AP American Government

The Spending Power of the Federal Government and the States Pushing for Economic Equal Opportunity Formula Grants – school lunch program Block Grants – Medicaid Growth of Federal Power through “conditions-in-aid” Drinking Age of 21 and Highway Funds The EPA, Clean Air Act and Highway Funds Limits on conditions – The Health Care Cases (2012)

– Progressive (liberal) control Push for equality of the “common” American, but pushed too far with Prohibition – Republican (conservative) control Restored traditional view of “laissez-faire” economic policy, but destroyed by Depression – Era of Democratic (liberal) control The development of the American Middle Class, but pushed too far with Great Society and abortion – Rebirth of American Conservatism The 1980 unification of the cultural conservative and economic conservative 1993-Present – Era of split government The average American voter splits between conservative and liberal dependent on the individual issue Liberal (Democrat) – Power should be centered around Federal Government to guarantee new values are treated equally and equality of opportunity economically for the lower economic classes Conservative (Republican) – Power should be centered around State Governments to develop economic policy and Federal Government should be used only to enforce “traditional values” More Americans than ever before identify exclusively with one side (partisanship)– the disappearing independent. However, most Americans tend to bounce from liberal to conservative (and vice versa) depending on the issue (the narcissistic voter)