Test 1 Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is the essence of government?
Sovereignty
What is sovereignty?
Control over a territory and the use of violence when necessary
What was the founding fathers’s idea of sovereignty?
It should be consented by all the people in the area
Consistent set of beliefs about the proper role of government
Ideology
Who gets what, when, and how
Politics
Describe the “free-rider” problem:
Trying to maximize one’s self-interest, just let the “other people” handle it and then benefit from it
What is federalism?
Having Both a sovereign federal and state governments
What is the difference between zero-sum and positive-sum?
Zero > one person’s gain is another’s loss
Positive > everyone gains, maybe not equally but everyone is gaining something
How does the government address the “free-rider” problem?
The government says people have to help or there will be consequences, this is a big reason why people give govt. the power
What are the broad definitions of conservative and liberal?
Conservative > govt. should do less
Liberal > govt. should do more
Name some advantages and disadvantages of federalism:
Disadvantages: voters don’t know what’s going on, inefficient because it’s so complicated
Advantages:
Smaller government in the states so they can get more done, since there so many people in the country it gives the people a little more say so
What has been the general trend since about 1930 in the relative power of the state and federal government?
The federal government has been increasing in its power relative to the state governments since the 1930s.
What is the “Great Democratic Dilemma”? How does the roles of the separation of powers/checks and balances help solve this?
The founders viewed humanity as selfish, dumb, and would abuse power if given the chance
The separation of powers was born to help ambition counter ambition because it is a constant flow. Each branch has a “big scary power” that it can use to keep the others in check.
What is asymmetric polarization?
The lines on a graph aren’t mirroring each other; the dems are staying consistent while the republicans are becoming increasingly conservative (and no one knows why)
What are the primary powers of the three branches of government?
- Executive - (president) enforces the laws
- Legislative - (congress) makes the laws
- Judicial - (supreme court) judges the law on constitutionality
What is the president’s primary check on congress?
The Veto
What are the main implications of the malapportioned senate?
It implies that the majority opinion isn’t always shown because the votes aren’t totally equal
How does the Constitution try to prevent tyranny of the majority?
The founders wanted to make it possible but difficult to change the constitution. -need a supermajority (way more than 50%) of the legislature to agree, then need like 3/4ths of the senate to agree.
This prevents “the majority” from ganging up on everyone else.
On what issues do the conservative and liberal ideologies flip?
On abortion and marriage; conservatives want more government involvement in these while the democrats want less
What problem did the Connecticut/Great compromise solve and how?
It broke the legislature into 2 chambers: 1. Equal no matter the size and 2. Proportional so everyone’s vote counts equally > makes it a republic and a democracy
This solved the issue of the people being too stupid to not have representatives but still gives them a say.
Name a difference in power of the federal vs the state government?
Only the federal gov can conduct foreign policy and coin money, while the states are empowered to protect the health, safety, and morals of the people.
