Tx Government Final Exam Review

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Politics

Back 1

Deciding who gets what, when, and how.

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Strong Mayor

Back 2

Form of city government that gives the mayor considerable power, including budgetary control and appointment and removal authority over city department heads.

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Weak Mayor

Back 3

Form of city government in which the mayor shares authority with the city council and other elected officials but has little independent control over city policy or administration.

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Home Rule City

Back 4

City with a population of more than 5,000, which can adopt any form of government residents choose, provided it does not conflict with the state constitution or statutes.

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General Law City

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City allowed to exercise only those powers specifically granted to it by the legislature. General law cities have fewer than 5,000 residents.

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Statutory Law

Back 6

Laws made by act of Congress or the state legislatures, as opposed to the constitutional law.

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Constitutional Law

Back 7

TBE

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Enumerated Powers

Back 8

Powers specifically mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the national government.

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Concurrent Powers

Back 9

Powers exercised by both the national government and state governments in the American federal system.

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Reserved Powers

Back 10

Powers not granted to the national government or specifically denied to the states in the Constitution that are recognized by the 10th Amendment as belonging to the state governments. This guarantee, known as the Reserved Powers Clause, embodies the principle of American federalism.

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Implied Powers

Back 11

Powers not mentioned specifically in the Constitution as belonging to Congress but inferred as necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated powers.

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Voting Amendments

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Twelfth Amendment (Dictates that electors must indicate a choice for president and for vice president), Fourteenth Amendment (1868), Fifteenth Amendment (1870), Nineteenth Amendment (1920), Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1962), Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971)

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Government

Back 13

Organization extending to the whole society that can legitimately use force to carry out its decisions.

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Redistricting

Back 14

Drawing of legislative district boundary lines following each 10-year census.

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Gerrymandering

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Drawing distinct boundary lines for political advantage.

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Public Goods

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Goods and services that cannot readily be provided by markets, either because they are too expensive for single individual to buy or because if one person bought them, everyone else would use them without paying.

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At-Large Elections

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Election systems under which officeholders are elected by voters in the entire city, school district, or single-purpose district.

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Single-Member Elections

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Election system in which one person is elected to represent the people living within one geographic district.

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TX Constitutions

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Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, Constitution of the Republic, Constitution of 1845, Civil War Constitution, Constitution of 1866, Reconstruction Constitution, Texas Constitution.

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Shivercrats

Back 20

TBE

Front 21

Political Parties in TX

Back 21

For almost 100 years after Reconstruction Texas was a one-party Democrat State because large land owners and businesses of Texas were able to hold control over any group opposing them. When Eisenhower won in the 50s, things began to change. After an election in the early 60s, it would be 17 years before another Republican would win a statewide election. TX began to completely switch parties in mid 80s, throughout the 1990s Republicans will start to gain statewide seats which will officially bring Texas into a two-party system. Republicans dominate in 2002

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TX Political Subcultures

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The set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system. Traditionalistic Subculture: Political power should be concentrated in the hands of a few elite citizens from established families or influential social groups, public policy should basically serve the interests of this small group. Moralistic Subculture: Government’s primary responsibility is to promote the public welfare and it should actively use its authority and power to improve the social and economic well-being of its citizens. Individualistic Subculture: Government should interfere as little as possible in the private activities of its citizens while ensuring that adequate public facilities and a favorable business climate are available to permit individuals to pursue their self-interest.

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Straight Ticket Voting

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Checking a box on a ballot to vote for all members of one party rather than reviewing individual candidates.

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Political Participation

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Voter turnout may have declined due to Attitudinal change, Lifestyle changes, Changes in local party politics, Nature of campaigns, Burnout from negative campaigns, and Role of the news media. Selective Benefits: benefits that only those who contributed to their attainment get to enjoy (compare to collective benefits.)
Collective benefits: a benefit everyone enjoys, regardless of whether or not they contributed to its attainment.
Can participate in government through Elections, Grassroots(Outside) Lobbying, (Inside) Lobbying, Courts, and Culture Change.

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Unitary Government

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Constitutional arrangement whereby authority rests with the national government, subnational governments have only those powers given to them by the national government.

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Federalist Papers

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TBE

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Primary Elections

Back 27

Elections to choose party nominees for public office; may be open or closed.

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Federal Government

Back 28

A constitutional arrangement whereby power is divided between national and subnational governments, each of which enforces its own laws directly on its citizens and neither of which can alter the arrangement without the consent of the other.

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General Elections

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Election to choose among candidates nominated by parties and/or independent candidates who gained access to the ballot by petition.

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Interest Groups

Back 30

Organization seeking to influence government policy.

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Confederal Government

Back 31

Constitutional arrangement whereby the national government is created by and relies on subnational governments for its authority.

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Political Parties

Back 32

Organizations that seek to achieve power by winning public office.

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Mayflower Compact

Back 33

TBE

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E.J. Davis

Back 34

TBE

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Party-in-Government

Back 35

Public officials who were nominated by their party and who identify themselves in office with their party.

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Party Organization

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National and state party officials and workers, committee members, convention delegates, and others active in the party.

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Mayor-Council City

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Form of city government in which the legislative function is vested in the city council and the executive function in the mayor.

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Party-in-Electorate

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Voters who identify themselves with a party.

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Electoral College

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The 538 presidential electors apportioned among the states according to their congressional representation (plus 3 for the District of Columbia) whose votes officially elect the president and vice president of the Unites States.

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City Commission

Back 40

Elected commissioners collectively serve as a city’s policy-making body and individually serve as administrative heads of different city departments.

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NAFTA

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Treaty among the United States, Canada, and Mexico that created the world's largest trading bloc. Approved by the U.S. Congress in 1993, the treaty is designed to reduce tariffs and increase trade among the three countries.

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Free-Rider Problem

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People do not belong to an organization or pay dues, yet nevertheless benefit from its activities.

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Council-Manager City

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Form of a city government in which policy is set by an elected city council, which hires a professional city manager to head the daily administration of city government.

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Largest Employer in TX

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Oil and Natural Gas.

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County Governments

Back 45

Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state, but our counties have no legislative power, have administrative function, and have highly fragmented structure. County government officials include Commissioners Court and County Judge, County Clerk, County and District Attorneys, Tax Assessor-Collector, County Law Enforcement, County Auditor, and County Treasurer.

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Home Rule

Back 46

Power of local government to pass laws affecting local affairs, so long as those laws do not conflict with state or federal laws.

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Special Districts

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Units of local government created by the state to perform specific functions not met by cities or countries, including the provision of public services to unincorporated areas.

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People Groups in TX

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From Smallest to Largest: Native Americans, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Whites.

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General Law

Back 49

TBE

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Abolitionist Movement

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Social movement before the Civil War whose goal was to abolish slavery throughout the entire United States.

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Prohibition Movement

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TBE

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Women's Rights Movement

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TBE

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Media in Elections

Back 53

Media effects us through Surveillance, Interpretation, Socialization, and Intentional Manipulation. The media also effects campaigns through negative coverage, Charging for advertising, Televising debates, and the Equal time rule and right of rebuttal.

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Different Forms of Media

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Electronic Media (Radio, TV, Internet), Newspapers, Magazines, etc.

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Necessary and Proper Clause

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Clause in Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution granting Congress the power to enact all laws that are "necessary and proper" for carrying out those responsibilities specifically delegated to it. Also refered to as the Implied Powers Clause.

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Supremacy Clause

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The Federal government can make the states do a lot of things by giving them money (grants-in-aid). Based on this, Federal government may force unfunded or funded mandates of state governments and assume total or partial preemption (regulatory power in a certain field).

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Full Faith and Credit Clause

Back 57

Establishes limits on state power – state governments must respect the laws and decisions of other state governments.