Clicker Question

Do the things that our government does affect your daily life?

a. A littleb. A lotc. Not at all

Clicker Question

Are you happy about the direction of the country these days?

a. Very Happyb. Somewhat Happyc. Somewhat UNhappyd. Not at all

Clicker Question

What are you doing to express your discontent?

a. NOTHINGb. Complaining

c. Occasionally Participating

d. I attend protests weekly!

Clicker Question

Do elected officials care about YOU (and people like you)?

a. A lotb. Somewhatc. Very Littled. Not at all

American Political Culture

The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.-Plato

Government and politics are important in your life!

Example: Who knows someone in Iraq?Whose education is paid for by the

government?Who pays taxes?Who thinks marijuana should be

legalized?Who is under the drinking age?

What is this?

Clicker Question

Is Government Necessary?

a. Yesb. Noc. Maybe

American Political Culture

Is Government Necessary?....................YESYour Book: A government is needed to provide those

services, sometimes called “public goods,” that all citizens need but are not likely to be able to provide adequately for themselves.

Includes: Defense against foreign aggression, maintenance of public order, enforcement of contractual obligations and property rights, and a guarantee of some measure of social justice

1. To Maintain Order2. To Protect Property3. To Provide Public Goods4. To Regulate Common Resources

What is Human Nature?Is mankind Moral/Immoral/Amoral?

Is mankind basically Individualistic or Social?

What’s the difference between Self-Interest and Selfish?

Is mankind primarily Self-Interested?

RIGHTS/LIBERTYWhere do our basic rights come from?

Can you legitimately have your rights revoked?

How do you balance my rights with your rights?

1. Hobbes on Order

Before Civil Society developed, life in “the State of Nature” was terrible!

“continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

To get out of this predicament, mankind rationally CHOOSES to form a society

The CHOICE is trading some of our FREEDOM for more ORDER.

American Political Culture

2. Locke on Property

For Locke, the “State of Nature” was a pretty nice place…at first. Then, SCARCITY!!!

With the presence of scarcity, ownership is necessary to distinguish MY stuff from YOUR stuff.

However, in the SoN, ownership was uncertain, people couldn’t secure their property…

People enter into civil society rationally to secure their “life, liberty, and PROPERTY”

American Political Culture

3. To Provide Public Goods

Private vs. Public GoodsPublic Good – A good that is Non-rivalrous and Non-

excludable.Non-Rivalrous – Once produced, everyone can benefit from it

with out diminishing other’s enjoyment.

Non-Excludable – Once created, it is almost impossible to prevent access to the good.

In short, a public good is a “good” that can be enjoyed (and not diminished) by anyone, whether they pay for it or not.

EXAMPLES – National Defense, Infrastructure, Environmental Protection, Public Safety…

American Political Culture

Clicker Question

Are you Here?

a. Yesb. Noc. Maybe

Clicker Question

"In order to reduce the federal budget deficit, do you think it will be necessary or not necessary to increase taxes on people like you?"

A. Necessary B. Not Necessary C. Unsure        

Clicker Question

"In order to reduce the federal budget deficit, do you think it will be necessary or not necessary to increase taxes on people like you?”   

NecessaryNot

necessary Unsure     

    % % %

  1/15-19/11 41 56 3

Clicker Question

"If you HAD to choose ONE, which would you prefer in order to reduce the federal budget deficit: raising taxes on people like you or reducing spending on government programs that benefit people like you?“

A. Raising TaxesB. Reducing SpendingC. Unsure        

Clicker Question

Spending Type Federal Budget Support for Same +Social Security 19.6% 98%

Military 18.7% 77%

Unemployment 16.1% 80%

Medicare 12.8% 90%

Other health care* 10.4% 85%

Education 1.9% 90%

State Department 1.5% 59%

Veterans 1.5% 92%

Anti-terrorism 1.2% 76%

Agriculture 0.7% 76%

Energy 0.7% 76%

Environment 0.3% 77%

Science 0.2% 87%

Support for cutting federal government spending

The Problem with Public Goods

Free-Riding Problem – When some persons enjoy the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs of attaining that good.

EXAMPLES: PBS/NPR

Taking Out the Trash

Free-riding, although unpleasant, is not problematic unless so many people choose to free-ride that the public good can no longer be provided or maintained.

Parks, Roads, National Defense

American Political Culture

Government Saves the Day…

With out government’s coercive powers through laws and policy to

• build a bridge, road, school

• produce an army

• Provide education

• Provide other public services

…there is no incentive, and often a disincentive, for individuals to provide for any of these collective (public) goods.

American Political Culture

4. To Regulate Common ResourcesThe Tragedy of the Commons: Picture a public pasture that is open to all local herdsmen. Each herdsman owns his own cattle, but nobody owns or controls the “commons.” Each herdsman is free to use the commons at will, and each herdsman is free to choose the number of animals that he will graze on it.

What problem occurs?Modern Examples: Air Use - Pollution

Oceans – Overfishing

Water Sources (GA/Fl/AL)

A government and its ability to regulate such common resources is one way to overcome this potentially negative outcome of over-exploitation.

However, sometimes governments are too slow…

American Political Culture

American Political Culture

What Types of Government are There?

1. Governments can be classified based on how authority/power is distributed.

Autocracy – Authority rests in a single individual – King, Queen, or Dictator

Oligarchy – Authority rests in a small group of people – landowners, military officers, wealthy merchants

Democracy – Authority rests with all citizens

American Political Culture

What Types of Government are There?

2. Governments can be classified based on what types of limitations are placed on authority/power

Constitutional – Formal and effective (written down) limits are placed on the powers of the government.

Authoritarian – A government that recognizes no formal limits BUT may be constrained by other social institutions.

Example = Cuba, Under Castro

Totalitarian - A government that recognizes no formal limits AND seeks to absorb/eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it.

Example – Stalinist Russia, Nazi Germany

American Political Culture

What EXACTLY is Democracy?

ARISTOTLE – “the most pure democracy is that which is so called principally from the equality which prevails in it…”

DE TOCQUEVILLE – “the very essence of democratic government consists in the absolute sovereignty of the majority.”

SCHUMPETER – “That institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s votes.”

“Power of the People”

Direct Vs. Representative Democracy

Direct Democracy – Political outcomes are decided by all citizens meeting in small assemblies

Representative Democracy – Indirect democracy, in which the people rule through elected representatives

Which type do we have?

American Political Culture

Clicker Question

Are you Here?

a. Yesb. Noc. Maybe

Clicker Question

If you are Socially Liberal and Economically Liberal, then you are a __________?

a. Liberalb. Conservativec. Statistd. Libertarian

Clicker Question

If you are Socially Conservative and Economically Liberal, then you are a __________?

a. Liberalb. Conservativec. Statistd. Libertarian

Clicker Question

If you are Socially Conservative and Economically Conservative, then you are a __________?

a. Liberalb. Conservativec. Statistd. Libertarian

Clicker Question

If you are Socially Liberal and Economically Conservative, then you are a __________?

a. Liberalb. Conservativec. Statistd. Libertarian

Traditional Political Ideology

So, how do we traditionally understand ideology?

What distinguishes between Liberal

(LEFT) and Conservative

(RIGHT)?

Size of Government?

But, is this correct?

Political IdeologyIn fact, ideas about “size of government” can be

divided into 2 categories

Social Issues

Economic Issues

You can be liberal or conservative on

these – independent of

each other.

“Better” Political Ideology

Based on these 2 axes, we can have a ideological MAP based on ones beliefs about BOTH sets of issues.

For Example:If you are Socially and Economically liberal, you would

be in the bottom left quadrant.

BUT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Political Ideology MAPRather than just Liberal and Conservative (which

doesn’t tell us that much) we can think of each axis as a TRADE-OFF.

The Social axis represents a tradeoff

between Social Order or Social Liberty

The Economic Axis represents a tradeoff

between Econ Equality and Econ

Liberty

AuthoritarianThe Upper Left quadrant is the AUTHORITARIAN

quadrant. (Social Order, Economic Equality)

Those found in this quadrant

typically support government

intervention in social issues as

well as economic issues.

ConservativeThe Upper Right quadrant is the CONSERVATIVE

quadrant. (Social Order, Economic Liberty)

Those found in this quadrant typically

support greater moral values imposed in society, but do not

support government intervention into the

economy (No Taxes; No redistribution of wealth)

Liberal (Socialist)The Lower Left quadrant is the SOCIALIST

quadrant. (Social Liberty, Economic Equality)

Those found in this quadrant typically call

for social freedoms (sex, drugs, and rock-

n-roll while desiring economic intervention

for the purposes of minimizing inequality

(favor social safety net)

LibertarianThe Lower Right quadrant is the LIBERTARIAN

quadrant. (Social Liberty, Economic Liberty)

Those found in this quadrant typically

desire freedom, freedom, freedom.

As little government as possible. Limited social and economic

intervention.

Political IdeologySo, where would you place…

www.politicalcompass.org

Political IdeologySo, where would you place…

Barak Obama?John McCain?

Sarah Palin?Hitler?

Gandhi?Stalin?

Georgia?California?Vermont?

Ideological Icons

State Ideology

Clicker Question

Are you STILL Here?

a. Yesb. Noc. Maybe

What is CULTURE?Culture consists of all learned beliefs and behaviors, the rules by which we order our lives, and the meanings that human beings construct to interpret their universes and their places within them.

What is AMERICAN culture?

American Political Culture

American Political Culture

What is Political Culture?Defined as the broadly shared values, beliefs, and

attitudes about how the government should function.

Centers on values like: IndividualismPrivate Property and Free EnterpriseJudeo-Christian EthicsDistrust in GovernmentDemocracy, Freedom, Liberty

Clicker Question

Statement: “Most federal spending goes to Social Security, Medicare, and Defense spending

a. That is Correctb. That is Incorrectc. Unsure

Clicker Question

Statement: “Most federal spending goes to Social Security, Medicare, and Defense spending

a. That is Correct (35%)b. That is Incorrect (44%)c. Unsure (20%)

BUT IT IS TRUE!!!

Clicker Question

Of every tax dollar that goes to the federal government in Washington, D.C., how many cents of each dollar would you say are wasted?

Enter Amount

Examples - 25 would equal $0.25100 would equal $1.00

Clicker Question

According to Citizens Against Government Waste (www.cagw.org), they estimate that around $20B or % is pork barrel legislation.

American Political Culture

Where Does Federal Money Come From?

1210

949.4

339.2

68.9 29.1 26.3 47.9

Individual Income Tax

Social Security/Payroll Taxes

Corporate Income Tax

Excise Taxes

Customs Duties (Imports)

Estate and Gift Taxes

Other

45.3%

35.5%

12.7%

Dollars In Billions

American Political CultureHow is Government Money Spent?

Education Spending = $47B or 1.9%Defense = $515B+$145B ($660B)or 27%“Old People” Spending = ~$1.15T or 34%INTEREST on DEBT = $164B or 8.5%