1. Introduction & Chapters One and Two
Instructor: Kevin Sexton
Course: U.S. Political Systems
Southeast Missouri State University

2. POLITICS What is it? Where/When Does it Take Place? Who Engages in it?
WHO GETS WHAT, WHERE, WHEN AND HOW.
Where/When Does it Take Place?
ANYTIME AND ANYPLACE TWO OR MORE HUMAN BEINGS INTERACT.
Who Engages in it?
ALL HUMAN BEINGS!

3. ALL PEOPLE ENGAGE IN POLITICS
Anytime two or more people interact there are decisions being made as it relates to who will get what, when they will get it, where they will get it and how they will get it.
Example:
If two students need to get into a class and there is only
seat available. One student calls the professor before the first
class meeting and one student does not call. Both students show
up at the first class meeting.
WHO GETS THE LAST SEAT?
The professor must decide who gets into the class and who does not.
Is this a political decision?

4. ALL PEOPLE ENGAGE IN POLITICS (CONTINUED)
Example:
A husband and a wife are sleeping in the middle of the night.
ANY POLITICS HERE?
Who gets to sleep on the left side of the bed?
Is the temperature set on 72 degrees or 65 degrees?
Ceiling fan on or ceiling fan off?
LOTS OF POLITICS!!!!

5. Governmental Politics
This is the type of POLITICS that many people think of when they think of
POLITICS. As we have seen on the previous slides this not the only type,
or even the most prevalent type of POLITICS.
BUT….
It is the primary type of POLITICS that will be discussed, explored
and studied in this course this semester.

6. Governmental Politics Defined
The process through which society
makes its governing decisions.
OR…
How a country, state, county, city or other
governmental unit decides who, gets what,
where when and how.

7. In this class we will be looking at how different
and individuals attempt to impact the decisions
that the various governments in the
United States makes.
In other words, we will look at how the groups and
individuals in the United States try to impact
PUBLIC POLICY.
Which is basically any decision made by any level of
government. Some are major decisions while many
are rather minor decisions.
Examples:
Should we go to war against Iraq?
and/or
Should the households in Cape Girardeau be allowed to use
Any trashcan they want, or should the city provide them?

8. Government What is it? What is it purpose?
The Institutions, processes, and rules that are specifically designed
to facilitate control of a particular area and its inhabitants.
What is it purpose?
In order to understand and determine the purpose of government we must
look at the work of a 17th Century Philosopher named John Locke.

9. John Locke (1632-1704) English Philosopher
Wrote the Two Treatises of Government (1690)
Held that people had inalienable rights.
These rights existed even before there were any governments.
Life, Liberty and Property
Since these rights existed before governments did, it is the people that CREATE GOVERNMENTS.
Even more importantly – only the people had the AUTHORITY
to create governments.
Therefore it is the responsibility of the government to, first and foremost preserve the rights of the citizens that created it.

10. John Locke and Self-Interest
The belief that all men are Self-Interested was a major point made by John Locke and other major philosophers.

11. Regulate the SELF INTEREST of people.
Government
What is it?
The Institutions, processes, and rules that are specifically designed
to facilitate control of a particular area and its inhabitants.
What is it purpose?
CONTROL A PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHIC AREA
How Do They Accomplish This?
Provide PUBLIC Goods
AND/OR
Regulate the SELF INTEREST of people.

12. What Does Government Do?
They Provide, or ensure the provision of PUBLIC GOODS.
PUBLIC GOOD:
Items, goods or rights that benefit all, but in which there is little or no
profit. Therefore, very few if any group is willing to provide them. Many
are necessary for the proper conduct of a society. Some examples include
clean water, protection, safety, green space (parks) and public transportation.
Since there are few groups willing to provide them the government is usually
the only group to provide them, and if the government is not directly
providing the good or item, they are involved in the regulation of that good
or items provision.

13. Three Types of Governments
Government by ONE – (autocracy)
Government by a FEW – (oligarchy)
Government by MANY – (democracy)

14. Government by One AUTOCRACY Emperors, kings or dictators.
Generally must have the support of the military or police
forces to maintain control.
Examples of governments (past and present)
Great Britain (prior to the Magna Carta )
Japan (prior to and during WWII)
Cuba, China and Iraq (prior to war)

15. Government by a Few ARISTOCRACY OR OLIGARCHY
Aristocracy – leaders are chosen based on their birth-right
Royal families, and Holy-Families
Oligarchy – leaders are chosen based on wealth, military
power or membership in a political party.
Generally, must have support of military or police forces
to maintain control.
South Africa is best example of a modern Oligarchy

16. Government by Many DEMOCRACY The U.S. is a representative democracy.
Government receives its right to govern from the
people.
DIRECT DEMOCRACY – ALL citizens participate in All decision making. (Pure Democracy).
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY – citizens choose people who decide what government actions take place.
The U.S. is a representative democracy.

17. Core Values ANY PROBLEMS WITH THESE FOUR CORE VALUES?
There are several core values that most people will say are at the heart
Of what the United States is ALL ABOUT. Here are the most often sited
of those:
LIBERTY
INDIVIDUALISM
EQUALITY
SELF-GOVERNMENT
ANY PROBLEMS WITH THESE
FOUR CORE VALUES?

18. Core Values Do any of these core values conflict with each other?
Liberty & Individualism versus Equality? Or
Liberty and Self-GOVERNMENT?
What do we do when these core values
come into conflict with each other?
COMPROMISE OR ENGAGE IN POLITICS.

19. Power versus Authority
What is the major difference(s) between the
three types of governments?
Some maintain control due to the fact that they have the
POWER to do so.
AND….
AUTHORITY to do so.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

20. Definitions
Power is the ability of people or groups of people to control governmental actions.
Many times oligarchies and monarchies use the power of the military and/or police to control the governmental actions.
The Soviet Union used power to maintain control
Pre-War Iraq was controlled by the secret police
Most times, when given the chance the people of a country controlled in this way will throw off or overthrow the government that is controlling through the use of military or police POWER.

21. Definitions
Authority is the recognized right of a person or group of people to control governmental actions.
Only the people of a country can recognize the right of
a government to control them.
This recognition must not be based purely on the
POWER that the person or group has.
It must be based on the legitimate CHOICE of the
people being governed.

22. Theories of Power & Authority Within The United States.
Basic theories of power in the United States Political System.
Pluralism
Elitism
Bureaucratic Rule
Majoritarianism
Hyper-Pluralism

23. Pluralism The idea that POWER in the United States is shared
by many different people, and groups of people.
This idea also states that the vast number of people
that share power adds greatly to our government.

24. Elitism The idea that POWER in the United States rests in
the hands of just a few people or a small group
of people. Some people feel it is this fact that has
made this country so effective since its birth. Other
people feel it is this fact that has caused many of the
problems that our country has and continues to
face since its birth.

25. Majoritarianism The idea that that the majority of people make the
decisions in the country. Not only in elections, but
also policy decisions.

26. Bureaucratic Rule The theory that it is the unelected administrators
That have all the power in our government.

27. Hyper- Pluralism The idea that POWER in the United States is shared
by too many different people, and groups of people.
This idea also states that the vast number of people
that share power greatly inhibits the operation of
our government.

28. Where Will WE Go This Semester
The AUTHORITY that the Constitution has given to our POLITICAL SYSTEM, and how the use of POWER within that POLITICAL SYSTEM is addressed by our country will be the center of our study this semester.
With that in mind……..
Remember that ALL people are self interested, and it is a primary responsibility of the government to protect the rights of it citizens from the self-interest of others.