1. American Government and OrganizationPS
Wednesday, 17 September

2. Plan for the lecture -
Review concepts briefly – Majority rule, 50%+1, minority rights, bicameralism
Discuss constitution, federalism

3. Protections Against Tyranny of Majority
Separate institutions
Organized elections
Checks and balances; shared powers
Required supra-majorities
Reserved some power for states
Set boundaries on the powers of government; ie. Bill of Rights

4. Separate Institutions
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
Executive Branch
Judiciary

5. Organized Elections U.S. House (2 year term)
U.S. Senate (6 year term) 1/3rd of the Senate is up for reelection every 2 years
U.S. President (4 year term)

6. Separate Institutions with Shared Power
Congress passes legislation but President can use a veto
Senate confirms top executive appointments and ratifies treaties
Judicial review (established in Marbury vs. Madison, 1803)

7. Examples of Supra Majorities
Concurrent majorities (House and Senate)
Treaty requires 2/3rds of approval by Senate
Congress requires 2/3rds in both houses to over ride a presidential veto
Constitutional amendments require 2/3rds approval by both House and Senate and 3/4ths of states or
2/3rds in both houses of Congress and ratified by conventions in 3/4ths of the states (used once 21st Amendment--repealed prohibition)
National constitutional convention call by 2/3rds of the state legislatures
10,000 proposals, 28 amendments

8. Electoral College
Each state is awarded as many electors as it has members of the House and Senate.
The Constitution left it to the states to decide how electors are selected, but the Framers generally expected that the states would rely on statewide elections.
Today, if any candidate fails to receive an absolute majority (270) of the 538 votes in the electoral college, the election is thrown into the House of Representatives.

9. Federalism
In a federal system, authority is divided between two or more distinct levels of government.
In the United States the division is between the national (federal) government and the states.

10. Three Systems of Government

11. American style Federalism
Federalism is a hybrid arrangement that mixes elements of a confederation (lower level has real power) and a unitary (national level monopolizes constitutional authority) government.
Before adopting a federal system in the Constitution the nation had experienced both of these alternatives.

12. Advantages of Federalism
Flexibility
Preventing abuse of power
Innovation

13. Disadvantages of Federalism
Inequality
Coordination problems
Loss of accountability or evasion of responsibility
Local biases (at the expense of national interest)

14. Division of Authority Dual federalism
Shared (or cooperative) federalism

15. Division of Power National government State Governments Coin money
Regulate interstate commerce
Tax imports and exports
Make war
State Governments
Run elections
Regulate intrastate commerce
Establish republican forms of state/local gov

16. Shared powers
Tax
Borrow Money
Take property
Enforce laws