POLS 207 1st Edition Lecture 8 Outline of Last Lecture I Politics Among the States Outline of Current Lecture II Finishing Institutional Differences Among States III The Origins of Concern wit Government a Periods of Government in America b Growth of Federal Power Current Lecture Institutional Difference between States cont Voting methods o Different in most states Less and less states use the punch card method of voting and more and more are becoming electronic o Voting methods are state controlled so they can have different registration procedures etc The Origins of Concern with Government Many fear big government o However they only want it to be small if they can still provide the services they want Periods of Government in America No Government Period 1776 to 1850 Period in which there is literally no government Up to individuals to get everything they needed done o Period of county government o Rural low population People often had a lot of land o Self dependence o The best government was the least government Tradition from Jefferson o Traditional government kept records ownership of property protected property People would rarely report births so population data is rarely accurate Municipal Government Period 1850 1995 As the US got bigger there was a greater need for government Vast populations in a small space created issues without government problems over land were the main concern There was no free land to farm anymore and so they lived in cities Houses were made of wood and therefore cities were prone to fires this was one service they desperately needed o Influx of European immigrants to cities causing congestion New technology people could get to the US far quicker than previously o Services for water sewage waste crime health codes building codes mass education Immigrants would run out of money and this would lead to added crime There was an excess of infectious diseases and they would spread extremely fast Needed health codes to try and counter act this o Municipal government provided services o Corruption The longer people stayed in power the greater the chance for corruption They would help people in return for votes o Ward heelers They would organize the parties and maintain the power of these There were no secret ballots and many people were illiterate therefore they would be told who to vote for If they disobeyed they would suffer the consequences o Elections State Intercity Government Period 1895 1932 City governments were now too strong States intervened o People appealed to the state government and they decided to intervene in city governments City governments were not very happy with this Political corruption in cities Reforms imposed by states governments Non partisan elections This is an attempt to stop merely party line voting by those who didn t understand the voting system Also had to write down your name to vote Civil service system merit vs loyalty Jobs had to be based on merit rather than loyalty Further limited the power of corruption Tried to put a stop to patronage Dillion s rule Local government is a creation of the state government Cities have to comply with state statutes This was a way to get around the intense power of the city governments and try to end political corruption State regulations supersede common laws Federal Government Era 1932 to the Present FDR and the New Deal in response to the Great Depression o The Great Depression and WWII During this time the individual states could not solve the problems on their own They did not have the money and they did not know how to get out of the recession o Federal government responsible for managing the economy and national defense SEC Security Exchange System regulates the stock market Have to report activity and capital to the SEC every quarter Independent auditors are used to check these accounts so you can trust the stock market Joseph Kennedy was the first Commissioner of the SEC It takes a thief to catch a thief Congress stated that the President did not have the power to put in place all these new standards Using the federal powers to manage the economy Introduction of the Alphabet agencies etc o Role of guardian and protector Income for elderly and disabled Social security drastically decreased the number of those over 65 living in poverty Protect environment workplace Created jobs Quality education eliminate discrimination Grants o Federal government provides grants to the state governments in order to bring them out of the recession o Money is still provided today for many services National standards o Social Security o No Child Left Behind Education standards o Environmental standards by the EPA New federalism Growth of Federal Power Scope of domestic issues o States could not solve the problems of the great depression on their own o Issues Inflation Unemployment Monetary policy States cannot deal with problems that are of an interstate nature International issues o WWII required a lot of manpower and other resources such as weaponry o Issues National defense International aid International business needs have grown States unwilling to act o They are either unwilling or unable to act o This means the problem just keeps getting worse and worse o Meant that they only government that could solve this would be the federal government because there is no balanced budget in the US Constitution Federal financial resources Total Expenditure graphs Shows the rise of federal spending since 1930 o In 1930 the majority of government expenditure was by state governments o In 1940 there is a huge rise in federal expenditure due to WWII o Happens again on a smaller scale due to the Korean War o Affected by the Military Industrial Complex Congressmen are pressured by pro military interest groups in order to bump up military spending o Wars create a rise in federal spending Public Expenditures Welfare expenditure o Many people disagree with this Welfare programs at the time were mainly aimed at white citizens LBJ increased this during the Great Society o And passed the Civil Rights Act