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64 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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3 Historical Types- Primary Elections |
Caucus Party Convention System (1828) Direct Primary (1890) |
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Caucus |
Elected political party members serving in the legislature “insider” politics |
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Party Convention System (1828) |
Ordinary party members select delegates to party convention, delegates nominee candidates |
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Direct Primary (1890) |
Party members directly choose candidates to represent them |
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Primary Elections |
20% of vote Convention system 1% of supporters Voters who haven't participated in a primary Pages notarized Since 1971, primaries have been funded by the state treasury |
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2 Types of Primaries |
Closed Open |
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Closed Primaries |
Only members can participate |
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Open Primaries |
Voters choose on election day in which they will participate |
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Poll Tax |
State imposed tax The tax was $1.50-$1.75, or one, two or more days of a farm worker’s wages The poll tax became illegal in 1964 Texas used it in state elections until 1966 Texas also established other requirements, later struck down as unconstitutional |
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Ann Richards |
Texas treasurer 1992 |
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Kay Bailey Hutchison |
State senator 1993 First female elected to US senate |
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Raul Gonzales |
Supreme court 1986 |
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Dan Morales |
First Mexican-American to with a state executive office |
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Morris Overstreet |
First African American elected to a state wide office |
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Ron Kirk |
First African American to run for US senate in Texas |
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16th Amendment |
Created the federal income tax |
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State Taxes |
General Sales Taxes Selective Sales Taxes Gross Receipts Taxes Severance Taxes |
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Property Taxes |
Once and still is a major source of income |
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General Sales Tax |
Broad based tax collected on the retail price of most items |
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Selective Sales Tax |
Levied on the sale manufacture or use of particular items such as liquor and cigarettes |
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Hidden Taxes |
Generally included in the items purchase price |
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Gross-Receipts Taxes |
Taxes on the total gross revenue (sales) of certain enterprises |
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Severance Taxes |
Production on oil and natural gas |
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Local Taxes |
Higher than many states Property taxes Major source of revenue Ad Valorem (Taxed according to value) Real property (Land and building) Personal property (Furniture and automobiles) City council commissioners or board of trustees |
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The Politics of Taxation |
Tax base Broad based taxes |
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Tax Base |
The object or activity being taxed |
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Broad Based Taxes |
Taxed to be paid |
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3 Most Common Reasons to Tax |
Regulate behavior Tax according to benefits Tax according ability to pay |
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Regulatory Taxes |
Taxes designed to control individual choices, especially those with moral undertones Sin Taxes |
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Sin Taxes |
Cigarettes/tobacco ($1.41) Alcohol Pole tax ($5) |
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Benefits Received |
A tax assessed according to the services received by the payers Gasoline Education Hunting and fishing permits Law enforcement |
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Ability to Pay |
Taxes apportioned according to taxpayers capacity Property Sales Income (Difficult to tax because of stocks and bonds -Only taxed on current income, not all) |
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Tax Rates |
The amount per unit of taxable item or active Progressive tax rates Regressive tax rates |
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Progressive Tax Rates |
Rates increase as the base increases Very bottom Higher rates apply to marginal increments As income increases, tax increases $8,025 if your parents claim you $15,080 ($7.27/40hrs/week/year) Higher incomes can better afford to pay higher rates Concerned with necessities of life |
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Regressive Tax Rates |
Rates decades as the base increases, imposing a greater burden on the low and middle income tax payers than on wealthier ones 6.25% (national sales tax) Effective sales tax Declining marginal propensity to consume |
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Taxing and Budgeting |
Tax shifting Supply-side economics |
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Tax Shifting |
When taxes increase, businesses raise the price of their services/products shifting the burden on their customers |
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Supply-Side Economics |
The theory that suggests that higher- income tax payers should be taxed less because their savings and investments stimulate the economy |
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Other Revenues |
Federal Grants in Aid Categorical Grants Block Grants Borrowing Lottery Various Licenses Fines Leasing of Public Lands |
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Federal Grants in Aid |
Represents 30% of revenue in Texas |
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Categorical Grants |
Federal money that is given for a specific purple Receiving gov't agrees to match the federal money Receiving gov't administers program Must meet minimum standard of federal law |
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Block Grants |
Federal money that is spent with fewer restrictions |
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Borrowing |
Texas constitution limits state borrowing, but is less restrictive on local gov't General obligation bonds are bonds to be repaid from general taxes and other revenues Revenue bonds are to be repaid with the revenue from the service they finance |
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Constitution and The Budget |
The legislature makes a 2 year budget Pay as you go limit Texas constitution sets specific spending limits on some services |
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The legislature makes a 2 year budget |
Agencies project out in a manner that may miss unanticipated and consequential development Legislature only meet for 140 days every 2 years Not much time for long economic scenario simulations A large portion of the budget is dedicated Obligation payments that are non negotiable |
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Pay As You Go Limit |
The state budget must always be balanced (the state constitution requires) Any bill that requires funds must be cleared by the state comptroller |
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Texas constitution sets specific spending limits on some services |
Welfare spending limit article III section 51A Texas will not spend more than 1% on poor children and their caretakers 1997 amendment to article III No more than 5% of the state budget to be spent on debt |
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Trudy Govier |
The right to eat and the duty to work Individualistic Permissive Puritain |
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Individualistic (Trudy) |
“Even in an affluent society, one ought not to have any legal right to state supplied welfare benefits” Responsible agents Can’t ask for help Not expected to give Can give to charity, but it is by choice |
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Permissive Position (Trudy) |
“In a society with sufficient resources, one ought to have an unconditional legal right to receive state supported welfare benefits” Does not depend on behavior Should be guaranteed Should not be attached to stigma |
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Puritan (Trudy) |
“In a society with sufficient resources one ought to have a legal right to state supplied welfare benefits; this right ought to be conditional, however, on ones willingness to work” Physically and mentally disabled No free riders on the efforts and contributions of others |
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The Budgetary Process |
Incremental budgeting Zero based budgeting Dedicated funds Logrolling |
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Article 7 |
Creates a public school system |
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Education |
1915 Compulsory attendance law (6-18 years old) 1918 free textbooks Annie Webb Blanton 1949 Gilmer-Aiken Law Guaranteed minimum standard TEA created |
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Texas Education Agency (TEA) |
Statewide curriculum Accredit and create schools Oversee public school testing Monitor funding of schools Textbook adoption Research data |
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Curriculum |
Most of the basic curriculum is determined by the TEA Texas public schools are an agent of socialization The curriculum is designed to reinforce existing community values High school students graduate with few, if any, usable job skills |
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Textbooks |
The State Board of Education selects a list of approved textbooks Conservative groups are very influential in the selection of textbooks Textbooks on the acceptable list defend the status quo Most controversial issues are avoided |
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Robin Hood Plan |
Edgewood ISD v Kirby 1993 San Antonio Article 7- Creating free public schools It was determined that the state's funding system was unconstitutional Led the state to created a complicated plan to better equalize state funding of public schools |
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Line Item Veto |
If any bill presented to the governor contains several items of appropriation he may object to one or more of such items, and approve the other portion of the bill. Article 4, Section 14 |
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Incremental Budgeting |
Basing an agency's budget requests on past appropriations plus increases to cover inflation and increased demand for their services, assuming that past appropriations justify current budgetary requests |
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Zero Based Budgeting |
Evaluating Budget requests for existing programs as if they were new programs rather than on the bias of past level funding |
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State Board of Education |
Sets policies and standards for Texas public schools Setting curriculum standards, reviewing and adopting instructional materials, establishing graduation requirements A division of the TEA |
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Dedicated Funds |
Revenues dedicated for a specific purpose by the constitution or statute |
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Logrolling |
Trading votes among legislators, especially to fund local projects to benefit their constituents. |
