Mid Term Flashcards
Classic Forms of Government?
Monarchy
Dictatorship
Democracy
What is the paradox do voting? What is the voter utility model?
The paradox is millions of people go to vote when the vote doesn’t matter
Equation—- C<p (O-R) + d
Compare Democracy to Republic
Democracy - voting for everything
Republic - voting through representation
Advantages/Disadvantages to a presidential system
Advantages - have a solitary leader to act quickly
Disadvantages - president could become too strong, there’s the possibility of gridlock, difficult to remove unsuited president
6 Goals of Constitution
Establish justice Ensure domestic tranquility Form a more perfect union Provide for the common defense Promote the general welfare Secure the blessings of liberty to themselves and the generations that follow
6 Principles of government in the Constitution
Popular sovereignty Limited government Separation of powers Checks and balances Judicial review Federalism
Define: Popular Sovereignty, Limited Government
Popular sovereignty - when people establish the government and are the source of its power
Limited government - when the powers of the government are restricted to protect the individual rights of the people
Virginia vs New Jersey Plan and -3 major compromises
Virginia - bicameral legislature, membership of both houses based on population
New Jersey - unicameral legislature, each state gets one vote
3 Major Compromises::::Bicameral legislature, one house based on pop., other has 2 members per state
Slaves were considered 3/5 of a person so South didn’t have a huge pop.
Presidents elected by the electoral college
Federalists vs Anti-Federalist
Federalist wanted 2 senators from each state and representatives from each state– Representation Democracy
Anti-Federalist wanted more representation and wanted thier rights protected— Direct Democracy
Why did Tom Jefferson believe the Constitution should be amended every generation?
Jefferson belived “each generation should be regarded as a distinct nation, they have a right to choose for itself the form of government it beleives most promotive of its own happiness.”
Why Federalism?
Because the delegates at the constitutional convention wanted to strengthen the national government
Define Expressed, Concurrent, Reserved Powers
Expressed - powers granted to the national government in the constitution
Concurrent - aren’t specifically listed in the constitution but are logical extensions of expressed powers
Reserved - recongnized as naturally belonging to all governments that conduct the business of a sovereign nation
Government Spending: 2 types
mandatory spending :spending mandated by laws and not subject to annual budget process
discretionary spending: spending subject to the annual budget process
