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85 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Civic Culture |
A political culture that is conductive to the development of an efficient, effective government that meets the needs of its citizens in a timely and professional manner. |
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Gross State Product |
The total value of goods and services produced in a state in a year. |
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High-Technology Industries |
Industries based on the latest in modern technology, such as telecommunications and robotics. |
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Individualistic Political culture |
An approach to government and politics that emphasizes private initiative with a minimum of government interference. |
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Lone Star State |
A nickname for Texas. |
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Minimum Wage |
The lowest hourly wage that an employer can pay covered workers. |
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Moralistic Political Culture |
An approach to government and politics in which people except government to intervene in the social and economic affairs of the state, promoting the public welfare and advancing the public good. |
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Natural Population Increase |
The extent to which live births exceed deaths.
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Political Culture |
The widely held, deeply rooted political values of a society. |
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Poverty line |
The amount of money an individual or a family needs to purchase basic necessities, such as food, clothing, healthcare, shelter, and transportation. |
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Racial Profiling |
the practice of a police officer targeting individuals as suspected criminals on the basis of their race or ethnicity. |
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Recession |
An economic slowdown characterized by declining economic output and rising unemployment. |
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Traditionalistic Political Culture |
An approach to government and politics that sees the role of government as the preservation of tradition and the existing social order. |
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Bill of rights |
A consitutional document guarenteeing individual rights and liberties. |
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Branch Banking |
A business practice whereby a single, large bank conducts business from several locations. |
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Budget Deficit |
The amount of money by which annual budget expenditures exceed annual budget receipts. |
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Budget Execution Authority |
The power to cut agency spending or transfer money between agencies during the period when the legislature is not in session. |
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Checks and Balances |
The overlapping of the powers held by the different branches of government, so that public officials limit the authority of one another. |
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Civil Union |
A legal partnership between 2 men or 2 women giving the couple all the benefits, protections, and responsibiliites under law as granted to spouses in a marriage. |
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Consittution |
the fundamental law by which a state or nation is organized and governed. |
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Consitutional Law |
Law that involves the interpretation and application of the constitution. |
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Constitutional Amendment |
A formal, written change or addition to the states governing document. |
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Constitutional REvision |
The process of drafting a new constitution. |
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Dedicated funds |
Constitutional or statuary provisions that set aside revenue for particular purposes. |
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Dedicated Highway Fund |
A constitutionally earmarked account containing money set aside for building, maintaining, and policing state highways. |
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Direct Democracy |
A political system in which the citizens vote directly on matters of public concern. |
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Equal Protection of the Law |
The legal principle that laws may not arbitrarily disrcriminate against persons. |
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General Obligation Bonds |
Certificates of indebtedness that must be repaid from general revenues. |
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Grander |
An organization of farmers. |
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Homestead |
Legal residence |
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Initiative Process |
A Procedure whereby citizens can propose the adoption of a policy measure by gathering a prerequisite number of signatures. Voters must then approve the measure before it can take effect. |
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Jacksonian Democracy |
The philosophy (associated with President Andrew Jackson) that suggested the right to vote should be extended to all adult male citizens and that all government offices of any importance should be filled by election. |
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Local-Option (wet-dry) elections |
Elections held to determine whether an area could legalize the sale of alcoholic beverages. |
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Long Ballt |
An election system that provides for the election of nearly every public official of any significance. |
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Permanent University Fund |
Money constitutionally set aside as an endowment to finance constitution, maintenance, and some other activities at the UofT, A&M, and other institutions in those 2 university systems. |
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Plural Executive |
The division of executive power among several elected officials. |
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Radical Republicans |
Members of the Republican Party that wanted sweeping social change to take place in the South after the Civil war. |
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Representative Democracy of Republic |
A politicial system in which citizens elect representative to make policy decisions on their behalf. |
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Separation of Powers |
The division of political authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. |
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Statutory Law |
Law made by a legislature |
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Sufferage |
The right to vote. |
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Texas Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) |
A provision in the Texas Constitution that state the following: "Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin." |
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) |
A federal law intended to end discrimination against persons with disabilities and to eliminate barriers preventing their full participation in American Society. |
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Appropriation Process |
An annual procedure through which Congress legislatively provides money for a particular purpose. |
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Authorization Process |
The procedure through which Congress legislatively establishes a program, defines its general purpose, devises procedure. |
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Block Grant Program |
A federal grant-in-aid program that provides money for a program in a broad, general policy area, such as elementary and secondary education or transportation. |
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Categorical Grant Program |
A federal grant-in-aid program that provides funds to state and local governments for a fairly narrow, specific purpose. |
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Clean Air Act |
A federal law that regulates air emissions. |
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Dual School System |
Separate sets of schools for white and African American Youngsters. |
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Eminent Domain |
The authority to take private property for public use upon just compensation. |
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Entitlement Programs |
Government programs providing benefits to all persons qualified to receive them under law. |
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
The Federal agency responsible for enforcing the nation's environmental laws. |
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Equal Protection Clause |
The constitutional provision found in the 14th amendment of the US Constitution that declares "No state shall... deny to any persona within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." |
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Federal Grant Program |
A program through which the national government gives money to state and local governments to spend in accordance with set standards and conditions. |
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Federal Mandate |
A legal requiremnet placed on a state or local government by the national government requiring certain policy actions. |
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Federal Preemption of State Authority |
An act of Congress adoption regulatory policies that overrule state policies in a particular regulatory area. |
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Federal System or Federation |
A political system that divides power between a central government, with authority over the whole nation, and a series of state governments. |
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Formula Grant Program |
A grant program that awards funding on the basis of a formula established by Congress. |
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Interstate Commerce Clause |
The constitutional provision giving Congress the authority to "regulate commerce... among the several states." |
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Local Governments |
Subunits of states. |
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Matching Funds Requirement |
A legislative provision that the national government will provide grant money for a particular activity only on the condition that the state or local government involved supply a certain percentage of the total moment required for the project or program. |
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Medicaid |
A federal program designed to provide health insurance coverage to low-income persons, people with disabilities, and elderly people who are impoverished. |
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Medicare |
A federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and people with permanent disabilities. |
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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) |
An interest group organized to represent the interests of African Americas. |
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National Supremacy Clause |
The provisions found in Article IV of the Constitution that declares that the US Constitution, the laws made under it, and the treaties of the United States are the supreme law of the land. |
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Parole |
The conditional release of convicted offenders from prison to serve the remainder of their sentences in the community under supervision. |
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Police Power |
The authority to promote the health, welfare, and safety of the people. |
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Project Grant Program |
A grant program that requires state and local governments to compete fro available federal money. |
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Sovereignty |
The authority of a state to exercise legitimate powers within its boundaries, free from external interference. |
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Battleground State |
A swing state in which the relative strength of the 2 major-party presidential candidates is close enough so that either candidate could conceivsbly carry the state. |
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Disfranchisement |
The denial of voting rights. |
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Early voting |
A system that allows citizens to cast ballots before elections day. |
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Election recincts |
Voting districts |
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Enfranchise |
To grant the right to vote |
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Exit Polls |
Surveys based on random samples of voters leaving the polling place. |
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Franchise |
The right to vote. |
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Poll Tax |
A tac that prospective voters had to pay in order to register to vote. |
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Primary election |
An intrapart election at which a party candidates for the general election are chosen. |
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Probation |
The suspension of a sentence, permitting the defendant to remain free under court supervision. |
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Sufferage |
The right to vote. |
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Tea Party Movement |
A loose network of conservative activists organized to protest high taxes, excessive government spending, and big government in general. |
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Voter Mobilization |
The process of motivating citizens to vote. |
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Voting age population (VAP) |
The number of state residents who are 18 years of age or older. |
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Voting eligible population (VEP) |
The number of state residents who are eligible to vote. |
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White primary |
An election system that prohibited African Americans from voting in Democratic primary elections. |