American Government and Politics Today Chapter 15 Domestic Policy

The Policy-Making Process Agenda Building: identifying a problem and getting it on the agenda. Policy Formulation: the debate that occurs among government officials and the public in the media, in Congress, and through campaigns. Policy Adoption: selection of a strategy for addressing the problem from among the solutions discussed. Policy Implementation: the administration of the policy adopted Policy Evaluation.

Health Care The Rising Cost of Health Care  Advanced Technology  The Government’s Role in Financing Health Care Medicare Medicaid  Why has Medicaid spending exploded?  Medicaid and the States

Health Care (cont.) The Uninsured  The Uninsured Employed  Shifting Costs to the Uninsured National Health Insurance  The Canadian System Health Savings Account

Life Expectancy in the U.S.

Poverty and Welfare Income transfers, transfers of income from some individuals in the economy to other individuals. This is generally done by way of the government. The Low-Income Population The Antipoverty Budget

Poverty and Welfare (cont.) Basic Welfare  Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)  Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Welfare Controversies Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Homelessness

Immigration The Continued Influx of Immigrants  More than a million people a year immigrate to this country. Minority Groups will constitute the “majority” of America by Some point out the positives of immigration—offsetting the low birthrate and aging population.

Attempts at Immigration Reform 2006 Congress initiated, but did not pass, sweeping legislation that would make all illegal immigrants in the United States felons.

Crime in the 21 st Century Crime in American History Crimes Committed by Juveniles The Cost of Crime to American Society

Declining Crime Rates

Declining Homicide Rates

Declining Theft Rates

The United States has the highest incarceration rate among major world nations measured by the number of prisoners per 100,000 residents.

Incarceration Rates by Population Group

Crime in the 21 st Century (cont.) Federal Drug Policy  Money spent on federal drug interdiction programs has not met with much success, as illegal drug consumption in the U.S. has remained steady. State and local governments, however, have been attempting new remedies to curtail the drug problem. Confronting Terrorism  Counter-terrorism strategies will necessarily be a part of federal government policy for years to come.

Environmental Policy Environmentalism  Conservation was a policy under which natural resources should be used, but not abused.  Preservation called for natural preserves that are isolated from the effects of human activity. The Environmentalist Movement Ecology

Cleaning Up the Air and Water The National Environmental Policy Act Curbing Air Pollution  The 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1963 constitute a comprehensive policy mandating cleaner air in urban areas. Water Pollution  The Clean Water Act sought to make waters safe for swimming, protect fish and wildlife, and eliminate the discharge of pollutants into the water.

Cost-Effective Solutions One method of supporting cost-effective solutions was part of the Clean Air Act of The act capped overall national sulfur dioxide emissions but also permitted free trade in “rights” to emit sulfur dioxide. As a result, the sulfur dioxide emissions are made by the companies that reap the greatest economic advantage from their right to emit. As a result of legislation, air and water pollution is down dramatically from what it was three or so decades ago. Lead content in the air is 3 percent of what it was. Sulfur dioxide is down by four-fifths.

Other Environmental Issues The Endangered Species Act (ESA) Global Warming  The Kyoto Protocol  The Global Warming Debate

Questions for Critical Thinking  Presuming that national health insurance is off the table in the United Sates, what else could be done to protect the uninsured population from catastrophic medical costs?  How important is income in children’s achievement? What things can money buy that can help children achieve? What can it not?

Questions for Critical Thinking  Prison populations continue to explode. What can be done?  Why are environmental problems often difficult to legislate away? What improvements have been made in air and water quality in recent years? What problems still need solutions?