Poli Sci Quiz 3

13th, 14th, and 15th All have something to do with civil war

13th Amendment

• Ban slavery and involuntary servitude

• Except prisoners

• Some argue that the draft is against the 13th Amendment

14th Amendment- ‘second bill of rights’

• Defines citizenship

• Citizenship: (jus soli- born in U.S, youre automatically a citizen, jus sanguinis- ‘law of the blood’- 1 or more parents is from U.S, automatically a citizen naturalization- in U.S for 7 years, pass test, and sworn in, cannot run for president though)

• Equal Protection Clause: Regardless of race, gender, natural origin, etc. everyone should be equally treated under laws- protects groups of people from bias

• Plessy v. Ferguson 1896: If you want to get on train, have white and black cars, man whos 1/8th black goes in white car and is arrested and fined, he challenged that

  • Seperate but Equal is constitutional Supreme Court rules, becomes precedent/stare decisis (law of the land)

• Brown v. Board of Education: girl and family say black school is further than white school, they challenge ruling, argued that she is not treated equally as white kids, need to have a 9-0 to send message to society, Thurgood Marshall first black man on SC, he was Linda Brown’s attorney

  • Conducted test and asked black children who is evil and who is good out of black and white dolls, Thurgood Marshall used this test and argued that decades of misstreatment have had a negative impact on black kids and makes them feel inferior

  • Decide that Seperate but Equal is inherently unequal

  • U.S has to force Alabama to follow ruling by sending in U.S army to escort black kids into ‘white’ school 

• Due Process: protects people from state governments, 5th amendment just covers federal government

12th Amendment-When electors vote, they must vote separately for President and Vice President

15th Amendment- No one may prevent anyone from voting based on race

16th Amendment-Congress can impose an income tax, they come up with rates that people will have to pay

17th Amendment

• Legislative Branch: Senate and HOR-Bicameralism (2 houses) Congress makes laws

Literacy Test/Poll Tax/Grandfather Clause

If they cant prove education beyond 5th grade, they must take a literacy test, “not based on race”

More likely for a black person to not be able to pay to vote.

If ancestors voted, then you can too, but no black person before 1867 could vote.

24th Amendment- not allowed to charge poll tax

• S.C overruled the use of the grandfather clause

• Drivers License is argued to be a new form of poll tax, but govt argues it is a form of identification

Federal Budget- $5 trillion revenue sources

• 1. Individual Income Tax

• 2. Payroll Taxes

• 3. Corp. Income Tax

• Gross Income-Deductions/Exemptions=Taxable Income

• (Deduction) Mortgage: Is a loan you take out from the bank to pay for your home that you slowly pay back

• (Deduction) Work related expenses

• (Deduction) 401k

Supply Side Economics/Trickle Down Economics: Lower tax rates on Upper Middle Class

Business Owners: $ goes to business, ups hiring, $ for a new car or house which ultimately benefits society-Republican

• 2. Payroll Taxes

Social Security Program, S.S Tax, 12.4% of first $170,000 (Employer pays 6.2% and employee pays 6.2%)

Pay as You go System: Every time you get paycheck you pay taxes on that, if employer took too much $ out of your paycheck you will get a refund but if they dont pay enough you owe money

Medicare: People over the age of 65, if they have medical expenses some will be paid by medicare (Employer pays 1.45% and employee pays 1.45%)

• Corporate Income Tax

Businesses pay taxes on income

• Sources of Spending

22% Health Care-medicare+medicaid, reinbursement for healthcare need for people of age of 65

20% Social Security-baby boomer generation (born after WWII 1946-1964), about 76m people) gen x (1965-1980, about 65m people)

• S.S bankruptcy?

• Solutions:

  • Raise Retirement Age

  • Raise S.S. tax

  • Increase cap 

  • Privatization of S.S.- part of S.S. tax forced to put in stock market and have access at 65

20% Military

13% Safety Net-Welfare, public housing, food stamps

7% Federal Retirees, Veterans

Interest on Debt-$34t

• Defiat-$1.5t-Revenue is less than spending

• Surplus-Get more $ than spend

Mandatory Spending

• Mandatory-Entitlement Program-must be eligible “reform entitlement programs”

• Discretionary-govt can decide to lower/increase/change spendingFederal Taxes and Federal Budget

  
  

  • Pay as you go income tax system: This means that you pay your taxes as you earn money throughout the year instead of paying all the money in April. You could avoid being fined if you pay quarterly.

  • Tax Deductions: This is what you deduct from your income to then be taxed only on the lower amount.

  • Tax Exemptions: Where a business or organization is exempt from paying taxes. Ex. If they are a church or nonprofit organization they use their donations for charitable work.

  • Progressive income tax system: This means that people who make more money will be taxed more, and vice versa, creating a tax bracket. Higher rate as income goes up to next bracket.

  • Proportional income tax system: Otherwise known as the ‘Flat tax’. It means that everyone gets taxed the same percentage no matter how much they make. 

  • Regressive income tax system: This is a tax system that means that no matter how much someone makes, everyone pays the same amount.

  
  

  Describe 2 pros and 2 cons of the progressive income tax system

  
  

  • Pros

  1. Reduces stress on lower income families.

  2. It collects the most amount of taxes from the people who make the most.

  • Cons

  1. ‘Punishes’ the upper and middle classes.

  2. Some people believe that it makes people not want to earn more money.

  
  
  

  Describe 2 pros and 2 cons of the proportional income tax system

  
  

  • Pros

  1. People are taxed the same no matter what their income is.

  2. It encourages people to earn more, knowing that they will be taxed the same amount.

  • Cons

  1. Higher burden on lower income families.

  2. Does not affect higher income people as much as middle/lower income.Primary

     • An intra party election 7am-7pm

     • Primaries look like a general election

     • Some states require you to be a member of the party to participate

     • Some let independants choose a ballot 

     • Participation: Go to polling place, wait in line, takes time out of day

     • Private voting at a specific time

     • Closed Primary: Most states and parties will only let you vote if you’re a member of the party, closed because closed to non-members, no voting for independents

     • Semi-Closed Primaries: Let independents vote for only one primary

     • Open Primary: Anyone can vote for anyone in a primary, no matter who they’re registered with

     • New Hampshire: Wrote into state law that their primary must be at least 1 week before every other state

     • Iowa: Goes first because theyre election is a caucus

     • Super Tuesday: When lots of states hold primaries instead of waiting in a line to hold primaries

     • Delegates: (State Reps, Officials) People who represent a group of people, but dont necessarily vote for who the majority vote for, more people=more delegates

     • National Convention: Where the delegates from each state go to vote for nominee

     • Super delegate: (Congressmen, Former Presidents) “Unpleged Delegates”Represent current party establishment, vote for whoever they want, can only be up to 15% of the voters in convention, only for Democratic party

     • Brokered Convention: When the first ballot/vote has occurred, and no candidate has most of the votes

     • Frontloading: States want to hold primary in the first few months because then in the first months there is already a winner. Hurts people without a big name.

     • National Convention: Delegates vote for who will be president, unifying the party. A bunch of speeches by celebs, ex presidents, famous people about how good their person is. On the last night there are acceptance speeches. A keynote speaker introduces themself and talks about how good their person is.

     • Location: Cities bid to hold the National Convention, in swing states/battleground states

     • About 170,000,000 million voters determined by 5 states 100,000 votes

     • E.C: Is winner take all, Biden get all EC votes, candidates select electors to represent them in EC

     • Faithless Elector: The electors do not technically have to vote for their candidate, on Janurary 6, congress officially certifies election

     
     

     • Pros of Open Primary

       • Inclusive, forces people to reflect and decide

     • Cons of Open Primary

       • “Raiding”-vote for weakest democratic candidate in hope that they win and then destroy them in general election

     • Pros of Closed Primary

       • Prevents “Raiding”

     • Cons of Closed Primary

       • Excludes independants

     • Proportional Respresentation-support from voters=who delegates vote for

     • Winner-Take-All-only one winner

     • Winner is whoever has 50%+1 of votes

     
     

     Caucus

     • Caucases are community meetings

     • Gather socially

     • Talk about who you stand with with other people

     • Participation: Draws people who are much more invested in field because takes a long time, sometimes days to talk about everything, attracts higher educated people, also who have time and resources to go out for hours, older people

     • Public voting all day