1. Ch.1: Introducing Government in America

2. Politics matter!!! ex. of politics impacting everyday lives: Public schools can’t discriminate against females & minorities, no school led prayer. State pays teachers Drivers license, drink alcohol, & vote based on state & fed laws SS Number, SS taxes, Medicare, & minimum wage Landlords can’t discriminate

3. Unfortunately, Americans are apathetic about politics & government. American youth are not likely to be informed about government and politics and rarely participate in politics. Drop in interest in Politics: In 1972 – 69% of young followed politics vs. 65% of senior In 2000 – 26% of young followed politics vs. 73% of seniors In 1996 Presidential election turnout fell below 50% for 1st time

4. Apathetic Americans

5. Why are people less informed today: 1.Young people think senior citizens have more clout, why do they? 2.Today’s youth grown up in environment which public affairs not readily visible a.More channels b.Channel surfing

6. August 19, 2010 Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim Religion, Politics and the President

7. 2 Fundamental questions about governing will serve as themes this semester: 1.How should we govern? “Who holds power & who influences the policies adopted by government?” 2.What should government do? “Does our gov’t do what we want it do?” 5 Functions of government 1.Maintain a national defense 2.Provide public services 3.Preserve order 4.Socialize the young 5.Collect taxes

8. Aristotle classified gov’ts based number of participants: 1.Autocracy – rule by one (monarchy, dictatorship…) 2.Oligarchy – rule by few (aristocracy or theocracy) 3.Democracy – rule by people a.Direct – citizens meet & make decisions about public policy b.Representative – citizens choose officials to make decisions about public policy

9. Harold D. Lasswell’s definition of POLITICS: “Who gets what, when, and how” Who – voters, candidates, groups, & parties What – substance of politics & gov’t (benefits, such as Medicare, new taxes) How – people participation (voting, supporting, compromising, lobbying, and so forth) Political participation – the ways in which people get involved in politics Elderly vote more than others. Single issue groups – groups so concerned with 1 issue that members cast votes on basis of 1 issue

10. Policy Making system: reveals the way our government responds to the priorities of its people **Public policy – every decision that government makes, every law it passes, budget it establishes & ruling it hands down.

11. Democracy: Many of the writers of the U.S. Constitution doubted the ability of ordinary Americans to make informed decisions. Only later did they believe all citizens should participate in choosing their leaders. Traditional democratic theory – Government depends on the consent of the governed (directly or through representatives) Robert Dahl’s 6 Principles for a Democracy 1. Equality in voting: 1 person = 1 vote 2. Effective participation: equal opportunity 3. Majority Rule and Minority Rights 4. Enlightened understanding: Free speech/press 5. Citizen control of the agenda 6. Government responsive to public opinion According to these principles, is the U.S. a democracy? Why or Why not?

12. 4 Theories of Contemporary Democracy 1. Pluralist Theory - Theory that believes that politics is mainly a competition among groups (interest groups), each one pressing for its own preferred policies Result: IG’s access government different ways (through branches and different levels of government – federal, state, and local) and all groups have equal access

13. 2. Elite and Class Theory – theory that believes societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite pull the strings of government Result: Policies benefit those with money and power

14. 3. Hyperpluralism – (Pluralism on steroids) groups become more powerful than the Government, leading to groups controlling policy and preventing government from acting Result: Confusing and contradictory policies from politicians trying to placate every group Policy Gridlock

15. 4. Bureaucratic Theory – Bureaucracies (the Departments and their agencies etc..) carry out day to day workings of government, hence, they hold the real power Result: Regulations grow and overlapping responsibilities

16. The Policymaking System - The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time

17. The Policymaking System 1.People – Interests – Problems – Concerns 2. Linkage Institutions – the political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda Examples: Political Parties Elections Media Interest Groups

18. The Policymaking System (con’t) 3.Policy Agenda - issues that attract the serious attention of public officials. – Political issues arise when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it. – Some issues will be considered, and others will not. – Bad news attracts more attention than good news “If it bleeds, it leads.” 4. Policymaking Institutions – branches of government charged with taking action on political issues.  Legislature (Congress)  Executive (President)  Courts (Federal and State)  Bureaucracies (Federal and state)

19. The Policymaking System (con’t) 5.Policy Public Policy: any decision that government makes in response to a political issue

20. The Policymaking System (con’t) 6.Policy Impact on People Impacts of Policies: –Does it solve the problem? –Does it create more problems? Depending on the answer, policy impacts could carry the political system back to its point of origin: the concerns of people.

21. How Active is the U.S. Government? It spends about $2.8 trillion annually It employs nearly 2 million people It owns one-third of the land It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office space It owns and operates 400,000 nonmilitary vehicles