Final Spring 2015 Flashcards
Duties and Functions of the President?
- Chief of State
- Chief Executive
- Chief Diplomat
- Commander-in-Chief
- Chief Legislator
- Chief of Party
- Chief Guardian of the Economy
Original Intent of Article II?
- Creates the executive branch of the government consisting of the President, the Vice President, and other executive officers and staffers appointed by the President, including the Cabinet.
- Pursuant to Article Two, the executive power of the federal government is vested in the President.
Jimmy Carter
Democrat (1976) - small government, wanted separation of church and state, wanted to advance human rights
Carter’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs
Domestic - Aided Civil Rights, Weak Economy, Oil Shock
Foreign - Egypt and Israel, Panama Canal, Iran Hostage Crisis
Ronald Reagan
Republican (1980 + 1984) - larger + more involved government, more strong Army, Minimalist Government, US Exceptionalism
Reagan’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs
Domestic - Line-eyed veto, 20 million jobs, “Reaganomics”, Not enough press conferences, “Leaked” Stories, Deficits
Foreign - Granada, Libya Bombing, Soviet Union/Cold War, Nicaragua
Constitutional Powers of the President
- Responses to foreign events
- Proposals for legislation
- Negotiation of international agreements
- Policy statements
- Policy implementation
- Independent action.
Constitutional Powers of Congress
- Resolutions and policy statements
- Legislative directives
- Legislative pressure
- Legislative restrictions/funding denials
- Informal advice
- Congressional oversight.
What is the EOP?
Cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his or her responsibilities. Currently, the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, The Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units.
Define Bureaucracy
Executive branch agencies. Organizations that are created by the people through elected representatives, Endowed with resources by Congress.
Define Amicus Curiae
“Friend of the Court” - Frequently, a person or group who is not a party to a lawsuit, but has a strong interest in the matter, will petition the court for permission to submit a brief in the action with the intent of influencing the court’s decision.
Judicial Activism vs Judicial Restraint
Judicial Activism - what a judge think the law should be/mean
Judicial Restraint - issues a ruling based on what the actual language of the law says right now
Define Administrative Law
The body of law that regulates the operation and procedures of government agencies.
Define Civil Law
The system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs.
Define Constitutional Law
The relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.
Define Criminal Law
A system of law concerned with the punishment of those who commit crimes.
Define Writ of Certiorari
A decision by the Supreme Court to hear an appeal from a lower court.
Federal and PA Court Structures
Federal - Supreme Court/State Supreme Court> Circuit Court of Appeals/State Court of Appeals> District Court/Trial Court
PA - Supreme Court> Commonwealth/Superior Court> Court of Common Pleas> Philadelphia Municipal Court/Philadelphia Traffic Court/Magisterial District Judge Court
Examples of US Welfare Programs
Social Security, Unemployment, Worker’s Compensation, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.
Define Keynesian Theory
An economic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output and inflation.
Define Monetarist Theory
An economic concept which contends that changes in the money supply are the most significant determinants of the rate of economic growth and the behavior of the business cycle.
Define Supply Side Theory
Lowering taxes on corporations, government can stimulate investment in industry and thereby raise production, which will, in turn, bring down prices and control inflation.
Define Conservative Theory
Right-wing politics
Fiscal VS Monetary Policy
Fiscal - to target the total level of spending, the total composition of spending, or both in an economy. The two most widely used means of affecting fiscal policy are changes in the role of government spending or in tax policy.
Monetary - stimulate an economy into faster growth or slow down growth over fears of issues like inflation.
Define Bush Doctrine
“Preemptive strikes” as a defense against an immediate threat to the security of the United States. This policy principle was applied particularly in the Middle East to counter international terrorist organizations. Generally, the Bush Doctrine was used to indicate a willingness to unilaterally pursue U.S. military interests.
Marbury vs Madison
Judicial Review
Plessy vs Ferguson
Upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.
Brown vs Board of Education
On May 17, 1954, the Court unanimously ruled that “separate but equal” public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional.
