Organization of the Government
What are the 3 branches of government?
Executive, Judicial, Legislative
Name 3 examples of interest groups
AARP, NRA, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, etc.
What are the colors of each political party?
Republicans- Red
Democrats- Blue
What is "welfare"?
Unemployment benefits, food stamps, medicare, etc.
How did the founding fathers protect the government from becoming too big?
Checks and Balances
What are the two parts of the legislative branch?
Congress and House of Representatives
What is the job of interest groups?
To bring new ideas and concerns
What is each party's stance on government involvement?
Republican- small government/less involvement
Democratic- larger government/more involvement
What are some fears about entitlements and economic security?
How did the Great Depression affect Americans views of big business?
Lost most all respect for big business
How many amendments are in the bill of rights?
10
What are interest groups?
Lobbying and pressure groups
Which president and what year was crucial to the political party system?
Election of 2012, Barack Obama
What is the biggest current problem with social security?
Less are paying in and more are taking out
One reason why Americans were afraid of a big government
Many answers will work
Ex: power, loss of freedoms, etc.
What is the purpose of the checks and balances system?
To ensure no one branch of government has too much power
What is the goal of an interest group government?
To increase interest group size
What are some characteristics of a more liberal nation?
Less religious, favor to gay marriage and abortion, etc.
What is the biggest reason Americans are scared of socialism?
It didn't work for other countries
What are the republican and democratic views of governmental involvement?
Republican- wanted little involvement
Democratic- wanted big involvement
What are the 3 requirements in passing a bill?
Supreme Court must say its ethical, 50% of congress must vote in favor, President has to sign the bill
What are well organized interest groups able to do?
Put pressure on a politician
Name some cultural divides between each party
Religion, homosexuality, etc.
What is the percentage of American households that receive governmental aid?
50% have at least one person in the household
What are the 6 cultural values guiding us into the future?
Individual freedom, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, competition, material wealth, hard work