Goverment Test One

the formal organization through which policies are made and the state is managed

member of the political community, with certain rights and obligations

the making of policy; who gets what, when, and how; Lenin summarized as: �kto - kovo,� or �who does what (rules, oppresses, kills) - to whom�

• � Establish justice � est. the rule of law: a just social and political order
• � Ensure domestic tranquility � keep the peace; prevent rebellion; monopoly on use of force
• � Provide for the common defense � military, anti-terrorism
• � Promote the general welfare � do good; this has expanded greatly since 1789
• � Secure the blessings of liberty � ensure freedoms: ours & our children's

• dictatorship � power is held by a small elite; no political challenge to the rulers is allowed; also called authoritarianism; the worst kind is: (Burman)
• totalitarianism � the state claims total, god-like control over all persons and institutions; no free thought or action is tolerated; e.g. N. Korea, Cuba; also USSR, Nazi Germany, Baathist Iraq
• monarchy � power is vested in hierarchical kings and queens; can exist under a constitution (Queen of England)
• democracy � power is held by the people, either directly or through representatives (republic); govt. power is restrained, usually by a constitution (US)
• anarchy � absence of government; chaos, or minimalist �system;� rare: �nature abhors a vacuum� (Samalia, Iraq after invasion)

with printed Word, some Christians rejected non- scriptural church doctrines; laypeople felt competent to reject elite control, and to govern their own spiritual affairs

challenged assumptions of personal helplessness to fate or God's will, and the divine right of kings; promoted reason, science, and (eventually) religious tolerance

people are free and equal by God-given right; requires that all people give their consent to be governed

wrote in Leviathan that in the �state of nature� life was �solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short;� argued for a powerful government to keep order

in his Second Treatise on Civil Government, Locke argued that natural law gave each individual inalienable rights: �life, liberty, and property;� for Locke, the social contract allowed citizens to dismiss a government that failed to protect their rights

citizens meet to discuss all policy decisions; they abide by majority rule

citizens vote for representatives, who act on their behalf

government featuring consent of the governed; a representative or indirect government; originally meant �without a king;� literally, res publica (Lat.), �a public thing�

• political culture � commonly held attitudes, beliefs, and core values about government
• personal liberty � freedom from governmental interference or discrimination; freedom �from� (negative freedom) and freedom �to� (positive freedom)
• equality � in political rights and before the law; �one person, one vote�
• popular consent � government exists by the consent of the governed
• majority rule � policies & personnel chosen by 50% + 1 (or by plurality, in many elections); in a free society, also protects minority rights
• popular sovereignty � the right of the people to govern themselves
• civil society � citizens meeting and expressing their views on public policy, including in non-governmental, not-for-profit, independent settings
• individualism � allowing individuals to achieve their highest level of development
• religious faith � US is most God-fearing country; affects politics, society; sizable conservative Christian sub culture

• � racial and ethnic composition � legal/illegal immigration; birth rates
• � **age cohort composition � Baby Boom, Generation X, Generation Y
• � families and family size � fewer children, more single parents
• Implications of These Changes
• � immigration � cheap labor, hispanization v. assimilation, larger ___________
• � aging � �______ of America� leading to demographic time bomb for entitlement programs
• � marriage & children � more absent ________, leading to more poverty, dysfunctions

• political ideology � coherent set of beliefs and ideals about the purpose and scope of government
• � oriented toward the masses
• � simply stated
• � programmatic: calls for (usually specific) changes

• **Conservatism � government should be limited and diffused; should promote free-market economics, achievement, traditional social values, muscular foreign policy (George W. Bush b/c pro-life and tax cuts)
• **Liberalism � government should be active and well-funded; it should regulate the economy and promote equality and social change; mostly anti-war (Barack O
• bama b/c expanding spending budgets, pro-choice, and get rid of don�t ask don�t tell)
• Libertarianism � government should exist only to provide basic defense and public safety; it should not intrude on economic activity or personal liberty in any way
• Leftism � government should effect socialism; it should promote great social change, and join in global action to solve global problems; utopian

• **Stamp Act Congress � met in New York in 1765, first official meeting of the colonies; drafted a detailed list of Crown violations of colonists� fundamental rights
• In 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and revised the Sugar Act; but passed the Townshend Acts (1767), which raised taxes on many colonial imports (including tea)
• Committees of Correspondence � in 1772, set up in the colonies to keep colonists aware of developments with England; hardened public opinion against the British
• Boston Tea Party � protest of the Tea Act (1773) which established a monopoly on tea
• Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774) � total blockade of Boston Harbor, reinforced the Quartering Act

• In Philadelphia, 56 delegates, from every colony except Georgia, met in fall 1774 resolved to oppose the Coercive Acts
• � drafted a Declaration of Rights and Resolves
• � **agreed to meet in May 1775 if King George did not give in to their demands

• Fighting broke out April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts; the �shot heard round the world� � 8 Minutemen killed, British besieged Boston
• The Congress met in Philadelphia to organize the colonies for war:
• � created a Continental army, with George Washington as commander-in-chief
• � established a committee for foreign relations
• � authorized the printing of money
• � adopted last-chance "Olive Branch Petition" to England to avert war; it was rejected

• was drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776; the Declaration proclaimed the right of the American colonies to separate from Great Britain
• � **Jefferson argued for separation, drawing on earlier philosophers, such as Locke (draws on his writings), who had written South Carolina's first constitution, its 1663 colonial charter
• � �We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .�
• � England had denied the colonists personal rights and liberties
• � Congress ratifies, Jully 4, 1776

• **Articles � compact among the 13 original states as the basis of national government; written in 1776, ratified by the states in March 1781; created a loose association between 13 regions, independent states (British surrendered in October 1781)
• the national government derived its powers from the states

• � the Congress of the Confederation could rarely assemble a quorum of 9 states
• � Congress had no power to tax, so it had no money to spend
• � no effective national currency (led to inflation), and no interstate commercial law
• � no national executive � nobody responsibility to carry out the laws enacted
• � no national judiciary � no way to resolve conflicts between the states
• � no strong central government � states could not be forced to abide by national laws

• � showed the weakness of the Confederation
• � showed how the lack of central power limited state sovereignty against threats, in this case, an armed mob
• � Blamed government corruption, cronyism, onerous taxes
• � State militias were unable or unwilling to stop them
• � Eventually rooted by a private Boston militia

• used European nation-state model:
• � Strong central government with 3 branches: legislative, executive, & judicial
• � 2-house legislature: one chosen by the people, one chosen by ________________
• � Legislature selects the executive and the judiciary (see British Parliament)
• � favored larger states, like Virginia and New York

• strengthen the Articles, don't replace them:
• � 1-house legislature, one vote for each state; representatives chosen by state legislatures
• � Congress gets power to raise revenues from duties and postal service
• � Supreme Court, appointed for life, chosen by executive officers
• � favored smaller states

• **the �Great Compromise� took ideas from both VA & NJ plans:
• � "lower" house � 56 representatives, one for each 40,000 people; elected by the people
• � lower house originates all bills for raising and spending money
• � �upper� house � each state has an equal vote; selected by state legislatures
• � national power is supreme over state government powers
• �Three-Fifths� Compromise � in counting states' populations for representation in the lower house, slaves would be counted as 3/5 of "all other Persons"
• Compromise way northern limit power of southern states

• �We the People . . .� � national power comes directly from the people
• �in Order to form a more perfect Union . . .� � acknowledged failure of the Article of Confederation

• (big ideas) drawn from Locke and Montesquieu
• Separation of Powers � dividing power among three branches of government
• Checks and Balances � each branch of government has some oversight and control over the other two; Locke warned against the legislature delegating any of its powers
• Federal system � power is divided between the state governments and the national government; independent states are bound together in a union

• **Article I: the Legislative Branch
• � 17 enumerated powers
• � �necessary and proper� clause (�elastic� clause) allows for:
• � implied powers
• **Article II: the Executive Branch
• � President
• � diplomacy, appointments, administration, reporting to Congress
• **Article III: the Judicial Branch
• � Supreme Court � settles disputes between states
• � appointed for life, presuming �good behavior�
• Articles IV through VII
• � IV � full faith and credit clause
• � V � how to amend the Constitution
• � VI � supremacy clause: the national law is supreme over states, etc.; no religious test
• � VII � How to Ratify the Constitution

the Framers requested that the states call special ratifying conventions to consider it; the Second Continental Congress forwarded it to the states, where it was debated

• Federalists � wanted a strong central government; supported ratifying the Constitution
• Anti-Federalists � wanted strong state governments; opposed ratification
• The Federalist Papers � written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay (�Publius�) to promote ratification, for New York newspapers (&VA)
• **Bill of Rights � first 10 amendments; submitted by Congress to complement the Constitution; some feared that enumerating rights would allow rights not named to be weakened or trampled

• Formal Methods of Amending the Constitution
• Article V � two stage process: proposal and ratification
• **two ways to propose amendments:
• � approval by 2/3 of the members in both US House and Senate
• � vote by 2/3 of the state legislatures to have Congress call a constitutional convention
• two ways to ratify amendments:
• � approval by 3/4 of the State Legislatures
• � approval in special ratifying conventions in 3/4 of the states (only one called � for 21st)

• judicial interpretation � in Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall declared that the federal courts can nullify acts of Congress when in conflict with the Constitution; has the effect of ultimately amending the Constitution
• social, cultural, and legal change � the Great Depression and the New Deal brought great changes in the scope of national or federal government and its relationship with the states
• technology � Constitution must be applied to the Internet, wiretaps, surveillance, etc.

• federalism � the allocation of power between the national government and the states; see Figs. 3.2 and 3.3
• federal system � both national and state governments get all authority from the people
• Unitary system � local and regional governments get their power from a strong central government

• Enumerated powers � 17 specific powers granted to Congress in Article 1, sec. 8; include powers to tax, make money, regulate commerce, and provide for national defense
• Necessary and Proper clause � gives Congress authority to pass all laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers
• supremacy clause � National law is supreme over state laws; in Article VI
• implied powers- needed to carry out the 17 powers

• few powers are enumerated to the states; under the Articles of Confederation, states had all the power
• privileges and immunities clause � citizens of every state get the same rights
• Tenth Amendment � powers not delegated to the national government, or prohibited from the states, are reserved to the states, or to the people
• reserve (police) powers � those reserved to the states: the states may make laws to protect the public health, safety, and morals of their citizens

• Denied powers - Those denied to both state and national government
• Concurrent powers � powers shared by the national and state governments: ability to make and enforce laws, tax, borrow money, establish courts
• Bill of attainder � a law declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial; a law passed against an individual; can�t be singled out
• ex post facto laws � laws passed �after the fact,� making a previously legal act illegal, and subject to current penalty

• **Full Faith and Credit clause � contracts and judicial decisions and decrees in one state will be binding and enforceable in all states
• Extradition of criminals � required in Article IV
• Supreme Court decides arguments between the states
• Interstate compacts � originally, were bistate compacts about boundaries; some are about policy or sharing resources, e.g. Drivers License Compact, Emergency Management Assistance Compact
• Privileges and Immunities Clause- citizens of all states have the same fundamental rights.

• � Supreme Court upheld the power of the national government
• � ruled that Congress had the implied power to create a national bank to carry out its �necessary and proper� authority to collect taxes, issue currency, and borrow money
• � denied the right of a state to tax a U.S.-chartered bank; Marshall: �The power to tax involves the power to destroy.�
• � States may not tax a federal government entity

• dual federalism � the national government should not exceed its enumerated powers; national and state governments should be separate and equally powerful
• Dred Scott (1857) � Taney Court ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional (first since 1819), made it impossible for Congressional action to prevent the Civil War
• 16th Amendment (1913) � allowed Congress to enact a national income tax; greatly enhanced national power to tax and spend, and to make many new policies
• 17th Amendment (1913) � U.S. senators directly elected by the people, no longer by state legislatures; limited party/machine politics, Senate no longer protector of the states
• Both 16 and 17 allowed for major expansion of national power v. the states.

• The Great Depression � economic failure of 1930s: trade stifled, markets crashed, widespread bank failures, severe high unemployment, trade smothered
• The New Deal � Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) used unprecedented government intervene-tion to relieve economic woes; �alphabetocracy� included CCC, AAA, NRA, FHA
• �Court Packing� plan � FDR tried to add 4 justices to the anti-New Deal Supreme Court; the plan failed, but the court then reversed many of its decisions � tried massive government intervention to relieve economic woes
• **Cooperative federalism � intertwined relationship among state, and local governments; change from �layer cake� to �marble cake� illustration of their responsibilities
• Federal grants � federal funds given to states for a specific purpose
• Categorical grants � federal funds given by a formula, with detailed conditions; often, states must �match� federal funds with their own funding
• The Great Society � Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) funds programs to fight poverty and inequality; included the War on Poverty (�poverty won�); city & state governments often bypassed to directly fund urban community groups
• Preemption � allows the national government to overrides, or preempts, state or local power

• the Reagan Revolution � brakes on federal domestic spending & regulations in the �80s; reversed under Bush I & Clinton with Democratic Congress, 1990-94
• Block grants � broad grants, for specific activities, but with few strings attached � to fight crime

• **Brown v. Board of Education (1954) � struck down official school segregation � didn�t react at first so did again
• Roe v. Wade (1973) � struck down all states� laws banning, w/Doe v. Bolton, any restrictions on abortion; social/political effects: created pro-life movements, killed the ERA; what if it's overturned?
• recent devolution � many 5-4 decisions devolving power to the states; see Figure 3.4
• Printz v. US (1997)- limited federal mandates on local law enforcement

• states are the basic units which
• � establish local governments, and
• � are the building blocks of the federal government
• states and localities grew from part-time to full-time enterprises; grew to do more; also, federal initiatives required S&LGs to do more

• �It varies from state to state� � different practices, policies; �laboratories of democracy�
• state constitutions � predated, influenced federal constitution; more easily revised
• **Progressive movement � fought machine politics, advocated democratic reforms; included Gov./Sen. Robert M. LaFollette, Pres. Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson

• � write laws: criminal, regulatory, commercial laws; committee, caucus work
• � pass budgets
• � local concerns, constituent services
• **Sunset law � sets a date for a program to expire, unless reauthorized by the legislature
• **Term limits � restrictions on how long an individual may serve in elected offices; in MI, 6 yrs. (3 x 2) for representatives, 8 yrs. (2 x 4) for senators � congress has none
• one-person, one-vote � equitable representation by population in state legislatures

• elected (usu. 4 yrs.) chief executives in state governments; major activities:
• � establish agenda � submit bills, bully pulpit
• � submit & execute budgets; also issue bonds
• � agency & board appointments; atop the administration, patronage
• Veto � governor's authority to void a bill that has been passed by the legislature; usually can be overridden by a 2/3 vote in both legislative chambers
• **Line item veto � governor's authority to delete part of a bill, especially one that involves taxing or spending � president does not have power
• criminal justice powers: pardon, commutation, parole (usu. w/board), extradition

• statewide elections are partisan, but usually not as ideological as national elections
• the Solid South � the Democratic Party dominated southern politics from the Civil War through most of the 20th century; now as bipartisan as most of the country
• watersheds � 1930s, 1964, 1974, 1994; end of liberal-era Democratic dominance

• Only at State Level
• Direct initiative � voters enact a law, by ballot measure; bypass legislature and governor (see Table 4.3, also for others) � petition to get on ballot
• Indirect initiative � legislature offers a ballot measure for voters to enact
• direct referendum � voters veto a bill passed by the legislature
• Recall � voters remove an officeholder (politician) before the next scheduled election; rare; in18 states

• **Charter � specifies a municipality�s basic structures, procedures, and scope of services
• Dillon�s Rule � local governments get their authority from state governments

• Mayor � chief elected executive city official
• city council � city�s legislature
• Manager � professional executive hired to administer city or county operations
• elections � can be district-based or at-large
• town meeting � all eligible voters meet to approve budgets and ordinances
• **political machine � an organization trading votes and political support for services or jobs
• Sunshine Laws require government meetings and records to be open to the public (not behind closed doors)

• states have been getting about 1/4 of their funding from the federal government; other significant state revenue sources are income taxes, sales taxes, and assorted fees
• **Progressive tax � level of taxes increases with income, wealth, or the ability to pay
• **Regressive tax � takes a greater percentage of means from those with less income, wealth, or ability to pay

• tribes signed treaties between US and what were then independent nations, usually based on military defeat or threat
• **Domestic Dependent nations � type of sovereignty; tribes are outside the authority of state governments, but rely on the federal government for the definition of their authority � political desgination
• Trust relationship � legal obligation of the U.S. federal government to protect the interests of Indian tribes
• Compact � a formal, legal agreement between a state and a tribe; Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 allows states to negotiate casino gambling with tribes