I Political Apathy It would be premature to declare an end to the era of youth political apathy a b Over half of American under the age of 30 said they rarely follow politics compared to c d less that a quarter of those over the age of 65 Lack of interest often leads to lack of information In 2008 young people were right 20 of the time while people over 65 were right twice as much when asked political questions There has never been nor ever will be a people who are politically ignorant and free Thomas Jefferson Importance of Staying Informed e II a Political Knowledge Fosters civic virtues Helps citizens to identify what policies would truly benefit them and then incorporate this information into their voting process Promotes active participation in politics Those who participate in the political process are more likely to benefit from government policies and programs III 1 1 Government a Government The institutions that make public policy decisions for a society In the case of our own national government these are Congress the president the courts and federal administrative agencies bureaucracies i ii iii iv i ii b Fundamental Questions How should we govern i ii What should government do c National Government Operations i Maintain a National Defense 1 A government protects its national sovereignty usual with armed forces 2 The US currently spends over 650 billion a year on defense ii Provide Public Goods and Services 1 Schools libraries hospitals highways and many other public goods and services 2 Collective Goods a Goods and services such as clean air and clean water that by their nature cannot be denied to anyone 3 Other public goods and services such as college or medical care can be provided to some individuals without being provided to all these are widely provided by the private sector as well as by the government iii Preserve Order iv Socialize the Young 1 Every Government has some means of maintaining order a EX National Guard and hurricanes 1 Instill in children knowledge of and pride in the nation and its political system and values 2 Rituals like the daily Pledge of Allegiance seek to foster patriotism and love of country v Collect Taxes 1 Approximately one out of every three dollars earned by American citizens goes to national state and local taxes 2 Used to pay for publics goods and services vi Conclusion of 1 1 1 The functions that all governments perform include maintaining national defense providing public services preserving order socializing the youth and collecting taxes 2 Through these functions government shape the way we live d 1 2 Politics i Politics 1 The process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues Who gets what when and how Harold D Laswell 2 ii Who What and How 1 Who 2 What 3 How a Voters candidates groups and parties a Substance f politics and government benefits b Medical care for the elderly and burdens for everyone such as taxes a The ways in which people participate in politics b Voting supporting compromising lobbying and so forth iii Political Participation 1 All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue Voting is the most common means of political participation in a democracy Other means include contacting public officials protests and civil disobedience 2 Many people judge the health of a government by how widespread political participation is iv Single Issue Groups an uncompromising stance v Conclusion of 1 2 1 Groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take 1 Politics determines what leaders we select and what policies they purse 2 The who of politics is the voters candidates parties andgroups 3 The what of politics is the benefits and burdens of government 4 The how of politics is the various ways in which people participate e 1 3 The Policymaking System Policymaking System i 1 The process by which policy comes into being and evolves People s interests problems and concerns create political issues for government policy makers These issues shape policy which in turn impacts people generating more interests problems and concerns ii Getting Involved 1 Joining political parties posting online messages and forming interest groups are some of the ways people get involved iii Interest Groups 1 A group of people with a common interest iv Linkage Institution 1 The political channels through which people s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda In the US linkage institutions include elections political parties interest groups and the media 1 The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time 1 An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix v Policy Agenda vi Political Issue it 2 Government will not act on an issue until it is high on the policy agenda vii Policymaking Institutions 1 The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues The U S Constitution established three institutions Congress the president and the courts Today the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth institution 2 Bureaucracies create extensive volumes of rules and regulations that define how policies are to be implemented viii Public Policy 1 A choice that government makes in response to a political issue A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem 2 Statute presidential action court decision budgetary choice and regulation ix Policy Impacts x Conclusion of 1 3 1 The effects a policy has on people and problems Impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost 1 The policymaking system is a cycle 2 Citizens interests go to linkage institutions a Parties elections interest groups and the media 3 From here they shape the policy agenda from which policymaking institutions choose which issues to address a Congress the president and the courts 4 The policies that are made then influence citizens a Laws executive orders regulations and court judgments f 1 4 Democracy in America i Democracy 1 A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public s preferences 2 The term democracy takes its place among freedom justice and peace as a word with positive connotation yet the writers of the Constitution had no
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