Checks and Balances in Government
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Questions and Answers

Which branch of government is responsible for enforcing laws?

  • Military branch
  • Judicial branch
  • Executive branch (correct)
  • Legislative branch

    • What would happen if one group were to exercise all three types of power according to the text?

  • Strengthening of checks and balances
  • Increase in public rights
  • Enhancement of individual liberties
  • Threat to individual liberty (correct)

    • How are members of each branch involved in selecting members of other branches?

  • Choose members through a majority vote
  • Have no role in selecting members of other branches
  • Directly choose members of other branches
  • Indirectly select members of other branches (correct)

    • Who has the authority to declare war according to the text?

    <p>Congress</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which branch of government has the power to interpret laws?

    <p>Judicial branch</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who negotiates treaties according to the text?

    <p>President</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main challenge when replacing democratic values with customer service values?

    <p>Ensuring procedural justice, equity, and fairness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who might receive better services under the influence of customer service values?

    <p>People with money and power</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which sector is mentioned as not suitable for the application of customer service values?

    <p>Regulatory sector</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of the civics test focuses on American government?

    <p>57%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are some of the strategic goals of the LA Police Department mentioned in the text?

    <p>Mitigating risk and reducing harm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what situation can an individual over the age of 50 take the civics test in their native language?

    <p>After living in the U.S. for 20 years or more</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does e-government refer to?

    <p>Using technology to provide better government services</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which definition of citizenship emphasizes having the rights of a person born in a particular country?

    <p>Cambridge definition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes the conflict highlighted in the text regarding public schools?

    <p>Improving public schools vs. providing school choices</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which political philosophy is associated with Universalist views on citizenship?

    <p>Liberalist</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Citizenship is closely tied to what concept in political philosophy?

    <p>Public ethics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of the civics test focuses on American history?

    <p>30%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the 27th Amendment in relation to the salaries of Congress members?

    <p>It stipulates that any changes to Congress members' salaries only take effect after the next congressional elections.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did Spartan society view citizen rights and duties?

    <p>Strong emphasis on citizen duties with little focus on citizen rights.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What differentiated Roman citizens from non-citizens?

    <p>Roman citizens enjoyed legal protections unlike non-citizens.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What privileges did Spartan women enjoy compared to other Greek women?

    <p>They received military training equal to men and could own land.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did Roman citizenship protect individuals like Paul in the text?

    <p>Roman citizens were safeguarded by certain legal rights and protections.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between serving in the military and land ownership in Sparta?

    <p>Serving in the military led to receiving a small amount of land as a reward.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between the Warren Court/Burger Court and the Rehnquist Court/Roberts Court in terms of judicial philosophy?

    <p>The former believed in judicial restraint, while the latter tends to be more conservative.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do strict constructionists interpret the Constitution?

    <p>They interpret it strictly as written in 1787.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement accurately describes the Rehnquist Court and the Roberts Court's view on freedom of speech?

    <p>Both courts have ruled against laws that violate freedom of speech.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Justice Stewart mean by saying 'I know it when I see it' in relation to freedom of speech?

    <p>It indicates that he recognizes certain types of speech without needing detailed analysis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are defamatory speech (libel & slander) not protected by the First Amendment?

    <p>Because they seriously harm a person's reputation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why did the Ohio law violate Brandenburg's right to free speech?

    <p>Because it violated the First Amendment protection of free speech.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    US Citizenship Test

    • The test is administered orally and consists of three components:
      • American government (57%): principles of American democracy, system of government, rights and responsibilities
      • American history (30%): colonial period and independence, 1800s, recent American history and important historical information
      • Integrated civics (13%): geography, symbols, official holidays

    Exception to the Citizenship Test

    • Individuals over 50 who have lived in the US for 20 years or more can take the civics test in their native language
    • Individuals aged 55 and older who have lived in the US for 15 or more years can also take the test in their native language

    Definitions of Citizenship

    • Legal definitions of citizenship vary across states and time
    • Normative definitions of citizenship include:
      • Liberalist (vs. Communitarianism)
      • Universalist (vs. Differentialist)
      • Nationalist (vs. Globalist)
    • Dictionary definitions:
      • Oxford: the position or status of being a citizen of a particular country
      • Cambridge: the state of having the rights of a person born in a particular country
      • Citizenship is carrying out the duties and responsibilities of a member of a particular society

    Citizenship and Political Philosophy

    • Central to political philosophy and tied to questions of citizenship
    • Ethics: how do we collectively and individually come to the conclusion that an action is ethical?
    • Public ethics: what about in the name of the state? To what or to whom are we obligated when making decisions that affect others?

    Privileges for Members of Congress

    • Salary: $174,000 per year (some members receive more)
    • Medical and dental benefits
    • Free office, parking, and trips to home state
    • Staff budget
    • Tax break on second home

    Citizenship in Ancient Sparta

    • Strong emphasis on citizen duty, little citizen rights
    • Militaristic state: all male adults join the army at age 7, until age 60
    • Citizens were not encouraged to speak in public or participate in political decision-making until they got old
    • If you do your citizenship duty (serve in the military), you receive a small amount of land
    • Spartan women enjoyed more rights than other Greek women:
      • Allowed to own lands
      • Received similar military training as men

    Roman Citizenship

    • Legal citizenship emphasis
    • Citizens and non-citizens were treated differently
    • Roman citizens were protected by law
    • Paul, a Roman citizen, was born in Tarsus and had never been to Rome
    • You could purchase Roman citizenship with a lot of money

    Checks and Balances

    • Separation of powers: legislative, executive, and judicial
    • No one person or group should exercise all three types of power
    • Each branch of government should be independent of the other branches
    • The members of each branch have as little as possible to do with the selection of the members of the other branches
    • Overlapping authority: no one branch decides important policy decisions alone

    Military Power

    • The president is commander in chief
    • Congress has sole authority to declare war, "raise and support armies," and to "provide and maintain a navy"

    Diplomatic Power

    • The president negotiates treaties
    • The Senate must ratify treaties by a two-thirds vote

    Appointment Power

    • The president makes appointments
    • Congress must confirm the appointment

    Judicial Power

    • Believes that the court should stay out of policymaking and legislating (judicial restraint)
    • Tends to be liberal (Warren Court and Burger Court) or conservative (Rehnquist Court and Roberts Court)
    • Freedom of speech (First Amendment):
      • The Ohio law violated Brandenburg's right to free speech
      • License plates convey messages (government speech)
      • Curfew laws are unconstitutional
      • Distribution of obscene materials is unconstitutional
      • Defamatory speech (libel and slander) is not protected by the First Amendment

    Public Services and Customer Service

    • Replacing democratic values with customer service values
    • Emphasis on efficiency and cost-effectiveness sometimes contradict procedural justice, equity, and fairness
    • Determining who the customers are: people with money and power may receive better services
    • Deteriorating the quality of public services in the long run

    LA Police Department Strategic Goals

      1. Reduce crime and victimization
      1. Build community trust and collaboration
      1. Improve traffic safety
      1. Emphasize preparedness and counter-terrorism
      1. Strengthen the public safety workforce
      1. Foster employee wellness and satisfaction
      1. Mitigate risk and reduce harm
      1. Develop innovative sustainability program
      1. Drive Accountability and reward creativity
      1. Leverage technology to improve performance

    E-government

    • The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a tool for delivering better government services to citizens, businesses, and employees

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    Related Documents

    PPD240 Notes (Midterm 1) PDF

    Description

    Explore the concept of checks and balances in government, including the separation of powers and the roles of legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Learn why it is important to prevent any one individual or group from controlling all three types of power.

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