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Constitutional Underpinnings of the United States Government
Understanding American Politics Functions of Government Policy Making System American Political Culture Mr. Woods - A.P. Government and Politics
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Discussion Questions How knowledgeable are people in America about matters of public policy (if so do they apply that knowledge to their voting choices)? How are American elections designed to facilitate public participation? What improvements can be made to our election system to ensure more public participation? Do political parties provide voters with clear choices, or do they intentionally obscure their stands on issues in order to get as many votes as possible? What role does the media have in providing voters with clear choices? Does the media help citizens understand the choices that they have as voters? Is Congress representative of American society, and is it capable of solving societies problems?
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Functions of Government
Understanding American Politics Mr. Woods - A.P. Government and Politics
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Four Key Institutions Congress: Legislative President: Executive
Government consists of those institutions that make authoritative public policies for society as a whole Congress: Legislative President: Executive Courts: Judiciary Bureaucracy: federal administrative agencies Lecture Outline Government consists of those institutions that make authoritative public policies for society as a whole. Four key institutions make policy at the national level: Congress, president, the courts, and the federal administrative agencies (bureaucracy). This unit raises two fundamental questions about governing that will serve as themes for the text. How should we govern? What should government do? Regardless of how they assumed power, all governments have certain functions in common. Governments maintain national defense. Governments provide public goods—things that everyone can share, such as clean air. Governments have police powers to provide order—as when Chinese security forces crushed the student protest in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and when the National Guard was called in to restore order in Los Angeles after the 1992 Rodney King verdict. Governments socialize the young into the political culture—typically through practices such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in daily exercises at public schools. Governments collect taxes to pay for the services they provide.
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Historical Purposes of Government
Maintaining Order Preserving life and protecting property Does the government have the right to infringe upon individuals personal freedom? Providing Public Goods Over the years, the scope of American government has expanded considerably What goods should the government provide? Causes tension between government vs. private business Promoting Equality Newest and most controversial purpose of government today To what extent should the government redistribute wealth, regulate social behavior, and provide opportunities?
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Common Functions of Government
All Governments have certain functions in common Maintain National Defense Provide Public Services (public goods) Preserve Order (police powers) Socialize the Young (Pledge of Allegiance) Collect Taxes
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Provide Order - Hobbes Hobbes argued that people needed an absolute monarchy. Without government, there would be no laws-people could do whatever they wanted. Even if people tried to develop informal rules, there would be no way to guarantee that these rules would be enforced. This crucial governmental role was noted by the Founders in the preamble to the Constitution.
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Provide Order - Madison
Without government, we would quickly be headed toward Hobbes’s nasty and brutish state of nature. Madison’s view of human nature might sound pessimistic, but it is also realistic. He assumes that people are self-interested: we want what is best for ourselves and our families, and to satisfy those interests, we tend to form groups (factions) with like-minded people.
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Promoting the General Welfare - Hume
It is easy for two people to tackle a common problem without the help of government, but a thousand people, to say nothing of the more than 300 million in the United States today, would suffer from the free rider problem: because it is in everyone’s interest to “lay the whole burden on others,” and because everyone thinks this way, the meadow would never be drained. Hume notes, “political society” – government – can “remedy those inconveniences” by draining the meadow and providing the desired public good.
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Image: In the United States, the transfer of power is achieved through peaceful means.
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Figure 1.1 Political Apathy Among Young and Old Americans, 1972-2008
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Figure 1.2 Age and Political Knowledge, 1972 and 2008
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Figure 1.3 Presidential Election Turnout Rates of Young and Old Americans, 1972-2008
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Policymaking System Understanding American Politics
Mr. Woods - A.P. Government and Politics
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Two Dilemmas of Government
Original Dilemma Freedom vs. Order How do we organize and use police power to preserve life and protect property? Modern Dilemma Freedom vs. Equality Political Equality: one person, one vote and the ability to influence political decisions through wealth or status Social Equality: Equality of opportunity and outcome (government redistribution of wealth and governmental rights as entitlements)
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Policymaking Institutions
Linkage Institutions Parties Elections Mass Media Interest Groups Policymaking Institutions Congress Presidency Courts Bureaucracy
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Figure 1.4 The Policymaking System
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Table 1.1 Types of Public Policies
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LO 1.2 Image: Pro-life and pro-choice groups are single-minded and usually uncompromising.
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LO 1.3 Image: AIDS activists try to get the government to take aggressive action to find and approve new treatments.
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American Political Culture
Understanding American Politics Mr. Woods - A.P. Government and Politics
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5 Elements of American Political Culture
Liberty: one of Jefferson’s inalienable rights and a cornerstone of the Bill of Rights Egalitarianism: equality of opportunity, especially social equality, has promoted increasing political equality Individualism: American individualism developed in part from the western frontier and the immigrants’ flight from government oppression Laissez-faire economics: American government taxes and regulates less than most countries at its equivalent level of development Populism: The common, ordinary citizens are idealized in American politics, and both liberals and conservatives claim to be their protectors
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LO 1.4 Image: New Hampshire license plate shows that liberty is a fundamental value that most Americans cherish.
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Figure 1.6 Pride in Various Countries Regarding Equal Treatment of Groups
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Democracy A Culture War?
James Q. Wilson believes that America is a more polarized nation today than at any time in living memory. Other scholars believe that there is relatively little evidence of a so-called culture war going on among ordinary American citizens. Lecture Outline Scholars debate whether there is a “cultural war” afoot in America.
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How Active Is American Government?
Spends $3.8 trillion yearly Employs 2.8 million civilians and 1.4 million in the military It owns one-third of the land in the United States It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office space Lecture Outline National, state, and local governments in America collectively spend 29 percent of our gross domestic product (the value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States).
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LO 1.5 Image: Political debate over the historic health care bill signed into law by President Obama.
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Hitler’s Nazi-Germany &
Political Ideologies Hitler’s Nazi-Germany & Mussolini’s Italy Cuba, China, & Vietnam Conservatives Republicans Center Fascists Neo-Nazi Communist Socialist Tea Party Liberals Democrats Conservatives (Republicans): less government intervention in the economy, small government, more government intervention in social affairs, war spending, less separation of church and state Liberals (Democrats): government intervention in the economy, government spending, no government in social affairs, anti-war, pro-choice, equal rights Tea Party Socialist: Welfare state (NFL analogy) Communist: anti-capitalism Fascists (Neo-Nazi): KKK United States North Korea? United Kingdom
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Political Ideologies Populism (Williams Jennings Bryan)
For Social Intervention Populism (Williams Jennings Bryan) Conservative (republican) Liberal (Democrats Libertarian (Ron Paul) For Economic Intervention Against Economic Intervention Against Social Intervention
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Political Attitudes Classical Conservatism: doesn’t want change, stuck in tradition Classical Liberalism: advocate for change Radical: advocates fast change (French Revolution) Reactionary: going back to a time of idealism (good old days)
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