American Federal Government Midterm

Front 1

Percent of those who felt that the government could be trusted to do what was right most of the time:

1964, '84, '94, and today

Back 1

1964: 76%

1984: 48%

1994: 19%

currently: aprox 9%

Front 2

Number of days refugee settlements were suspended under President Trump's executive order

Back 2

120 days

Front 3

Number of days citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen were suspended from entering the U.S.

Back 3

90 days

Front 4

Number of countries with the most expenditures on defense combined next to the U.S.

Back 4

7

Front 5

U.S. spending on defense in FY 2015

Back 5

$596 billion

Front 6

Percentage of voters living in landslide counties in 1992 and 2004

Back 6

1992: 37.7%

2004: 48.3%

Front 7

Projected U.S. deficit for FY 2017

Back 7

$559 billion

Front 8

Current U.S. National Debt

Back 8

Approximately $20 trillion

Front 9

Percentage of U.S. debt held by international investors

Back 9

34%

Front 10

Percent of income in U.S. made up by the top 1% of income earners

Back 10

29%

Front 11

Dates of the Articles of Confederation

Back 11

1781-1787

Front 12

Process require to ament the AoC

Back 12

Approval by all 13 states

Front 13

Date of the Soviet Invasion in Afghanistan

Back 13

1979

Front 14

Dates of the Iran-Contra Affair

Back 14

1985-87

Front 15

Year Operation Desert Storm began

Back 15

1990

Front 16

Year Operation Iraqi Freedom began

Back 16

2003

Front 17

"The Post-American World"

Back 17

Fareed Zakaria

This article addresses the misconception that countries such as India and China are out performing America in education, specifically engineering, and the differences in the school systems ("Learning to think")

Front 18

"The Big Sort" introduction

Back 18

Bill Bishop

Citizens are unknowingly separating themselves further and further into their political bubble by moving to likeminded places watching news that only supports their views

Front 19

"Americans Losing Trust in Each Other and Institutions"

Back 19

Richard Morin and Dan Balz (1996)

government trust is dropping

Front 20

"Folly's Antidote"

Back 20

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

"We are the world’s dominant military power, and I believe a consciousness of history is a moral necessity for a nation possessed of overweening power"

"History is the best antidote to delusions of omnipotence and omniscience"

We need to remember our history to keep us in check

Front 21

"Dullsville"

Back 21

Howard Kurtz

People are not as interested in Washington, and don't know what the government is doing

"the same people do the same things"

Front 22

"Making a Federal Case"

Back 22

Anthony Lewis

"The very idea of the Federal Government is treated with contempt."

We do not recognize the miracle of the Constitution anymore

Front 23

"The World Needs an Army on Call"

Back 23

DBo

Americans want the world to be policed...just not all by us

Front 24

"Saddle Up!"

Back 24

Gaddis Smith

We need to be the world's sheriff, with a posse of other supportive countries

Front 26

Common goods

Back 26

goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply

Front 27

democracy

Back 27

a form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people

Front 28

direct democracy

Back 28

government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them

Front 29

elite theory

Back 29

claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people

Front 30

government

Back 30

the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals

Front 31

ideology

Back 31

the beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy

Front 32

intense preferences

Back 32

beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time

Front 33

latent preferences

Back 33

beliefs and preferences people are not deeply commited to and that change over time

Front 34

majority rule

Back 34

a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decision based upon the whole

Front 35

minority rights

Back 35

protections for those who are not part of the majority

Front 36

monarchy

Back 36

govermnent where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power

Front 37

oligarchy

Back 37

government where a handful of elite society members hold political power

Front 38

partisanship

Back 38

strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political party

Front 39

pluralist theory

Back 39

claims political power rests in the hands of groups of people

Front 40

political power

Back 40

influence over a government's institutions, leadership or policies

Front 41

politics

Back 41

the process by which we decide how resources will be allocated, and which policies government will pursue

Front 42

private goods

Back 42

goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them

Front 43

public goods

Back 43

goods provided by government that anyone cau use and that are available to all without charge

Front 44

representative democracy

Back 44

government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws

Front 45

social capital

Back 45

connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them

Front 46

toll good

Back 46

a good that is available to many people but is used by only those who can pay the price to do so

Front 47

totalitarianism

Back 47

government where the the gov is all-powerful and citizens have no rights

Front 48

Anti-Federalists

Back 48

did NOT support ratification of the Constitution

Front 49

Articles of Confederation

Back 49

the first basis for the new nation's government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government

Front 50

bicameral legislature

Back 50

a legislature with two houses, such a the U.S. Congress

Front 51

Bill of Rights

Back 51

the first ten amendments to the US Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties

Front 52

checks and balances

Back 52

a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together

Front 53

confederation

Back 53

a highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense

Front 54

Deceleration of Independence

Back 54

a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their Independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king

Front 55

enumerated powers

Back 55

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

Front 56

federal system

Back 56

a form of government in which power is divided between stat governments and a national government

Front 57

Federalists

Back 57

SUPPORTED ratification of the Constitution

Front 58

Great compromist

Back 58

comp between Virginia and Nw Jersey Plans that created a two-house congress; representation based on population in the House, equal rep in the Senate

Front 59

natural rights

Back 59

the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to e given by God; no government may take away

Front 60

New Jersey Plan

Back 60

called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote

Front 61

republic

Back 61

form of gov in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives

Front 62

reserved powers

Back 62

any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the natural government; powers reserved to the states denied to the federal government

Front 63

seperation of powers

Back 63

the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government

Front 64

social contract

Back 64

an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rigths

Front 65

supremacy clause

Back 65

the statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures

Front 66

"The Federalist Papers"

Back 66

a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution

Front 67

Three-Fifths Compromise

Back 67

a comp between the N and S states that called for counting of all a state's free population and 60% of its slave population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress

Front 68

unicameral legislature

Back 68

only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan

Front 69

veto

Back 69

the power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress

Front 70

Virginia Plan

Back 70

two-house legislature; reps would be elected for the lower house based on each stat's population; reps for the upper house would be hosed by the lower house

Front 71

Association

Back 71

groups of companies or institutions that organize around a common set of concerns, often with a given industry or trade

Front 72

astroturn movement

Back 72

a political movement that resembles a grassroots movement but is often supported or facilitated by wealthy interests and/or elites

Front 73

"Citizens United" case

Back 73

"Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" was a 2010 Supreme Court case that granted corporations and unions the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections

Front 74

collective good

Back 74

a good such as public safety or clean air, often produced by government, that is generally available to the population as a whole

Front 75

contract lobbyist

Back 75

a lobbyist who works for a contract lobbying firm that represents clients before government

Front 76

disturbance theory

Back 76

the theory that an external event can lead to interest group mobilization

Front 77

efficacy

Back 77

the belief that you make a difference and that government cares about you and your views

Front 78

elite critique

Back 78

the proposition that wealthy and elite interests are advantaged over those without resources

Front 79

fragmentation

Back 79

the result when a large interest group develops diverging needs

Front 80

free rider problem

Back 80

the situation that occurs when some individuals receive benefits (get a free ride) without helping to bear the cost

Front 81

grassroots movement

Back 81

often begins from the bottom up, inspired by average citizens concerned about a given issue

Front 82

in-house lobbyist

Back 82

an employee or executive within an organization who works as a lobbyist on behalf of the organization

Front 83

inside lobbying

Back 83

the act of contracting and taking the organization's message directly to lawmakers in an attempt to influence policy

Front 84

iron triangle

Back 84

three-way relationship among congressional committees, interest groups, and the bureaucracy

Front 85

issue network

Back 85

a grou of interest groups and people who work together to support a particular issue or policy

Front 86

legislative liaison

Back 86

a person employed by a governmental entity such as a local government, executive department, or university to represent the organization before the legislature

Front 87

lobbyist

Back 87

a person wo represents an organization before government in an attempt to influence policy

Front 88

material incentives

Back 88

substantive monetary or physical benefits given to group members to help overcome collective action problems

Front 89

membership organization

Back 89

an interest group that usually consists of dues-paying members who organize around a particular cause or issue

Front 90

neopluralist

Back 90

a person who suggests that all groups' access and influence depend on the political environment

Front 91

outside lobbying

Back 91

indirect lobbying by taking the organization's message to the public, often through the use of the media and/or by issue press releases, in hopes that the public will then put pressure on lawmakers

Front 92

particularized benefit

Back 92

a benefit that generally accrues to a narrow segment of society

Front 93

pluralist

Back 93

person who believes many groups healthily compete for access to decision-makers

Front 94

public interest group

Back 94

an interest group that seeks a public good, which is something that accrues to all

Front 95

purposive incentives

Back 95

benefits to overcome collective action problems that appeal to people's support of the issue or cause

Front 96

revolving door laws

Back 96

laws that require a cooling-off period before government officials can register to lobby after leaving office

Front 97

soft money

Back 97

money that interests can spend on behalf of candidates without being restricted by federal aw

Front 98

solidary incentives

Back 98

benefits based on the concept that people like to associate with those who are similar to them

Front 99

voting cues

Back 99

sources-including fellow lawmakers, constituents, and interest groups-that lawmakers often use to help them decide how to vote, especially on unfamiliar issues