Exam 1 Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is the purpose of government?
To spread risk
What is authority?
The right to give orders by merit of their position.
What is power?
when someone uses force to make someone do something they usually wouldn’t do.
What does the senate consist of?
2 people from each state no matter how big the state is
What does the House of Representatives consist of?
The number from a certain state that gets to be in the house depends on how big the state is.
What was political life like during the “home rule?”
Home rule was when the British were in charge. Think of the analogy as being Britain being mom with an asshole son living in the basement. We made some decisions for ourselves, and it got us into a lot of trouble. Britain wanted to take back over and start making all the decisions again, but we didn’t want it to happen. Then the revolutionary war came in.
What was life like during the articles of confederation?
the articles didn’t work. No one could change the rules or make anyone do anything so no one was paying taxes. The national government had little to no authority.
What are transaction and conformity costs?
These are forms or bargaining and compromise.
Transaction: all the costs associated with decision making..
Conformity: the cost of the compromise.
What are the three main levels of government and what do they do?
Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
Executive: Enforces law and MANY other things
Legislative: Makes laws
Judicial: Judge duties (supreme court)
What ind of government are we?
Democratic republic!
What are civil rights vs civil liberties?
Civil rights are rights that require government to act to protect them.
Civil liberties are laws that PROTECT us from the government (i.e. freedom of speech, etc..)
How are collective action problems resolved?
Elections
Protection of individual liberties
Principles like justice, equality
What are collective action problems?
A collective action problem arises whenever a group is faced with a problem that cannot be solved organically without an individual undertaking to bear the brunt of the burden while only retaining a portion of the benefit.
Why was America so well suited to be the first nation to break with monarchy and embrace republicanism?
Geography
Americans enjoyed home rule
the British had ceded to Americans responsibility for managing their own domestic affairs, including taxation
For more than a century colonists elected their own leaders and held them accountable for local policies and taxes
What is dual federalism?
States and the national government have completely separate rights and responsibilities
What is shared federalism?
States and the national government share rights and responsibilities
