Exam 5: Ch. 11 +12 Flashcards
1
Q
What is policy?
A
position or action that is a result of the government taking or not taking a formal position on a matter at hand
2
Q
Characteristics of a policy?
A
broad or specific
combination of principles, promises, and action
consistent or inconsistent
serve a select few or many
3
Q
How is silence a policy?
A
denies legitimacy to a cause and its advocates; Americans have a short attention span, so silence leads to the issue being forgotten and no change in current policy will occur
4
Q
How is doing nothing a policy?
A
all words and no action lead to no actual change
5
Q
What are the 2 reasons for doing nothing?
A
partisan and incidental
6
Q
What are partisan reasons for doing nothing?
A
“tossing a bone” to those demanding action; enabling credit claiming and plausible deniability
7
Q
What is an incidental reason for doing nothing?
A
budget shortfalls, packed schedules, too many bills
8
Q
What is the difference between silence and doing nothing?
A
silence: nothing is said about the proposed issue
doing nothing: words are said about the issue, but there is no action taken
9
Q
Explain the endless cycle of policy-making
A
people shape policy and policy impacts people
10
Q
Who are the people in the policy-making lifestyle?
A
elected officials, parties, interest groups, donors, public
11
Q
How do people shape policy?
A
legislating, lobbying, contacting, donating, vetoing, silence
12
Q
What are some possible policy points?
A
budgets, laws, rules, court decisions, executive action, letting status quo stand
13
Q
Who should policy matter to?
A
a lot of policy should matter to some of us, while some policy should matter to all of us
14
Q
What are the effects of time on policy?
A
what we do not care about now can cost us in the future
15
Q
What are the “Big 4” policy areas?
A
poverty
healthcare
education
immigration
16
Q
Conservative
A
emphasizes an individual’s responsibility and impact on society; ex: a criminal is a character flaw, and rehabilitation cannot fix it
17
Q
Liberal
A
emphasizes society’s responsibility and impact on an individual; ex: a criminal is a product of their environment, so rehabilitation is possible
18
Q
What are some overlaps between conservatives and liberals?
A
conservatives sometimes acknowledge that elevating issues of rights and dignity is the responsibility of society (when a criminal has been humanized); liberal sometimes recognizes that criminals are inherently bent towards crime and elevate issues of safety (when a criminal hurts a loved one)
19
Q
Perspective are not…
A
mutually exclusive
20
Q
What are goals shared by all states?
A
poverty
health
education
immigration
21
Q
What position does Texas take on the 4 goals shared by states?
A
TX is very conservative…
poverty: less assistance, focus on kids and pregnant moms
health: less coverage, focused on kids and elderly
education: less funding, focus on richer districts
immigration: enforced on individuals and local government, not on business
22
Q
What do social rules have to about winners and non-winners?
A
winners get more, and they deserve to get more, while non-winners are not deserving
23
Q
“Not my job” conclusion
A
assistance from the government should me minimal, and should come from civil and religious groups because non-winners are irresponsible and unworthy
24
Q
“It could have been me” Conclusion
A
the government should offer a generous hand to non-winners because they are good people who have been oppressed
25
Poverty...
is a relative label meaning someone you see as living at poverty may not see their life that way; it is on the lower end of a continuous spectrum of economic class with no precise starting point; it's more than just having little money, if affects how the people interact with society
26
Generational Poverty
families living in poverty for two generation or longer
27
Situational Poverty
circumstance-driven, lasts shorter time
28
Hidden rules concerning food
Poverty: quantity is important
Middle: quality is important
Wealth: presentation is important
29
Hidden rules concerning education
Poverty: valued and revered as abstract, but not as reality
Middle: crucial for climbing success ladder and making money
Wealth: necessary tradition for making and maintaining connections
30
How does the government measure poverty?
tripping the cost of buying food for a year in 1960s, then adjusted every year to account for inflation
31
Why is the current way of measuring poverty outdated?
back in the 1960s, the major expense was food, not the case anymore
32
What are the flaws of the current way of measuring poverty?
it's outdated, underestimates the number of people experiencing poverty, it doesn't account for the cost of living variation across the states
33
Why hasn't the current way of calculating poverty been overthrown?
the correct measure of poverty is much higher than the current measure, and politicians don't want that type of increase associated to their name
34
What do states say fixes poverty; and what do statistics have to say about that?
states say that jobs and education are the key to fixing poverty, but full time jobs don't always pay well or lead to advancement opportunities and education doesn't guarantee no poverty
35
What are the standard policy ingredients for getting rid of poverty?
- states share the same 4 standard ingredients, but their approach is different
- boost welfare programs
- increase wages
- increase education opportunities
- provide basic healthcare
36
What's the role of birthrate and family size in poverty?
larger families raise poverty count
37
What is the theist of medical care in the US?
it's very expensive and it's treated as a privilege instead of a right; if you have the money to pay for treatment, then you pay, but if you don't then you hope for assistance from the gov't, friend, or you go without treatment
38
Private Care Model
individuals are held personally responsible for paying the actual cost for the treatment that they receive; preferred by most Americans
39
Socialized Care Model
the gov't collects taxes and provides medical care for "free", but they get to decide what they are willing to pay for
40
Issue with private care model
most Americans cannot afford to pay the full cost of their healthcare, so many pay for health insurance, but insurance isn't cheap
41
How does health insurance work?
insurance companies spread the risk of a catastrophic cost for their insured by making them pay regular premiums
42
What is the governing principle of private insurance?
their main goal is to make money for the company
43
How do insurance companies make money?
payouts have to be less than the premiums, and to do this, they have to balance 4 factors: how many policies are in force, how sick the people are with those policies, how much they agree to pay the medical providers under agreements made, how much they charge customers for new or renewed policies
44
Do insurance companies pay for everything?
no, they only pay for a portion of the medical bill, how much they pay depends on how much the insurance is; higher cost insurance means the company pays more, while lower cost insurance, the company pays less
45
What costs do people with insurance have to pay?
premiums, deductibles, co-pays/co-insurance, all costs
46
Premiums
cost to the plan, paid monthly, whether sick or not
47
Deductibles
the annual amount you must pay for medical care before your plan will pay anything
48
Co-pays/Co-insurance
how much you must pay for each instance of medical care when that care is covered by your plan and you annual deductible has been paid
49
All costs
for services that are not covered by their policy
50
Out of pocket maximum
stated amount out of pocket the insured can pay for medical costs in a 12 month period before copayments end
51
What is the relationship between US employers and insurance?
they are the #1 source of healthcare benefits, but they have scaled back the number of jobs that offer medical care plan, and they have shifted the costs to their employees
52
What happens when someone cannot pay for medical insurance?
they delay getting it, they skip getting it, leading worse to health, quality of life, and life expectancy; or they got to the emergency room and not pay for the bill, which is then left to tax payers
53
What are the three types of problems that can be seen when dealing with the uninsured?
humanitarian
societal
economic
54
Humanitarian
they suffer individually, sometimes greatly
55
Societal
they poor health hurts their families and communities
56
Economic
they are burdens on commercial productivity and drain away tax and charity dollars from other needs
57
How does someone who is uninsured obtain long-term help with their medical bills?
Affordable Care-Act
Medicaid
58
Affordable Care Act
people with income above 133% of the Federal Poverty Level can receive health insurance at reduced premiums; the federal gov't heavy subsidizes to make it more affordable, and the individuals will still need to pay $1000s more; may not be accepted by doctors
59
Medicaid
pays for all necessary medical care
- not same as Medicare (for seniors)
- joint federal-state program, but feds pay most of costs via grants
- however, the states tailor their programs to determine who is eligible and who is not -- Texas has some of the tightest restrictions
- expanded in order to cover more needy individuals
60
What are some reforms that came along with the Affordable Care Act?
minimum standards for what bills would be covered by a policy
- illegal for insurers to deny insurance coverage to anyone due to their health conditions
- adult children to remain on their parents' policy for much longer period of time
61
What happens when government set a cut off for ACA subsidies, and states refused to expand medicaid?
people who make more than the federal poverty line and less than the 133% are left uninsured
62
What is a common measure of "excellent" public school education programs?
high school completion
63
How do states and local governments seek to improve HS graduation rates?
by increasing funding
64
Where does Texas stand when it comes to spending on public education?
Texas is ranked 46th; TX spent below the national average which created an annual difference of $59000 per classroom
65
Robin Hood system
calls on wealthier districts to transfer some funding to the poorer; resented system that is plagued with problems, and hasn't resolved inequalities
66
Great Recession of 2008 and School Funding
hurt many states and almost all slashed public education spending; Texas took away $5 billion in 2011 and only restored $3 in 2013, but bc of inflation it was nowhere near enough to cover what they originally took out
67
3 P's
Principles
Practicalities
People
68
Principles (illegal immigration)
rule of law: illegalities should be punished
fairness: "wait your turn"
diversity: "melting pot" is basis of US strength
security: safety of citizens is vital
status: keep things as they are
compassion: sacrificially helping others
69
Practicalities (illegal immigration)
- there are a lot of illegal immigrants
- it's very difficult to control illegal immigration
- illegal immigrants draw from AND contribute to the economy
70
People (illegal immigration)
- much more diverse population than most of us realize
- many have invested themselves in their communities
- the consequences of deportation can be dire for them
- Texans often know one or more illegal immigrant(s), but often may not realize
71
DREAM Act
considered by congress, but never became a law bc Republican primary contenders labeled anyone who supported this bill as "willing to grant amnesty to law breakers!"; would have removed the threat of deportation if they were under 30, brought to the US as a minor, and have been in the US for 5 years
72
DACA
response to the failure of DREAM Act; changed the implementation of immigration law, allowing DREAMers to enroll, and have deportation action deferred for 2 years; renewable in 2014, Obama tried to expand it in order to include more undocumented people and their parents but was blocked by federal courts because of states including Texas suing
73
Prosecutorial Discretion
the President cannot enforce all laws with equal rigor because resources are too limited, thus the President can focus resources onto or away from certain matters
74
Benefits of DACA
- hidden status a fear gone
- getting a number (license and travel)
- sense of being an American
75
Risks of DACA
registration requires applicants to identify their undocumented status to the gov't, as well as provide detailed information about them and family members
76
What are reasons to repeal the Texas Dream Act?
in state tuition prices is a magnet for the undocumented
77
What are the two types of law?
criminal and civil
78
What is an example of a criminal charge?
murder
79
What is an example of a civil suit?
wrongful death
80
What does criminal law deal with?
actions harmful to state as a whole
81
Who accuses in criminal law?
the state is accuser and prosecutor; prosecution is multistep, very lengthy process
82
What percent of criminal cases go to trial?
10%
83
Trials are held in county courtrooms with county judges but cases are called...
the state of Texas v. _____
84
The standard of guilt for criminal cases is...
beyond a reasonable doubt
85
What are two levels of crimes?
misdemeanors and felonies
86
What's the difference between a misdemeanor and felony?
misdemeanor = less serious punishment, and has no grand jury; felonies = more serious punishment such as state prison, and is charged, there's also a grand jury
87
Who accuses in civil disputes?
disputes between individuals; plaintiff files complaint against defendant
88
What the outcomes of civil suits?
the loser must compensate the winner in some way, such as money or an item
89
What is a dual court system?
federal courts and state courts
90
Who handles more cases?
state courts handle issues under state law handle 99.9% of criminal cases annually 99.8% of civil cases annually
91
Why are plea bargains so popular in the justice system?
there is simply too much volume for courts to handle all cases equally
92
What is selective incorporation?
mandating state laws, be consistent with US constitution
93
What are the 2 types of questions trial courts deal with?
questions of fact - answered by juries if jury trial
questions of law - always answered by judge
94
Appellate jurisdiction or courts of appeal are held for lower court decisions and can only _____
take issue with trial judge's decision about questions of law
95
What can a court of appeals accomplish?
either upholds or reveres lower court judgement; can't set defendants free
96
What do grand juries do?
decide whether or not to indict individual and send them to trial; review state's evidence
97
How is grand jury selected?
old way: pick someone
new way: random selection
98
Why was the "Key man" method of picking grand juries considered biased?
grand jurors were selected by a jury commissioner who was appointed by the district judge, and the juries selected would rarely set the defendant free before trial/ they were accused of rubber stamping whatever the DA wanted, even if that meant the people who were being tried were regularly form lower economic bracket, and the jury was from the higher economic bracket
99
What's the new system for grand jury selection?
random selection; better represents community; helps address possible biases
100
What make us a trial jury?
12 person jury in district courts, 6 person jury in county and justice of the peace courts
101
What is elite?
educated, wealthy, not representative of communities es, race, or ethnicity
102
Who makes up elite participation?
attorneys (law degree, must be licensed) and judges
103
What are the terms in office for judges in Texas?
district: 4 years, appellate: 6 years
104
How are judges removed?
by impeachment, they're usually reelected 75% of the time
105
How are judges elected?
partisan judicial elections
106
What are reasons for appointing judges?
judiciary is more protected from biasing decisions, voters don't know who judiciary candidates are, or when to vote for them
107
Judges solicitation funds in Texas is perfectly legal, T/F
true
108
What's the problem with the death penalty?
less popular support for capital punishment, deterrence effect is doubted, delays are crazy, super expensive to keep someone on death row, errors in the form of wrongful convictions
109
What is one constitutional amendment that can't be honored by Texas law or federal civl cases?
the right to a speedy trial; Texas no longer has speedy trial guarantees that specify maximum time periods
