Government, Politics, and Policy The Role of Government in our Lives

What is Government? Government The Mechanism Institutions People Rules Structure “The form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc is operated” Politics The process Negotiations Compromise Tactics Public opinion Everything “ Who gets what, when, where, how and why.” Policy The Result Laws Implementation of Laws Procedures Values “A course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government….”

Is Government Important?

No (Ron Swanson video)

Read the half sheet given out. With a partner next to you identify any points at which government plays a part.

awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy. took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility. I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. eating my breakfast of U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected food taking medication which have been determined as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation,

Dropped my son off at Monterey Highlands Elementary, a public school Bought gas of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency Paid cash issued and regulated by the Federal Reserve Bank. Dropped my bills in the mail sent out via the U.S. Postal Service Day at work without being injured or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA not burned down or broken into in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspectio and the local police department. And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration

Yes (Elizabeth Warren Video 2:20)

The Problem With Government We all notice the things government stops us from doing…. “I can’t believe the cops pulled me over… I was just doing 15 mph over the speed limit by that school” “The second amendment says I have a right to bear arms… so why can’t I have a rocket launcher?” “I’m sorry I tried to kill Ben Affleck but damnit nobody wants to see him as Batman, Mr. Officer.” We don’t notice/acknowledge is what government helps us do

Policymaking Policymaking begins with “people.” (Or in the name of the “people.”) All Americans have Interests Problems Concerns Policy Agenda Definition: The policy agenda are issues that attract the serious attention of public officials. A political issue arises when people disagree about a problem or about a public policy choice made to fix a problem.

Policymaking Institutions Definition: Policymaking institutions are the branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT FEDERAL LEVELSTATE LEVEL LegislativeCongressState Legislature ExecutivePresidentGovernor JudicialSupreme CourtState Supreme Court BureaucracyAgency Workers

Policies Impact People Policy impacts are the effects that a policy has on people and on society’s problems. Does it solve the problem? Does it create more problems? Depending on the answer, policy impacts carry the political system back to its point of origin: the concerns of people. Questions How is policy made? In whose name is policy made?

Quotes about Politics “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” – Groucho Marx “Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.” – Oscar Ameringer “Politics, n: [Poly "many" + tics "blood-sucking parasites"] ” – Larry Hardiman “Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed.” ~Mao Zedong “Everything is Politics” – Dead Prez F/ Taleb Kweli “Sharp Shooters”

So where do we come in? Government PoliticsPolicy The People Linkage Institutions Elections, Political Parties, Media, Public Opinion, Interest Groups