term investments

payroll taxes

% of salary taken from each paycheck

how is the national income tax structured

based on how much you earn

your taxable income is divided into sections that use different rates, rate goes from 10-37% depending on income

deductions/tax credits lower bill

16th amendment

power for the national government to do per capita or individual taxes

supply side tax cut

Policy concept that involves cutting taxes (especially income tax) so people will have more money to spend to stimulate economy

what political party favors supply side tax cuts

Republicans

Keynesian Economic Theory

When demand is low the government should pump money into the economy by spending more than it collects (deficit spending, cut taxes, increase spending)

When demand is high the government should take money out of the economy (increasing taxes/interest rates, cut expenditures)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

total of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year

why is it difficult for the national government to operate on a balanced budget

the national government doesn't HAVE to have a balanced budget by law

what is a decent debt to GDP ratio according to economists

deficit should not exceed 60% of our GDP

current US debt is high and considered bad

what are the biggest drivers of our debt

entitlement spending and low taxes

mandatory spending

spending that has to be done because it is tied to a program established by law

2/3 of national budget

discrentionary spending

spending that can be eliminated

1/3 of national budget

how do Democrats want to lower the budget

higher taxes, efficiency measures

how do Republicans want to lower the budget

spending cuts, tax cuts

monetary policy

government policy that affects the US economy as a whole

interest rates, loan policy, other business law practices

fiscal policy

the yearly budget process of the government

taxing and spending decisions

legislative and executive branches

what government agency is most responsible for monetary policy

Federal Reserve

what does the Federal Reserve do to control monetary policy

buy and sell federal securities

regulate amount of money in member banks

change interest rates

liberal

less government control on social issues

more government control on economics

conservative

more government control on social issues

less government control on economics

libertarian

low government control on social issues

low government control on economic issues

demographic trends for liberals (education, gender, age, race, region, religious belief, marital status, occupation)

college educated/advanced degrees

more women

younger

minorities

east/west coasts (urban)

moderately or less religious

more single

blue collar workers

demographic trends for conservatives (education, gender, age, race, region, religious belief, marital status, occupation)

college educated/lower

more men

older

white/Cuban American

south and midwest (rural)

more religious (especially white protestants)

married

white collar workers

how is the US population changing as far as race goes and what impact might that have on politics

diversity and representation

issue poll

asks how people feel about a particular issue

favorability/tracking poll

measures whether the public favors a current politician or asks what candidate people favor

push polls

marketing technique common in political campaigns

the poll attempts to influence voters under the guise of a poll

use biased wording

exit polls

ask who people voted for

prominent for measuring on election day

what makes a good scientific poll

should include random sample, representative sample, and margin of error

fairly worded questions

political socialization

learning process through which an individual acquires particular political beliefs and values

limited government

the idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens

people have inherent rights that the government cannot take away

equality of opportunity

giving people an equal chance to succeed

individualism

the beliefs that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make

margin of error

based on the size of respondents and how well the sample matches the group being measured

reasonable = plus or minus 2-3% or less

what happens at the national presidential nominating conventions every four years

rewrite party platform

choose delegates

pep rally

vice president announced

platform

goals for policy/law of country

appeal to large audience

Green party views

focuses on environmental issues, social justice, and non-violence

Constitution party views

ultra-conservative on most economic and social issues

Reform party views

tax reform and balanced budget

main ideas absorbed by Republican party

what advantages does the majority party have in the House/Senate

leadership positions

committee chairs

majority of votes

how do political parties help fellow members in elections

share money through leadership PACs

coattails effect: popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party

why does the US have divided government whereas other democracies don't

separate elections for President and Congress

uneven terms

open primary

voters choose which primary to vote in but it can be either one

closed primary

voters must be registered with the party

top-two primary

all candidates run on same ballot

top two vote-getters face off in general election

blanket primary

all candidates run on same ballot

single candidate with most votes from each political party face off in general election

caucus

voting in public through long meetings

run-off election

type of election after a general election where top two candidates run against each other (who did not get above 50% of the vote in the initial general election)

primary versus general elections

primaries determine candidates that will run in the general elections

mid-term election

general elections held 2 years into a presidential term

straight ticket/party line voting

only vote for candidates in one party

majority vote

winner gets over 50% of the vote

plurality vote

winner gets most votes, even if that is less than 50% of the total

retrospective voting

voting based on past policies or actions

prospective voting

voting for future policies

political efficacy

belief a person has that their involvement in politics can make a difference

electorate

the citizens eligible to vote

constitutuent

a person from a legislator's district

single-member district

one representative per voting district

micro-targeting of ads

creating ads to appeal to specific portions of the public

huge in social media

criticisms of US elections

not a day off

low turnout

no automatic registration

poorly designed machines and ballots

conflicts of interest

too much money

policies that have tried to improve voter turnout

early voting

absentee voting

provisional ballots

how to register to vote in PA

fill out form

submit online, by mail, in person at registration office, PennDOT and other government agencies

why was the Electoral College created

founding fathers did not believe the people could be fully trusted to make the right vote

how does the Electoral College work

each state determines how it will select its electors

electors then elect the president

express advocacy

states the endorsement of a candidate for office

regulated in campaign commercials

501 organizations

tax-exempt groups that have some non-political purpose

501 (c) 4 groups

donations are unlimited and anonymous

corporations and unions don't want their spending made public

SuperPACS form this group and use it to keep donations secret

public funding

optional campaign funds provided by the government

limits amount candidates can raise so not really used anymore

gerrymandering

drawing voting districts in unusual shapes to make it more likely for a candidate from a particular party to win

Voting Rights Act 1965

banned literacy tests

federal poll workers can observe to prevent voter suppression

no racial discrimination in elections

preclearance

Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

provide money to states to update machines

provisional ballots

computerized registration lists

signs explaining voting rights

Voter IDs

Motor Voter Act/National Registration Voter Act

attempt to make registration process easier for citizens and improve voter turnout

providing applications at other locations

mail-in registration applications

hard money

money raised and spent by a candidate's campaign organization

must be raised and spend in accordance with current federal law

independent expenditures or soft money

expenditures made independently of a candidate's campaign organization

spending in campaigns by political parties, interest groups, and PACS

can't be limited under Constitution unless made in "coordination"