US Government & Politics: Key Concepts and Facts

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

6. Know what AFDC is and how it applies to people. Aid to Families with Dependent Children

Key Political Concepts

• Neo-institutional: The way they interact and how they affect society.
• Interest Group: Organization of people who work together to protect and promote the government. Two categories: economic and noneconomic.
• Entrepreneurial: A person who organizes and operates a business/es, takes risk.
• Client: Government Owned Enterprise (GOE), prior to marketing or sales activities.
• Majoritarian: Democracy rule of society’s citizens.

Introducing a Bill in Congress

8. How can a bill be introduced in Congress? Members of Congress are the only ones who can introduce the bill at any time the House of Senate is in session. The bill must be determined Joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, simple resolutions.

Social Security and Medicare

9. Because older citizens benefit and others pay, some people erroneously consider Social Security and Medicare forms of interest groups politics.

Social Security Tax

10. Today, the Social Security tax is a little over 6.2% of a person's earnings, and half of this is paid by the employer.

Principal Work of Congress

11. The principal work of Congress is Representation and Action.

Campaign Finance Law

12. What was campaign finance law a by-product of? The Watergate Scandal

Social Security Investment Suggestions (2001)

13. In 2001, the Commission to Strengthen Social Security suggested that people be allowed to invest part of their tax contributions into what? Private Mutual Funds

Passage of the Medicare Bill

14. The passage of the Medicare bill was made possible by A democratic landslide in the 1964 election

Size of the Supreme Court

15. What does the U.S. Constitution have to say about the size of the Supreme Court? It does not indicate how large the court should be

Presidential Powers

16. What is the best way to describe the powers given to the president by the Framers? Vague power + place limits on executive powers that could be dangerous

Voting Restrictions: Grandfather Clause

17. What were rules allowing white Americans to vote while preventing African-Americans from voting? Grandfather Clause

President Eisenhower's Cabinet

18. As indicated by the text, which president can be considered most successful in the use of his cabinet as a deliberative body? Eisenhower

Presidential Legislative Program

19. Which president was one of the first to argue for a presidential legislative program? Woodrow Wilson

Mildred Paradox

20. What does “Mildred Paradox” describe? Mildred paradox

Political Advertisements

21. A comprehensive study on political advertisements found that the largest number emphasized Voter’s Fears

1968 Democratic Convention

22. What was the public’s response when police roughed up antiwar demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic convention? They sided with the police