PSCI 1040 Notes Government is meant to protect liberties and secure order Importance of voting You can register to vote when you get your driver s license or state ID Democracy Illustration of the good and bad of democracy In the words of Winston Churchill The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter Simpsons clip regarding the burlesque house shows the descent from good democracy in the town council meeting to bad democracy the mob with torches Framers of the Constitution were worried about the devolution of democracy into mob rule Direct democracy a system of government in which citizens meet to discuss and agree upon with majority support policy Indirect democracy or representative individuals are selected among the people to represent the people Characteristics of American Democracy act free from governmental discrimination Personal liberty freedom from interference from the government civil liberties and freedom to Individualism the belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government Strong preference for free markets and limited government Egalitarianism political quality one person one vote Lassez Faire economic policies reliance on individuals but limited government intervention in the economy Populism of for and by the people Popular consent governments draw power from the consent of the governed Popular sovereignty the right of the majority to govern themselves people have supreme power Political Culture American Democracy operation e g health Care reform These characteristics of American democracy combine to form our political culture We may not get what we want on every issue every time but that s the course of Political Culture Commonly shared values beliefs and attitudes about government and its We often see greatest divergence in opinions when we disagree what those values are Rational Choice Theory this is how we tend to think about why people tend to do what they do and the decisions they make Self Interest does it affect me cost benefit is it easy to vote Groups and individuals act in their own self interest Special interest groups raise money to influence policy towards their own goals Individuals vote for a candidate that will serve their interests They act as if to weigh the costs and benefits of a decision and choose to maximize benefits and minimize costs In government produces authoritative decisions about policy However individuals often do not agree on solutions to policy problems So if individuals act in their own self interest how are collective problems solved Unlikely that a group or individual will receive everything it wants Requires trade offs and compromise Baseline of the status quo is default action is to do nothing Checks and Balances force people to find common ground from which to compromise The Framing of the Constitution Framers agreed to new document because creating new nation also benefited themselves Articles of Confederation were weak and decentralized Congress and elections Presidents and Policymaking Legislators desire reelection and act to achieve this goal Presidents pursue good policy to achieve reelection and historical achievement Each of these examples requires compromise to arrive at an authoritative decision from a government comprised of individuals with diverse preferences One reason we can come to agreement is because most of us agree that we should act to compromise Course Organization I Course Organization II The Constitution A brief history and the central components of this document Federalism The Texas Constitution an overview Civil Liberties Protections from government found in the bill of rights Civil Rights Protection from discrimination by government Texas Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Course Organization III Congress Presidency Courts bureaucracy Summary American government is about how government works who is involved and the extent of their involvement Rational choice theory provides a flexible framework through which to view government and politics Constitution Day September 17th every year Foundations of Government The Constitution We ve already defined politics government and democracy What is a Constitution governments neutral people A nation s fundamental law It creates political institutions assigns or divides powers in The US Constitution even guarantees rights and protections in the Bills of Rights Other nations have their own versions of a constitution Defines the elements of who can run for what offices how long they serve etc Sets the rules of the game Rules have consequences for who gets what when and how they are not Some rules rules are broad interpretable and changing How did we arrive at our Constitution The Articles of Confederation Considered weak and not able to provide enough government to protect the The Framing and Debates Debate between Federalists and Anti Federalists led to the Bill of Rights If a member of Congress knows that you can t vote they re not going to work for your interests If you don t exercise your right to vote while also being systematically denied that right Interpretation of laws is necessary Example Freedom of Speech was not written with violence in video games in mind The Beginnings of Discontent The French and Indian War 1756 63 increased Debt of the English Crown When a government is in debt they try to get the money from the people specifically those who don t have a voice France did this before leading to the French Revolution and the killing of many French Nobles Because it was the colonists land that was protected the King taxed them to refresh the royal Colonists were upset because they were being taxed without representation Numerous taxes levied without representation in parliament encouraged dissent Led to Civil coffers Disobedience Steps toward Independence Repeated efforts to reconcile with England failed 12 of 13 colonies voted for independence Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence On July 4 1776 the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence It was a polemic that listed abuses and outlined broad principles of governance The Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson was its author Borrowed heavily from John locke Natural Rights rights inherent in human beings not dependent on government Consent of the governed government derives its authority by sanction of the people Limited Government restrictions on government to protect natural rights of