Study Tool
American Urban Society
Chapters 13-16
Fall 2014
Ch13
1/ The American Federal
bureaucracy has mushroomed into a giant apparatus to protect us, provide health
and services, give students loans, deliver mail, collect taxes…the list goes on
and on. Our expectations of our government have grown significantly from the
early days of our nation when government was small. We now interact more
frequently with government bureaucrats than with our elected government
officials for needs such as student loans and reservations at national parks.
In this modern role as provider of a myriad of services, we often forget that
we, collectively as citizens, own the government and can shape the role that it
plays in our lives. We should not view ourselves passively as just consumers of
the array of government services.
2/ The Federal bureaucracy
has undergone cycles of growth and shrinkage over the decades, due to factors
such as economic downturns, wars, technological and industrial shifts and changes,
etc. One period in particular is known for the Federal government responding in
a major way to dramatic economic events that were unfolding in America. The
impact on our country from this period remains evident in various social
programs and even buildings, infrastructure and cultural artifacts that are
still with us in 2010. What was this major period of bureaucratic growth in our
history?
3/ In order to be efficient and effective, there are
several core aspects that define a true bureaucracy. What are they? What would
be some examples of organizational behavior that would be counterproductive in
a bureaucracy?
4/ Private business and
bureaucracies are similar in many ways. However, there are a few key areas
where they differ markedly. What are some of these factors that distinguish
private and public bureaucracies?
5/ The U.S. government
has been employing millions of persons to do their work instead of regular
“line” employees. Even in theaters of war, private firms are under contract to
perform certain tasks that might have been done in other years by uniformed
military personnel. This practice of using other outside sources of labor to do
our governments work is what type of component of the Federal bureaucracy?
6/ The President’s cabinet
has 15 separate Departments. The Department of State and Department of Treasury
were the first Departments created in 1789. Thirteen Departments were formed
since then. The next to last Department created was the Department of Veteran
Affairs in 1989. Events in 2001 led to the creation of the last Department
(____________name it) in 2003. More Departments may be created in the future,
or mergers might occur. I doubt a Department will be eliminated, although I
have heard calls to scrap the Department of Education.
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7/ U.S. Federal District
Courts (94) hear only certain cases that come before them. For example, a case
involving a murder in Akron
is not likely to appear in Federal Court unless a Federal law is violated (incl.
labor, civil rights, property rights, Social Security, truth-in-lending,
federal crimes and anti-trust laws). There are other Federal Courts in addition
to the District Courts. What do they do?
8/ The Supreme Court did not
always have the ability to force Congress to obey the Constitution. But, under
the leadership of John Marshall, in Marbury
v Madison, the Court found (under the principle of judicial review) that it could not force President Jefferson to
honor outgoing President John Adams’ judicial appointments (which appointments not
been delivered properly). But the Court did establish formally for the first
time that it could declare existing laws as void if there was a Constitutional
conflict.
9/ Where did our legal system
come from? Other than Louisiana (Code Napoleon), our law was transported over
the Atlantic from England. English common
law is based on the principle of precedent-the linkage between previous
cases and current legal cases. This basic principle of precedent is fully in
effect in America
today.
10/ Simply stated, American
law involves cases that are civil or
criminal in nature. Civil law involves disputes between private parties,
and may include disputes about property, personal injuries, family law, etc.
Individuals, businesses, corporations and governments may be party to a dispute
(governments acting in a private capacity). Criminal cases are initiated with
the government as the plaintiff (crime is against society in general)
11/ One person or business
may initiate a lawsuit on behalf of others in a group who have been harmed. The
Supreme Court determines the rules for determining what need to be in place to
qualify for a this type of lawsuit, referred to as a class action lawsuit.
12/ Not all cases that are
submitted to the Supreme Court are heard. Initially, through the process of submitting
a “writ of certiorari” to the Court, a review is conducted, and the Court may
grant the “writ”. Approximately 9,000 writs of certiorari are submitted, but
only less than 100 are accepted for the full hearing and ultimate decision.
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13/ Public policy is a term
that requires more explanation. It just doesn’t develop on its own. Something
has to begin the process, and that is typically real problems that people have.
For example, the Cuyahoga
River has burned thirteen
times since 1858, most notably in 1952 and 1969 when the sad state of river
pollution caused a major shift towards environmental protection in our country
resulting in the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Public policy is evolving and changing all the time, reflecting real
human needs, political shifts and the interests of many interest groups, some
more powerful than others.
14/ The Waxman-Markey
bill was passed recently by the House of Representatives to control the
emission of carbons into the atmosphere. A cap on total carbon emissions would
be created, with companies allocated a maximum share of that carbon. Any excess
emission by that company will require a purchase, or trade, of carbon credits
from another company. Sounds pretty simple, huh? Actually, a storm of
controversy has arisen about this proposed carbon “tax”, and it has not passed
the U.S. Senate.
15/ Costs and benefits are key to policy formulation? Who
will benefit, and who will pay? Alternatives range from concentrated costs and
benefits (telecommunications), to widely distributed costs and benefits (Social
Security). Sometimes, these policy decisions re: who will pay generate
controversy from those who are paying. For example, school levies are
essentially concentrated benefits (school children) with widely distributed
costs (taxpayers plus others who are subject to rent increases, etc.). Persons
who don’t have school children sometimes do not support school levies.
16/ As with any problem, personal or national, nothing
happens until the problem is recognized and acknowledged. Potential problems
with flooding were looming in coastal Louisiana
before Katrina, but the scope and scale of the seriousness of the regions
vulnerability was not fully recognized, despite warnings from experts. It took
the Katrina tragedy to bring this problem to more full recognition, followed by
agenda setting, policy formulation/adoption, and action. Other examples in our
recent history exist where it has taken a tragedy to bring the problem out of
obscurity to general recognition by policymakers.
17/ The demographic trends of poverty in our affluent
country are often surprising. For example, more white people are poor than
other groups (18-64). Also, the extent of poverty among the elderly is
considerably lower than it used to be. Check out some of the other relevant
demographics re: poverty. Which ones surprised you?
18/ The United
States government receives money from many
sources (ranging from paying a fee at a National Park to income taxes). We, as
individuals are the largest contributor to the government’s revenue through
income taxes. Check out the sources of income chart in Chapter 15 to look at
additional detail.
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19/ The U.S. intelligence system is a complex web of people
and organizations throughout the globe. One slip or missed bit of information
can lead to a national disaster of horrendous proportions. Thus, when the 9/11
tragedy occurred, our government took a close look at our intelligence system
to find out what failed and how to protect
us from those who wish to do us harm. Likewise, the flawed information
regarding weapons of mass destruction supposedly being developed in Iraq led to our
invasion and war with this country. Fortunately, our security system has not
allowed a major breach of security in the last several years.
20/ Often, the insights of those who are from another land,
provide an extraordinary resource. Alexis deToqueville of France writing
in the early 1800s while visiting America, made a number of
fascinating observations about our new country, many of which are still true
today, including observations about our yen for coalescing into groups or
factions, our unique physical isolation and defensible borders, and our
tendency toward egalitarianism.
21/ The Cold War between the Western world and the Soviet Union ended, for all practical purposes, in 1991
with the collapse of the Soviet Union. During
the Cold War period after WWII, both entities were heavily armed with nuclear
capabilities. Foreign policy of the west was geared toward limiting Soviet
spread in the world, and arming ourselves such that both entities were aware
one act of war against the other would produce a violent nuclear response such
that both parts of the world would be effectively destroyed. Such awareness of
likely destruction acted as a deterrent to “hot” (vs. cold) war.
22/ After a very
brief peaceful interlude following the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, our national attention
turned to a new spread of violence and ultimately, threats to the United States
mainland. This threat came from sources other than an individual country.
Instead it manifests itself in forces operating independent of national
borders, and not formally related to a specific country.
23/ President George W. Bush, in an attempt to deal with
this new form of warfare alluded to above, implemented a military policy
(viewed by some as controversial) aimed at preventing harmful action to our
country (and our allies) by using force in advance of an anticipated attack by
others.
24/ So, what are our national interests? What really
matters. What’s worth defending? What needs to be protected? This cluster of
three (3) elements of our basic national interest are viewed as sacrosanct, and
we are committed to defending them with our treasures and our blood.
25/ Congress has 535 members. Did the founding fathers give
them the power to conduct a war? Would you want a war being guided by 535
different persons? Or is having just one elected leader in charge of a war the
preferred scenario? I think the founders were right in how they divvied up the
responsibility. Can you specify who declares war vs. who conducts the war?
