AP American Government
Unit 7: The Bureaucracy (12) Economic Policy (15) Social Policy (16) Foreign
Policy (17)
Mr. Andrew Conneen aconneen@d125.org
Fall 2011
Unit 7 Syllabus: ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Potato wars: An eye for an eye ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Collins triumphs in spuds fight ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Class notes on the Bureaucracy and policy making: .... 2
No, Congress did not declare pizza a vegetable ............................................................................................................ 2
TKO--To Know Objectives: .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Unit 7 Syllabus:
For Tuesday, Dec. 13: Read Potato Wars; Collins triumphs and Complete Tater Tales; Read No, Congress did not
declare pizza a vegetable
For Wednesday, Dec. 14: Directions:
1. Internet search: NYT budget puzzle.
Link to: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html
2. Follow the directions on this website to cut the federal budget deficit.
• Write a paragraph explaining the most common sense decision you made in balancing the federal budget deficit.
• Write another paragraph explaining the most difficult decision you made in balancing the federal budget deficit.
For Thursday, Dec. 15: Complete M.C. test
For Friday, Dec. 16: Voter registration drive
For Tuesday, Jan. 3: Complete U.S. and Illinois Constitution test review (See
http://civitas88.blogspot.com/2011/05/constitution-test-review.html
For Wednesday, Jan. 4: U.S. and Illinois Constitution tests
2
For Thursday, Jan. 5: Midterm #3 Review
For Friday, Jan. 6: Midterm #3
Potato wars: An eye for an eye
Politico
David Rogers
October 13, 2011
Sen. Susan Collins is a more gentle soul than
your typical Republican Steering Committee
regular, but there she was in the Capitol last
week: Ms. Maine Moderate lunching with the
“Sons of Jesse Helms” — all in the name of the
potato.
It was a jaw-dropping, don’t-spill-your-fries
moment and a sign of the newest civil rights
frontier of this dysfunctional Congress: the battle
over equity among vegetables.
The Irish potato folks — and Collins in particular
— are mad as hell and vowing not to take it any
more in the face of proposed Agriculture
Department rules to bar white potatoes from
school breakfast plans and limit consumption to
one to two servings per week at lunch. Proponents
argue the change is a science-based, overdue step
to promote diversity, encouraging children to eat
more dark green and orange vegetables such as
broccoli, spinach and carrots. But having been
already bounced from the chief nutrition program
for pregnant women, the blue-collar white potato
is feeling like, well, a second-class citizen.
With a combined 43 million school breakfasts and
lunches served daily, the National Potato Council,
the industry lobby, is up in arms at losing its
almost unchecked access to the biggest single
restaurant in town for many localities — and a big
influence on tastes to come. All this follows a
scathing June article in the New England Journal
of Medicine linking potatoes — even mashed —
to the nation’s obesity problem. And it doesn’t
help either that the first lady is growing only
greens and no spuds at the White House’s new
victory garden.
For Collins, a daughter of Maine’s famed
Aroostook County, who harvested potatoes as a
girl and prefers hers baked and plain — it’s a call
to arms.
“This is a big market and it is image also,” she
told POLITICO. “It’s telling people that potatoes
aren’t healthy and that’s not true.”
“This is what makes people angry about
Washington. It really is. It’s the kind of
nonsensical, excessive regulation that increases
costs enormously.”
The battle lines will bedrawn Monday when the
Senate is slated to take up an otherwise
noncontroversial $19.78 billion agriculture and
rural development bill, which includes funding for
the Food and Nutrition Service within the
department.
House Republicans had been content to attach
report language to the same bill in June
expressing concern about the new standards. But
Collins, herself a member of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, wants an
amendment to flatly deny funding for any rule
that would limit the options available to local
school districts or set “maximum limits on the
frequency of serving fruits and vegetables.”
In this cause, the hunted has become the huntress.
And the same woman whose swing vote has been
courted for hundreds of bipartisan causes in the
Senate is out now to build her own coalition.
That explains Collins’s surprising drop-in on the
fiercely anti-regulation, anti-government
Republican Steering Committee — famously
associated for years with the late North Carolina
conservative Jesse Helms.
“It was an audience that was likely to be
receptive,” said Collins, smiling demurely. And
on the left she’s cultivated a Democratic partner
in Sen. Mark Udall, whose home state of
Colorado is also a potato producer and who’s
worried about the costs to local schools already
3
coping with budget cuts.
today’s fiscal climate, it’s a red flag for
conservatives.
“We need to make sure that kids have access to
all nutritious vegetables,” Udall said in a
statement to POLITICO. “And especially at a
time when schools are stretched financially, we
need to give them the flexibility to provide
nutritious meals, rather than impose unnecessarily
rigid limitations.”
To hear potato advocates tell it, almost the entire
$6.8 billion can be attributed to cutting out their
product — a wild exaggeration. And like so many
food fights, this one risks becoming just that: a
food fight.
Those costs are real but also reflect a much larger
public health initiative designed to reduce the fat,
starch and sodium content of school meals while
introducing more fruit, green vegetables and
whole grain foods.
A Harvard School of Public Health website
inflames the passions by pairing images of a
potato and Coke together, as if the nutritional
equivalent. At the same time Collins strains her
own credibility by pitching the potato as the new
“gateway” vegetable, capable of inducing
teenagers to add broccoli toppings.
The potato’s plight is it has been lumped in with
corn, lima beans and peas as starch vegetables,
which would be limited collectively to one cup
per week. That translates into two servings of
fries or typically one moderate-size baked potato
— a very narrow foothold for a proud industry
still smarting from a George W. Bush-era
initiative that drove white potatoes out of the food
basket for pregnant women under the WIC
program for women, infants and children.
“We care about all markets but for us it is about
the larger image,” said John Keeling, the Potato
Council’s CEO. But in this case the industry is
also fighting its own success given the potato’s
perceived dominance in America’s diet.
Indeed it was Congress itself that mandated the
updating of the school dietary rules — with a
greater weight on health than simply filling young
stomachs. The beleaguered Food and Nutrition
Service enlisted scientists at the Institute of
Medicine in drafting the plan, first published in
January. And altogether, it represents a substantial
public investment given the added produce and
labor costs for the meals.
In the first five years alone, it’s $6.8 billion,
which roughly translates into a 10 percent
increase in the school breakfast and lunch
programs as now estimated by the Congressional
Budget Office. Proponents argue that this must be
measured against the growing health care costs
associated with diabetes and obesity. But in
“There’s not a shred of scientific evidence,” said
Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the
Center for Science in the Public Interest. “It’s not
that potatoes aren’t healthful. It’s that schools
serve too much of them.”
To make this point, Wootan’s center, a
Washington-based nonprofit supportive of the
rules, distributes literature to lawmakers in mock
white cardboard French-fry containers “Do kids
really need French fries every day?” reads the
message outside. “Give other vegetables a
chance!”
“If the department had put out guidance: ‘Gee
school systems, you ought to consider baking not
frying’ that would be a legitimate
recommendation for them to make,” Collins
answers. “These school nutrition directors
recognize that they have to get away from the
fries. They totally recognize that.”
“I do come from potato country and I did pick
potatoes as a child,” she said, almost wistfully
recalling the potato diet of her youth: “fish with a
baked potato” on meatless Fridays.
“This is absurd. If you have a baked potato on
Monday you cannot have potatoes even in
anything for the rest of the week. If on Friday,
you are having fish chowder, you can’t have
potatoes in it.”
“Did you ever have rice?” a reporter asks.
4
said.
“I don’t think I had rice until high school,” she
Collins triumphs in spuds fight
Politico
David Rogers
October 18, 2011
This spud’s for you, Susan Collins.
In a Washington classic, the Maine Republican
and potato lobby emerged triumphant Tuesday
evening, winning Senate passage of her
amendment to preserve the white Irish potato’s
unchecked access to school lunch and breakfast
menus.
With the handwriting on the wall, even the
Democratic manager of the Agriculture
Department’s budget bill, Wisconsin Sen. Herb
Kohl, jumped on as a last-minute co-sponsor. And
the administration appeared ready to cut its losses
to save its broader initiative aimed at reducing the
fat and sodium content in school meals while
introducing more fruits, green vegetables and
whole-grain foods.
“I am delighted, and I have won,” Collins told
POLITICO before the vote. “I believe that we
have sent a very strong signal to the department,
and if the department were smart, it would revise
the proposed rule to reflect the consensus I
achieved on the amendment.”
In a formal statement, Agriculture Undersecretary
Kevin Concannon, who hails from Maine himself
and oversees the Food and Nutrition Service, was
outwardly defiant.
“Our proposed rule will improve the health and
nutrition of our children based on sound science
recommended by the Institute of Medicine,” he
said. “We will work with Congress to ensure that
the intent of this rule is not undermined and that
these historic improvements are allowed to move
forward so that millions of kids across the nation
will receive healthier meals.”
But as a practical matter, Collins holds most of
the cards at this stage, and the Republicancontrolled House will almost certainly accept her
language in any negotiations on the final
agriculture appropriations bill.
“To improve the quality of school lunches and
breakfasts is something that I have always
supported,” Collins said in an interview. “But
either my amendment will become law, or the
department will decide it needs to cut its losses
and rewrite the rule without waiting for it
becoming law,” Collins said. “ At the end of the
day, the result is going to be the same.”
The potato’s plight stems from being lumped in
with corn, lima beans and peas — starchy
vegetables that the IOM recommended should
enjoy less of a place in healthful school meals.
Taking this advice, the FNS proposed to ban all
such starchy vegetables from school breakfasts
beginning in the 2012 school year and to cap
lunch servings at one cup per week.
That translates into two servings of fries or
typically one moderate-sized baked potato — at
least a one-third cut from the amount typically
consumed now in many high schools. Among
younger children, the department’s data suggest
that many of the school lunch programs average
less than one cup per week, but the restrictions
quickly touched a nerve in the potato lobby,
which is still smarting over having been dropped
from the food packages under the FNS Women,
Infants and Children Program.
Indeed, with a combined 43 million school
breakfasts and lunches served daily, the National
Potato Council saw its image and market at risk
and found a natural ally in Collins, a Maine
moderate respected in both parties and a child of
the state’s famed potato county, Aroostook.
5
“To keep french fries, tater tots and the like on the
daily school lunch menu, the potato and french fry
industry aggressively lobbied Congress to kill a
sensible proposal to limit french fries and other
starchy vegetables to two servings a week with
school lunches,” said Margo Wootan, director of
nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the
Public Interest. “Today, some members of
Congress showed that they are more interested in
protecting business lobbyists than children’s
health.”
In response, both the potato council and Collins
have countered that the costs of the upgraded
menus must be considered — and the USDA
estimates that in the first five years alone, these
could amount to a $6.8 billion or 10 percent
increase in current expenditures for the school
lunch and breakfast programs.
Collins insists that a “big chunk” of this could be
reduced by restoring more vegetables like the
potato. “It’s the biggest part of it,” she told
POLITICO. “It’s clear to me that it’s this category
of vegetables that created most of the cost and
also created just a lot of practical burdens.”
And John Keeling, executive vice president for
the potato council, sounded the same theme in his
statement after the Senate vote. “Since publishing
its proposed school meal changes in January,
USDA has heard from tens of thousands of school
districts, parents and taxpayers who are concerned
about limiting healthy vegetable options for
students and the $6.8 billion price tag of the
regulation.”
But critics argue that potatoes — in or out — are
not a big enough part of the equation to explain
the cost swing. And the department’s analysis
attributes about half of the increase to the added
labor costs of preparing fresher vegetables or less
processed food for the meals.
With the votes stacked against it, the department
won agreement with Collins to narrow her
language to just vegetables — dropping any
reference to rules related to fruit juices. And the
path ahead was clear.
“Potatoes became a distraction,” said one official.
“And no one wanted to fight it anymore.”
After reading the preceding articles by David Rogers, you'll see all of the major components of
policy making merge together as one U.S. Senator challenged how a law would affect the use of
potatoes in school lunches.
Reflect on your reading and think about how the different parts of Mr. Potato Head
can be used to analyze policy making.
Eyes--U.S. Senators looking out for the best interests of their constituents.
Mouth--Interest groups speaking out for their causes.
Hands-- The role of the federal bureaucracy in handling public laws to make sure
these laws are followed.
Wallet / Purse-- The role of Congress to fund the federal bureaucracy to carry out
the laws.
Directions: Label the following Mr. Potato Heads for each of the articles that you read with the
appropriate names and short descriptions of their role in the policy making change.
6
Class notes on the Bureaucracy and policy making:
7
• How Congress can control (oversee) bureaucracies in the Executive Branch:
• How the President (Chief Executive) can control bureaucracies:
• Obstacles to controlling bureaucracies:
No, Congress did not declare pizza a vegetable
Washington Post
Sarah Kliff
November 21, 2011
There are many ways for Congress to frustrate the
American people. A high-profile failure to cut
$1.2 trillion from the deficit, for example. But
declaring pizza sauce a vegetable? That, it turns
out, might work even better.
Congress passed a revised agriculture
appropriations bill last week, essentially making it
easier to count pizza sauce as a serving of
vegetables. The move has drawn widespread
outrage from consumer advocates and pundits,
who see “pizza is a vegetable.” as outlandish.
There’s just one little misperception: Congress
didn’t declare pizza to be a vegetable. And, from
a strictly nutritional standpoint, there’s decent
evidence that lawmakers didn’t exactly bungle
this decision.
Let’s revisit the facts: Despite what one might
expect from the headlines, if you scour the
agriculture appropriations bill, referenced in
numerous stories, you won’t find a single mention
of the word “pizza,” or even “vegetable,” for that
matter.
This is not a fight over pizza. It is, instead, a fight
about tomato paste. Specifically, it’s a fight about
how much of the product counts as one serving of
vegetables.
8
Right now, tomato paste gets a sort of special
treatment under school lunch regulations. Just “an
eighth of a cup of tomato paste is credited with as
much nutritional value as half a cup of
vegetables,” my colleague Dina ElBoghdady
explained last week.
The Obama administration guidelines, outlined in
January, would have nixed tomato paste’s extra
credit, counting a half cup as a half cup. “Under
this proposal, schools would credit tomato paste
and puree based on actual volume as served,” the
regulation, published in the Federal Register on
Jan. 13, 2011, explains. “Schools would not be
allowed to credit a volume of fruits or vegetables
that is more than the actual serving size.”
What happened this week was that Congress
blocked that change: Tomato paste will continue
to get outsized credit, with one-eighth of a cup
essentially counted as something four times
larger.
This makes it easier, and cheaper, for pizza
manufacturers to produce a product that includes
a serving of vegetables. But, as my colleagues
over at The Checkup emphasize, it by no means
declares the pizza itself a vegetable. Schools
lunches are still measured by federal regulations
for calories (no more than one-third of daily
recommended value) and fat content (less than 30
percent of the meal), which limits how much
pizza students can be served. A cafeteria worker
can’t just pile a slice of pizza on a plate and say
she’s serving salad.
Back to the tomato paste controversy: Should a
smaller serving of tomato paste have equal
footing with a half-cup of other fruits and
vegetables?
If you stack one-eighth of a cup of tomato paste
up against a half-cup of some pretty common
fruits and vegetables, the paste actually doesn’t do
so badly. Here are nutrition facts for one-eighth of
a cup of tomato paste (left) versus a half a cup of
apples (right):
All told, the nutrition facts look really similar.
Tomato paste does do a lot worse on sodium, but
it also does much better in terms of calcium and
potassium content. It also slightly edges out
apples on dietary fiber, with a lower amount of
sugar.
I tested out a few other comparisons, and they
came out relatively close. You can see the results
below.
Measuring fruit and vegetable servings by volume
is a bit of an odd convention in the first place.
When it comes to calories and nutrients, they’re
really all over the map. A half-cup of avocado is
quite nutritionally different from a half-cup of
zucchini.
As for the half-cup of tomato paste at the center
of this debate, it would no doubt have had more
nutrients than an eighth-cup. Advocacy groups
were disappointed to see the regulatory change
blocked. More tomato paste would mean more
pizza sauce, would mean more potassium and
fiber. But the smaller serving, in strictly
nutritional terms, looks a whole lot like the larger
serving of some of the most common fruits and
vegetables we consume.
Moreover, it’s far from clear how much this
decision matters for what students actually eat.
While the U.S. Department of Agriculture writes
guidelines for what school meals should look like,
few schools actually follow them. Just 20 percent
of schools served meals that met federal
guidelines for fat content, according to a 2007
USDA audit.
© The Washington Post Company
The Iron Triangle (Issue Networks)
9
Budget Basics
Deficit-- annual shortage of money (expected to be $2 trilion in 2009)
Debt-- total shortage of money ($12 trillion)
Surplus-- total extra revenue
Monetary policy: the process by which the government, central bank, (i.e. U.S. Federal Reserve appointed govt.
officials) controls (i) the supply of money, (ii) availability of money, and (iii) cost of money or rate of interest, in order
to attain a set of objectives oriented towards the growth and stability of the economy.
Fiscal policy: government attempts to influence the direction of the economy through changes in government
taxes, or through some spending (i.e. budget making ...recommended by the President, made by Congress then approved by the
President)
Social Security
Payroll (FICA) tax rate:
• 1/5 widows live alone
• 1 retiree per 16 workers
1937 = 2%
1950s-60s = 6%
1970s = 9%
• originally for just
widows and retirees
• avg age = 62
• expanded to disabled
• mandated COLAs
Cost of Living hikes
3/5 of widows live alone
• 1 retiree per 3 workers
1990s = 15.3%
10
Possible changes:
1. Bring more workers into system (i.e. teachers)
3. Raise taxes
2. Invest S.S. funds into stock market
4. Cut benefits
Define Entitlement Spending: mandatory spending made permanent by law. Does not change from year to year unless
the law changes. (S.S. / Medicare)
Define Discrentionary Spending: non-permanent spending that can change from year to year.
• Federal Revenues
Individual income tax (49%)
Payroll (FICA) tax (33%)
Corporate income tax (10%)
Excise tax (3.3%)
Estate and gift tax (1%)
Custom duties (1%)
BUREAUCRACY
CANON Chapters 12, 15, 16 and 17 Test
1.
a.
According to your text, what is the paradox of the federal bureaucracy?
It continues to grow faster than any part of the government even though most
Americans express discontent with bureaucratic procedures.
11
b.
c.
d.
The same organization that does many important things can also be inefficient and
wasteful.
Legislators often “run against” the Washington bureaucracy, but are frequently
responsible for its exponential growth.
The bureaucracy frequently makes very bad decisions even though the president
and Congress monitor it closely.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
are appointed to their positions by elected officials
serve at the pleasure of the president
are hired on the basis of qualifications
cannot be fired because of their years of service
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Civil servants are employees of the federal government who:
Which of the following is the BEST definition of the bureaucracy?
the group of employees who are responsible for implementing government policy
the part of the federal government responsible for making government policy
the group of civil servants who are permanent government employees
the political appointees who help the president administer the day-to-day
operation of government
4.
Although some presidential and congressional decisions are specific, many leave room for
interpretation by bureaucrats. This explains why bureaucracies:
a.
b.
c.
d.
are often inefficient
can have significant influence on policy
are difficult for politicians to control
are not representative of the public’s demands on government
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
red tape
procurements
standard operating procedures
regulations
6.
a.
Government rules that influence the behavior of individuals and groups are known as:
Any unnecessarily complex set of procedures in the bureaucracy is called:
a regulation
12
b.
c.
d.
rule-making
a standard operating procedure
red tape
7.
a.
b.
c.
d.
the officials’ lack of expertise relative to the bureaucrats
the conflict that arises between the president and Congress in trying to control the
bureaucracy
the emphasis on neutral competence among civil servants
the weak tools for controlling the bureaucracy that are available to Congress and
the president
8.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Elected officials are faced with the problem of controlling the bureaucracy because of:
While the spoils system ________, its principal drawback was that ________.
strengthened political parties; it made government responsible to the mass public
strengthened political parties; appointees often lacked experience
helped make government responsible to the mass public; appointees often lacked
experience
helped make government responsible to the mass public; it strengthened political
parties
9.
What was the principal bureaucratic change that occurred during the New Deal?
a.
The range of policy areas in which the government intervened expanded.
b.
An independent bureaucracy was created.
A foundation for expanding state capacity was created.
Limits on the growth of government were established.
c.
d.
10.
a.
The Office of Management and Budget is primarily responsible for:
c.
overseeing procurement of services for the federal government
monitoring the flow of money throughout the economy
helping the president monitor federal budget expenditures and proposals
d.
investigating the bureaucracy on behalf of Congress
b.
11.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an independent agency?
It is not subordinate to one of the executive departments.
It is below the executive departments in the federal hierarchy.
It has a clear, specialized function.
It’s leader must be from the opposition party
12.
Why is it that some tasks are handled by independent agencies even when
they might conceivably fall under the scope of an executive department?
13
a.
b.
c.
d.
Congress may create an independent agency because presidents have less control
over them than executive agencies.
Congress prefers independent agencies to executive departments because they have
more control over the people who run them.
Independent agencies usually have more policy experts than executive departments.
Congress doesn’t recognize the potential policy overlap between the independent
agency and the executive department until after they have established it.
13.
Why does the president have limited control over the Federal Reserve when compared to
executive departments like the Department of Treasury?
a.
b.
Appointees serve for fourteen years, longer than the president.
It is a body that is controlled exclusively by Congress.
c.
There is no process for removing appointees to that body.
d.
None of the above; the president has significant control over the Federal Reserve.
14. Although ______ are exempt from restrictions on political activity in the Hatch Act, they still cannot ______.
a.
b.
c.
d.
political appointees; run for office unless they resign from their position.
political appointees; use government resources for political purposes.
civil servants; use government resources for political purposes.
elected officials; donate money to other officials.
15.
When members of Congress gather information about the bureaucracy by holding hearings and questioning
bureaucrats, they are engaged in:
a.
b.
c.
d.
oversight
stacking the deck
bureaucratic drift
policing
16.
a.
b.
c.
d.
17.
a.
b.
c.
d.
When do agencies have the most discretion in implementing policy?
when Congress and the president disagree on what an agency should be doing
when it has a large budget
when it has more experts
when it is an executive department
Which government institution generally has the least amount of influence on economic policy?
Congress
president
judiciary
bureaucracy
18.
The gross domestic product (GDP) is:
14
a.
b.
c.
d.
the annual difference between a country’s imports and exports
a measure of a country’s yearly budget surplus
a measure of a country’s economic output and activity
a measure of a country’s annual collection of taxes
19.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Decisions made by the Federal Reserve System are:
politically influenced by the president
politically influenced by the Congress
politically influenced by the National Economic Council
not politically influenced because the agency is independent
20.
Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Treasury Department?
a.
produce currency and coinage
b.
supervise national banks
make changes to the U.S. tax code
collect taxes, duties, and money paid to and due to the United States
c.
d.
21.
The theory that lowering taxes will stimulate the economy because of increased investment and
spending among the public is called:
a.
Keynesian economics
b.
discretionary spending
a stimulus package
supply-side economics
c.
d.
22.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) are examples of what kind of government power?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the federal government’s power to tax income
the federal government’s power to draft citizens into the military
the federal government’s regulatory power
the federal government’s ability to maintain a federal bank
23.
Regarding trade policy, Democrats generally represent ________, while Republicans generally
represent ________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
capital; government regulation
labor; capital
free trade; labor
tariffs; quotas
24.
An increase in consumer good prices over time is called:
15
a.
b.
c.
d.
increments
price gouging
inflation
price ceiling
25.
a.
b.
c.
d.
What is it called when government spending is equal to its revenue?
budget deficit
balanced budget
budget surplus
“Clinton” budget
26.
What is it called when government spending exceeds its revenue?
a.
budget deficit
b.
balanced budget
budget surplus
“Clinton” budget
c.
d.
27.
Which of the following agencies is housed in the Executive Branch and advises the president on
economic policy making?
a.
Federal Reserve Board
b.
National Economic Council
Federal National Mortgage Association
American International Group
c.
d.
28.
The agency previously called the Bureau of the Budget that is housed in the Executive Branch and
works with the president to compose the nation’s annual budget is now called:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Federal Reserve Bank
National Budget Office
Federal Council on Budget Affairs
Office of Management and Budget
29.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Congressional Reserve Board
Congressional Budget Office
Congressional Office of Management and Budget
Congressional Budget Bureau
30
a.
While debating the budget, Congress often seeks advice from an independent agency called the:
The economic system in the United States is:
capitalist
16
b.
c.
d.
socialist
fascist
democratic
31.
The U.S. economic system is regulated by the ________, which seeks to maintain safe and
transparent capital markets.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Securities and Exchange Commission
Federal Reserve Board
National Economic Council
National Banking Association
32.
a.
b.
c.
d.
budget deficit
federal debt
trade deficit
budget surplus
33.
a.
b.
c.
d.
b.
c.
d.
veteran
environmental
b.
c.
d.
b.
What kind of negative tradeoff do Democrats usually associate with free trade?
higher interest rates
stock market decline
reduction in American jobs
increased prices on consumer goods
36.
a.
What type of budget spending allows for expenditures to be cut?
mandatory spending
Social Security benefits
Keynesian spending
discretionary spending
35.
a.
Which type of congressional committees yield the most power on economic policies?
foreign relations
commerce
34.
a.
A ________ is the total accumulation of money borrowed by the government.
What kind of positive tradeoff do Republicans usually associate with free trade?
lower interest rates
stock market increase
17
c.
d.
increase in American jobs
lower prices on consumer goods
37.
a.
b.
c.
d.
38.
governments?
a.
b.
c.
d.
In pursuing social policy, Republicans tend to favor market-based approaches such as:
school vouchers
Medicaid payments
welfare
universal health care
Which of the following is NOT a social policy administered in some degree by state and local
education
Social Security
Medicaid
Welfare
39.
It is widely believed that politicians seem to be less interested in social policies concerning the
poor and disadvantaged because:
a.
b.
c.
d.
the Great Society plan solved most of their problems
they are not politically active
the media does not report such political efforts
it costs too much money to implement such policies
40.
a.
b.
c.
d.
it is a program spending more than it is taking in
it is a program taking in more than it is spending
politicians propose frequent changes to it in order to appease their constituents
politicians do not like to propose changes because they would likely be unpopular
with their constituents
41.
a.
b.
c.
d.
b.
Although there is some variation, Medicare is a government-sponsored health care program for:
people living below the poverty line
citizens 65 and older
minorities living below the poverty line
all children under the age of 18
42.
a.
Social Security has been called the “third rail” of politics, which means:
Although there is some variation, Medicaid is a government-sponsored health care program for:
people living below the poverty line
citizens 65 and older
18
c.
d.
minorities living below the poverty line
all children under the age of 18
43.
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) put a ________ year lifetime limit on
welfare benefits.
a.
b.
c.
d.
two
three
four
five
44.
a.
b.
c.
d.
social policy
Medicare
45.
a.
Government assistance, usually financial, to individuals in need is called:
block grants
welfare
In the post-World War II era, the disparity between poor people and wealthy people:
c.
has gotten larger
has gotten smaller
has stayed about the same
d.
is no longer measured due to privacy concerns
b.
46.
a.
b.
c.
d.
No Child Left Behind is an example of education policy:
becoming more controlled by state and local governments
becoming more controlled by the federal government
increasingly being funded by the federal government
passed during the Great Society
47.
Medicare and Medicaid are administered by state governments as well as by:
a.
Congress
b.
the Department of Health and Human Services
the Federal Health Commission
The Treasury Department
c.
d.
48.
a.
b.
c.
Low income individuals have a difficult time fighting for more liberal welfare policies because:
Congress has been under Republican control
they are generally not politically active and not represented by interest groups
such policies are too expensive
19
d.
Republicans in the Senate filibuster all bills proposing such changes
49.
a.
b.
c.
d.
reform options, such as tax credits and free market investments, that substitute
government-sponsored social programs
reforms applied to societal issues by creating a reliance on government sponsored
social programs
reform options for economic issues that solve problems by passing social programs,
such as those passed in the New Deal
another name for a number of social programs passed in the Great Society
50.
a.
b.
c.
d.
To combat income inequality, the Republican Party generally seeks to:
increase funding for social and welfare programs and tax wealthier individuals
print more money and privatize Social Security
create jobs and lower taxes for everyone
restrict free trade and raise taxes on everyone
51.
a.
What are market-based solutions?
To combat income inequality, the Democratic Party generally seeks to:
c.
increase funding for social and welfare programs and tax wealthier individuals
print more money and privatize Social Security
create jobs and lower taxes for everyone
d.
restrict free trade and raise taxes on everyone
b.
52.
a.
b.
c.
d.
No Child Left Behind is a piece of legislation that:
increased federal funding for education
expanded Head Start to every school district
placed national accountability and testing requirements in every school district
required every school district to offer special education classes
53.
“Corporate welfare” is a term used to describe:
a.
wealthier individuals who receive welfare
b.
individuals who become wealthy from welfare
government assistance programs for businesses and corporations
corporate tax cuts by state and local governments to attract business development
c.
d.
54.
The ________ is an interest group that represents the interest of senior citizens, the elderly and
other older individuals.
a.
b.
c.
National Rifle Association (NRA)
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
National Association for the Advancement of Older People (NAAOP)
20
d.
Senior Citizen Alliance (SCA)
55.
United States?
a.
b.
c.
d.
What policy involves government action toward other nations, groups, or entities outside the
domestic policy
foreign policy
social policy
economic policy
56.
called a(n):
When a foreign policy action is done without any coordination or support from other nations it is
a.
unilateral action
b.
multilateral action
individual action
isolationist action
c.
d.
57.
When a foreign policy action is done with coordination or support from other nations it is called
a(n):
a.
c.
unilateral action
multilateral action
individual action
d.
isolationist action
b.
58.
What foreign policy philosophy contends that America’s best interests are served by avoiding
formal agreements and activity with other nations?
a.
b.
c.
d.
internationalism
realism
idealism
isolationism
59.
What foreign policy philosophy contends that it is not only in America’s best interest to pursue
foreign relations with other nations, it is also America’s moral obligation to intervene during international crises?
a.
b.
c.
d.
internationalism
realism
idealism
isolationism
60.
a.
b.
Who of the following has the MOST power in creating foreign policy?
the president
Congress
21
c.
d.
the Supreme Court
the World Trade Organization
61.
Sanctions are often used to:
a. pressure a country to change their
behavior
b. facilitate a war
c. increase the value of domestic goods
d. create jobs in America
62.
________ assists countries in managing budget deficits and currency values.
a.
The World Bank
b.
c.
Amnesty International
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
d.
The International Monetary Fund
63.
a.
b.
c.
d.
When the United States imposes a fee on imported goods it is called a:
trade agreement
trading tax
shipping tax
tariff
64.
Which of the following is NOT an example of diplomacy?
a. establishing a most-favored trade status
agreement with another country
b. a nuclear arms reduction treaty
c. roundtable discussions to end a nation’s
nuclear weapon development program
d. a preemptive strike against another
country
65.When a nation gives money, products, or provides services to another country it is called:
a.
b.
c.
d.
foreign aid
shuttle diplomacy
a trade agreement
foreign welfare
66.
The “clash of civilizations” is a hypothesis suggesting:
22
a. war is inevitable between nations that
have nuclear capabilities
b. democracies do not go to war with each
other
c. terrorism is motivated by a hatred of the
Western World
d. communism is a time-bound governmental
system that will inevitably fall
Unit 7--Canon Ch. 12 The Bureaucracy, Ch. 15 Economic Policy, Ch. 16 Social Policy, Ch. 17 Foreign Policy
TKO--To Know Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define bureaucracy.
Explain how the bureaucracy makes public policy.
Discuss how iron triangles affect policymaking.
Explain the complex and often contentious relationship between the President and the
Executive Branch.
5. Identify and state the significance of the Federal Reserve and its Chairman.
6. Compare and contrast fiscal versus monetary policy. What is the significance of both?
7. Explain the significance of the Office and Management and Budget.
8. Compare and contrast OMB and CBO.
9. Explain the significance of independent regulatory commisssions/agencies.
10. Evaluate the effectiveness of Congressional oversight of the bureaucracy.
11. Explain how Congress, President, bureaucracy, states and interest groups affect welfare
policy.
12. Define entitlements.
13. Be able to explain how entitlement spending affects the budget making process.
14. Identify and state the significance of Social Security.
15. Explain the current problems facing Social Security and assess possible solutions.
16. Identify and state the significance of Medicare.
17. Explain the current problems facing Medicare and assess possible solutions.
18. Identify and state the significance of No Child Left Behind. What are the greatest hurdles
facing educational policy?
19. Identify and state the significance of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
How have attitudes toward welfare programs changed over time?
23
20. Be able to discuss current healthcare policy disputes. Who are the main players and what
makes completing public policy so difficult?
The following Illinois SEL goals will govern our classroom:
1. Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success.
2. Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.
3. Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community
contexts.
Additionally the following values will be nurtured in all citizens entering this academic arena:
Self Discipline; Compassion; Responsibility; Friendship; Work; Courage;
Perseverance; Honesty; Loyalty; FaithUS
Constitution Test Review 2011
“In my end is my beginning”- T.S. Eliot
1. Why did the Federalists want to replace the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution?
2. What did the Anti-Federalists want added to the Constitution to limit the power of the national government?
3. What term is used to describe the shared powers between national and state governments?
4. What bodies must approve proposed amendments to the Constitution?
5. List three key ideas from the Declaration of Independence:
6. What type of democracy did the framers of the Constitution create?
7. The Constitution establishes its authority on the basis of what when it states, “We the People”?
8. In what year was the current US Constitution written?
9. What does the US Bill of Rights consist of?
On the subject of political parties, what does the original Constitution say?
10.
Federal offices that are directly elected
11.
What branch is responsible for making laws?
12.
According to the Constitution, what is the biggest Congressional check on Presidential war power?
13.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 18: a.k.a?
Impact of?
14.
What
expressed
power
has
been
used
most
often
to
expand the power of the federal government?
15.
What
happens
to
a
bill
after
both
chambers
of
Congress
have passed it?
16.
What is the length of term for US Senators?
17.
What is the length of term for US Representatives?
18.
What are the major expressed powers of Congress?
19.
Who is the presiding officer of the US House of Representatives?
20.
How is this presiding officer of the US House of Representatives chosen?
21.
How many voting members are in the US House of Representatives?
22.
Who are the U.S. Senators from from Illinois?
23.
What is the Constitutional role of the Executive Branch?
24.
What are the constitutional qualifications for a person to be elected President?
25.
What are the President’s formal military powers?
26.
How can the President use the veto power?
27.
How is the President impeached?
28.
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, what body choses the President?
29.
Electoral College: function and numbers of electors
30.
What is the maximum number of times a person may be elected to the office of the President?
31.
After the Vice-President, who is next in line to succeed to the presidency?
32.
What is the purpose of the Judicial Branch?
33.
What is the power a court has to declare a law of Congress unconstitutional?
34.
What does the religious establishment clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution state?
35.
Length of terms for federal judges
36.
What does the free exercise clause of the First Amendment protect?
37.
24
38.
39.
40.
41.
How are Supreme Court justices confirmed?
The Supreme Court will rule on the Constitutionality of which laws?
What are the names of the current US President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Know the significance of these Constitutional amendments: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 14, 15, 19, 26
ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION TEST
(Review Guide 2011)
Directions: Name the following executive officers and describe their functions.
Governor
Secretary of State
Attorney General
Treasurer
Comptroller
Lt. Governor
1. When was the Illinois Constitution adopted?
2. What’s unique about the Illinois Bill of Rights as compared to the U.S. Bill of Rights?
3. Who can amend the Illinois Constitution?
4. What is the Illinois legislature also known as?
5. What is the basic (general) trial court in Illinois called?
6. How are judges in the Illinois Court system chosen?
7. How long are the terms of members of the Illinois State House of Representatives?
8. Which of the following best describes the Home Rule provision in the Illinois Constitution?
9. Is redistricting intended to make districts equal in area or population?
10.
If the Govenor vetoes a bill, how can the bill be passed over his veto?
11.
How does a bill become a law in Illinois?
12.
What are the three formal qualifications for a judge in Illinois?
13.
Comparison between Governor and President’s legislative power
14.
Who are the U.S. Representatives from the 8th and 10th U.S. Congressional districts?
15.
Who are the new state representatives from the 51st and 59th state districts?
16.
Who are the state senators from the 26th and 30th districts?
17.
What is your legal option if you are out-of-town on election day?
18.
What are three requirements for voter registration?
19.
Which type of election nominates candidates for their respective parties?
20.
In what type of election do Illinois residents have a chance to participate in direct democracy?
21.
22.
Term used to describe local government’s ability to seize private land
What is the number of State Representative Districts in Illinois?
25
23.
What is the number of State Senatorial Districts in Illinois?
24.
ID the only Illinois governor to have been impeached and convicted:
AP Government Questions - 3rd Midterm
Media, Executive Branch, Interest Groups and Legislative Branch
1. Explain the complex and often contentious relationship between the President and
cabinet members.
2. Explain the process for choosing the president if there is no majority in the electoral
college.
3. Explain the plurality, winner take all system for the electoral college.
4. Explain the significance of “horse-race” journalism.
5. Explain the agenda setting function of the media.
6. Discuss the constitutional/formal/institutional powers of the President. (be sure to
include which require advice and consent of the Senate and which do not.)
7. Explain the significance of the presidential executive order.
8. Discuss the president’s ability to use the media to set the policy agenda.
9. Explain the significance of presidential executive agreement.
10. Define line item veto.
11. Explain the significance of an iron triangle.
12. Explain the significance of the White House Office/White House Staff.
13. Define fiscal policy.
14. Discuss the main role of the Federal Reserve Board.
15. Explain the significance of entitlement spending.
16. Explain the significance of the Office of Management and Budget.
17. Explain the significance of independent regulatory commissions/agencies.
26
18. Explain the significance of Us v. Nixon.
19. Explain the significance of the Freedom of Information Act.
20. Discuss what characteristics a president considers when selecting a running mate or vice
president.
21. Explain the significance of the War Powers Act.
22. Explain the significance of the Rules Committee in the House.
23. Discuss the process of gerrymandering.
24. Define the franking privilege.
25. Explain the significance of the incumbency advantage.
26. Explain the significance of pork barrel legislation/ ear marks.
27. Explain the significance of lobbying.
28. Discuss the major similarities and differences between the House of Reps and the Senate.
29. Explain the significance of the committee system in the House.
30. Explain the significance of the subcommittee system.
31. Explain the significance of the committee chair in the House of Reps.
32. Define conference committee.
33. Explain the significance of cloture rule/motion.
34. Define pocket veto.
35. Discuss the formal/expressed/constitutional/institutional tools used by Congress for
oversight of the bureaucracy.
36. Explain the significance of linkage institutions.
37. Explain the significance of the President’s power in foreign policy.
38. Explain the significance of interstate commerce.
27
Explain the significance of divided government
Law opens gate to return
of U.S. horse slaughter
The South County Spotlight
Stover E. Harger III
December 7, 2011
A Congressional bill signed into law last
month allows federal money to be used to inspect
horse slaughterhouses, a slight adjustment in a
spending bill that many believe creates a
supportive environment for such facilities to once
again start popping up across the country.
The federal government cut funding for the
USDA to inspect horsemeat plants in 2006. That
was after years of unsuccessful lobbying from
animal interest groups calling for a complete ban
on the industry. If there are no government
inspections at horse slaughterhouses then the meat
cannot be legally sold. The last horse
slaughterhouse in America, located in Illinois,
closed in 2007.
President Obama signed the Agriculture
Appropriations bill into law Nov. 18.
Since then, animal welfare advocates, horse
owners and others have weighed in on the topic.
Some believe U.S.-based slaughterhouses could
help cut back on the number of neglected and
abandoned horses — a growing concern as the
economy remains stagnant. Others say having
nearby horsemeat plants could provide an easy
out for irresponsible horse breeders and owners
who want a simple way to ditch their animals
when they become sick, old or merely unwanted.
“I think if you love horses there is no way that
feels right,” said Sharon Harmon, Columbia
County resident and executive director of the
Oregon Humane Society.
Over time, our country has moved towards
seeing horses more as companions rather than
commodities, Harmon said. Allowing the
inspections will turn back that progress, she said.
“At this point I would love to see us focus our
attention on creating a safety net for unwanted
horses. We can do better,” Harmon said.
An estimated 140,000 horses a year are
transported — in sometimes cramped and
stressful conditions — to be slaughtered in
Canada and Mexico, according to a government
report prior to reauthorizing the funding for
inspections. Statistics show that banning
inspections at horsemeat plants did little to limit
the number of horses being sent to slaughter.
Almost the same number of horses were killed for
meat in the U.S. before the 2006 inspection
funding ban.
In hindering the once-multi-million dollar
horsemeat industry in this country, animal welfare
advocates say horse owners struggling in the
economy have limited recourse to get rid of their
expensive animals. It costs at least $200 a month
to maintain a healthy horse.
At the industry’s height, only a few facilities
were operating in this country. Those, including
two in Texas, mostly exported the meat to
countries who do not have the same beliefs as the
United States when it comes to eating the animal
— seen by many as iconic symbols of the
American West.
In Mexico, France and Canada, for example,
horsemeat is accepted, just like eating cattle is a
regular practice in our country, while beef is
entirely unacceptable in other cultures.
Even when the slaughterhouses were active in
the United States, Oregon horses were sent to
Canada where horsemeat is a large industry, said
Julie Fritz, program administrator for the Oregon
Hay Bank, a charitable group started in 2008 that
aids struggling horse owners across the state with
hay feed and medical care.
That’s assuming a facility does not open in
Oregon or Washington, however.
28
The nonprofit United Horseman group is one
of the leading voices in support of opening new
American-owned horse slaughterhouses.
President Dave Duquette, who lives in Hermiston,
said a number of investors are looking to open
facilities. Rumors are popping up about where
those would be located. Oregon has been
mentioned as a possible location.
When active, horsemeat plants had cost as
much as $5 million a year to inspect, said
Roseburg horse rescuer Darla Clark. That figure
is supported by other horse slaughter opponents.
The slaughter debate should steer away from
emotions and into fiscal responsibility, said Clark,
who runs the nonprofit Strawberry Mountain
Mustangs and founded the Oregon Hay Bank.
“I don’t think it should be an option, because I
do not want my money being paid to clean up an
irresponsible industry,” she said.
The Humane Society of the United States is
calling for a renewed push to pass the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which would
prohibit horse slaughter plants as well as end the
ongoing practice of exporting American horses
for slaughter in other countries.
That would be great news for horse owners
like Kassi Sande Euwer who runs Sande School
of Horsemanship in Warren. Living around horses
her whole life, she said she can’t imagine ever
biting into the flesh of one her beautiful animals.
Horse roast
While not a regular food in the U.S., horsemeat is a
delicacy in many other countries, including Canada
where this recipe was published by grocery chain
Metro.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-1/4 lbs. horsemeat roast
Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Blue cheese-horseradish sauce
3 Tbsp. blue cheese crumbles
3 Tbsp. sour cream
5 tsp. minced chives
5 tsp. horseradish or wasabi
5 tsp. light mayonnaise
Directions:
• Preheat oven to 425°F
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Sear roast all sides. Rub with mustard and season.
• Roast 10 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 350°F and cook to desired
degree of doneness.
• In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients together.
• In a skillet, bring sauce to a boil.
• Lay meat on the sauce.
AP American Government
Name:
Legislative Process Quiz
1. Define the Rules Committee:
a. Place where the House negotiates amendments and debate procedures
b. Place where Senators and Representatives negotiate about differences between legislation.
29
2. Define the Conference Committee:
a. Place where the House negotiates amendments and debate procedures
b. Place where Senators and Representatives negotiate about differences between legislation.
3. Which of the following can start the legislative process by introducing a bill?
a.
b.
c.
d.
presidents
members of the Congress only
interest group members
all of the above
4. Which of the following lists is correctly ordered?
a.
b.
c.
d.
member introduces a bill; one chamber takes floor action; conference committee
version is approved
conference committee approves a bill; member introduces bill; one chamber takes
floor action
member introduces a bill; conference committee version is approved; one chamber
takes floor action
member introduces a bill; president signs/vetos bill; conference committee version is
approved
5. The process by which bills are rewritten and amended in a committee is known as:
a.
multiple referral
b.
markup
a conference committee vote
a floor action
c.
d.
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
What is the difference between a veto and a pocket veto?
One can be overturned by Congress and the other cannot.
One requires the president to send it back to Congress and the other requires him to
wait until Congress goes out of session.
One can be overturned by a majority vote and the other requires a two-thirds vote.
There is no difference between them.
Which comes first in the legislative process?
7. a. Bill is sent to a standing committee
b. Bill is sent to conference committee
8. a. Bill is sent to rules committee
b. Bill is debated on House floor
9. When an interest group contacts a public official and tries to influence public policy, it is engaged in:
30
a.
b.
c.
d.
electioneering
lobbying
pluralism
external strategy
10. One view of American government is that Americans participate in politics primarily through interest groups. This is known
as:
a.
c.
representation
elitism
pluralism
d.
the interest group state
b.
31