POSC 100 EXAM 4 T/F
According to Patterson, climate change is a myth created by extremist environmentalists as a means to generate revenue for their movement. True or False
False
According to Patterson, the frequency of U.S. elections increases turnout by assuring that American democracy is better represented. True or False
False
Agricultural groups tend to agree on almost all policy issues with the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union representing the same interest groups. True or False
False
Although American are more likely than Europeans to participate in campaigns, Europeans are more likely to participate for political groups. True or False
False
Although Republicans in Congress were opposed to the Social Security Act, the majority favored the passage of Medicare and Medicaid programs. True or False
False
Americans are more likely to belong to groups than are the French, Italians, British, but not the Germans. True or False
False
An example of the failure of excess government regulation was the rule eliminating lead in paint and gasoline. True or False
False
Because of the pain and suffering that affects millions of people living in poverty in the United States and because of the profound role that religion plays in American lives, poverty has never been and will never be a partisan issue. True or False
False
Because the Big Three (Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors), compete with one another for a portion of automobile market, they refuse to work together on policy issues. True or False
False
Because the federal government is dominated by powerful economic interests, rarely have ESA administrators clashed with companies that extract natural resources? True or False
False
Business sponsored PACs only give money to Republicans and not Democrats. True or False
False
By most accounts, citizens' groups have more influence on government than do economic groups. True or False
False
Candidates for federal office are allowed to speak at super PAC fundraisers and solicit contributions for unlimited amounts money as long as the funds come from groups. True or False
False
Compared with other Western democracies, the United States has relatively high levels of voter participation. True or False
False
In order to get what it is they want from members of Congress, lobbyists will misrepresent facts, distort the truth, and arm twist, if necessary. True or False
False
In spite of the health care reform bill passed during Obama's presidency, insurance providers can still cancel the policies of individuals that become sick. True or False
False
In the opinion of Madison, argues Schattschneider, parties are intrinsically good, and assist the government organize itself more efficiently. True or False
False
In working cooperatively with the FDA, the pharmaceutical industry has been able to streamline the process since the 1990s, experiencing no problems with any of the drugs that have been "fast-tracked" to market. True or False
False
Iron triangles represent the most common pattern of influence and are more dominant today than they were in the past. True or False
False
Keynes never distinguished between a milder economic recession and severe depression, arguing that in both cases the government should engage in massive new spending programs to speed the recovery. True or False
False
Lobbying generally involves simply slipping a cash-filled envelope to a public official. True or False
False
Membership in environmental groups, such as The Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, and Greenpeace, has dramatically diminished since the 1960s. True or False
False
Modern government is not action oriented because of its size and fear of controversy. True or False
False
Moral and religious motives can be relied upon to contain the sinister views of people, argues Madison. True or False
False
Most Americans are angry that the federal government injected itself in monitoring and regulating the air that we breathe and the water that we drink. True or False
False
Most of the regulatory agencies established during the third wave have a much more restrictive policy mandate than those created earlier. True or False
False
Most social welfare expenditures are targeted toward the nation's neediest citizens. True or False
False
Most states require both employees and employers to pay taxes that fund unemployment benefits. True or False
False
Most union members today work in the private sector, despite the fact that it has only a fifth of the number of workers as does the public sector. True or False
False
One of the few unregulated activities is lobbying because it is protected by the First Amendment. True or False
False
Paradoxically, given their greater need for government help, lower-income Americans are the least likely to vote or to otherwise engage in collective action. True or False
False
Polls indicate that a large majority of Americans oppose current or higher levels of social security benefits for the elderly. True or False
False
President Bush was correct when he argued that his tax cuts would boost economic activity to such an extent that government revenue would actually increase. True or False
False
Prior to the federal government interfering with welfare programs, the states provided significant programs to help the poor through cash benefits, unemployment training, and housing subsidies. True or False
False
Similar to the United States, in other democracies primary elections select the party nominees. True or False
False
The $787 billion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress in 2009 was filled with demand-side programs and was ostensibly a Republican bill. True or False
False
The American Medical Association (AMA) supported both Harry Truman's and John F. Kennedy's health care proposals. True or False
False
The Tea Party came about as a result of high taxes, spearheaded and organized by a grass-route effort with no support from wealthy conservative individuals. True or False
False
The Tea Party organized countless gatherings and rallies during the 2010 and 2012 elections, nearly always on behalf of Democratic candidates. True or False
False
The United States has the most efficient welfare system in the Western world with consolidated programs, minimizing red tape and getting support for the people that vitally need it. True or False
False
The United States relies more heavily on free-market mechanisms to make its production decisions, but not distribution, and consumption ones. True or False
False
The fact is the Fed is a wholly impartial body, representing the public interest and no special interest. True or False
False
The federal government spends more on subsidized housing for the poor than it provides to middle and upper-income Americans that receive a mortgage tax deduction. True or False
False
The great thing about living in the United States is the fact that among the advanced countries in the world, it has the lowest poverty rates. True or False
False
The reason for introducing voter identification cards in Georgia and Indiana was to stamp out the widespread fraud and abuse during recent elections. True or False
False
The restraints on the Fed are much stronger than those on popularly elected officials. True or False
False
The same legal limitations that apply to PACs for federal elections also apply to states. True or False
False
Through changes in its level of spending and taxation historically, government has not been able to stimulate or slow the economy when it deemed necessary. True or False
False
Turnout in U.S. elections increased after registration requirements were instituted because corruption was finally halted. True or False
False
Unlike President Obama, President Bush had steadfastly opposed drilling for oil in the Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. True or False
False
Unlike Western Europe, state and local governments are not allowed to hire lobbyists to represent them in Washington, D.C. True or False
False
When President Obama launched his health care initiative, polls indicated that most Americans thought a major change in the nation's medical care system was unnecessary. True or False
False
When Republican President Richard Nixon took the United States off the gold standard in 1971 he went against the wishes of the Democratic Party. True or False
False
When it sells government securities in exchange for cash, the Fed is increasing the amount of money in circulation, thereby increasing the amount of money available for consumption and investment. True or False
False
Whereas in the past political protests were well planned and coordinated events, today they arise primarily from spontaneous events. True or False
False
Within the United States, there is little variation in voter participation from state-to-state. True or False
False
. One of the reasons for the low turnout among American voters is that the individual in the U.S. assumes responsibility for registering to vote, whereas in most other democracies voters are registered automatically by government officials. True or False
True
A few decades ago, the revenue from corporate income taxes was roughly the same as the revenue from individual income taxes. Today, individual taxpayers carry a substantially heavier burden. True or False
True
According to Madison, it has been the instability, injustice, and confusion into the public councils that have been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished. True or False
True
According to Patterson, Americans are more likely than citizens of other nations to join organized groups. True or False
True
According to Patterson, although the American system was designed to prevent a majority faction from trampling on the interests of smaller groups; ironically it also makes it relatively easy for minority factions to gain government support. True or False
True
According to Patterson, most of the poor in the U.S. are in this situation as result of circumstance rather than choice. True or False
True
According to Patterson, today nearly any American adult who is determined to vote can legally and actually do so. True or False
True
According to U. S. Census Bureau calculations, the EITC lifts about a third of low-income Americans above the poverty line. True or False
True
Although "independents" are sometimes idealized in high school civics classes, they have much lower voting rates than citizens who identify with a political party. True or False
True
Although it might be thought that the interests of groups with large memberships would typically prevail over the interests of smaller groups, the reverse is more often true. True or False
True
Although the American economy has suffered from economic downturns during the roughly three-quarters of a century in which the U. S. government has played a significant policy role, none of them has matched the severity of the depressions of earlier times. True or False
True
Although the Democratic Party represents the working class and the poor to a degree, it is chiefly responsive to middle-class voters, who hold the balance of power in U. S. elections. True or False
True
Americans are more likely than citizens of other democracies to contribute time and money to political and community organizations. True or False
True
Americans recognize that protest is part of America's tradition of free expression, something to be tolerated, if not widely admired. True or False
True
Americans with less income and education are the people most adversely affected by the country's registration system. True or False
True
As economist Mancur Olson noted, it is not rational, in a purely economic sense, for individuals to contribute to a group when they can obtain its benefit for free. True or False
True
At no time in its history has the Head Start program been funded at a level that would allow all eligible children to participate. True or False
True
Because Medicare is based on a social insurance principle paid through payroll taxes, it has gained as much public support as social security. True or False
True
Bush's supply-side tax cuts had the support of 90 percent of congressional Republicans and only 20 percent of congressional Democrats. True or False
True
Business lobbies face much less competition when it comes to the older regulatory agencies of the federal government. True or False
True
By increasing the reserve rate of members banks, the Fed takes money out of circulation. True or False
True
Campaign participation is higher in the United States than in Europe. True or False
True
Compared with whites, African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely to live below the poverty line. True or False
True
Democratic policy-makers have pursued tax policies that favor working-class and lower-middle-class Americans unlike Republicans whose tax policies favor the rich and business firms. True or False
True
Despite a tradition of protest politics, such activities are less common today in the United States than in many Western democracies. True or False
True
Families in the top fifth of the income population receive more in social security and Medicare benefits than the government spends in total on TANF, SSI, food stamps, and housing subsidies for the poor. True or False
True
Federal agency officials are aware that they can lose support in Congress, which controls agency funding and program authorization, if they show too much favoritism toward an interest group. True or False
True
For lobbyists to be fully persuasive, they must understand the policy process as well as the issue under consideration. True or False
True
In 2010, Congress enacted the most substantial regulation of financial institutions since the New Deal, designed to curb some of the abuses that contributed to the financial crisis. True or False
True
In a small republic, it would be far easier to oppress the citizens because of the proximity of its people to its political leaders, argues Madison, compared with a large republic where the expanse of the nation makes it far more difficult. True or False
True
Insurance industry profits and practices are the primary reason the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world and yet by statistical indicators ranks below many other countries in quality of health care. True or False
True
It was Richard Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , an action that was applauded by lawmakers from both parties. True or False
True
Like parties, groups are a linkage mechanism: they serve to connect citizens with government. True or False
True
Lower- income Americans are a core Democratic constituency and are the most deeply affected by rising unemployment. True or False
True
Millions of Americans shirk their duty to vote regularly, a tendency that sets Americans apart from citizens of other Western democracies. True or False
True
Monetary policy involves increasing the money supply to boost the economy and decreasing the money supply to slow it down. True or False
True
Most Americans under most conditions expect to solve their problems on their own rather than through political action. True or False
True
Most of the European governments are federal in form, which means that there are fewer elective offices and thus fewer campaigns. True or False
True
No other Western European democracy has elections for the lower chamber of its national legislature or for its chief executive as often as the United States. True or False
True
Only a small proportion of Americans can be classified as political activists. True or False
True
Patterson believes that unless one party or the other gains a substantial majority in Congress, and also controls the presidency, fiscal policy for stimulating the economy is unlikely to be a tool readily available in the future. True or False
True
Political scientist Larry Bartels demonstrated that elected officials are substantially more responsive to the concerns of their more affluent constituents than to those of with less income. True or False
True
Polls that span more than a half-century reveal that Americans have consistently favored work-based assistance to welfare payments as the answer to poverty. True or False
True
Price fixing was prevalent in the United States in the late nineteenth century when large trusts came to dominate many areas of the economy. True or False
True
Prior to the health care reform bill, it was legal for insurance companies to void the insurance of policyholders after they became sick. True or False
True
Right-to-life groups have pressured Republican administrations to make opposition to abortion a prerequisite for nomination to the federal bench True or False
True
Sabato believes that PACs may be making a positive contribution by providing the means to increase the flow of information during elections. True or False
True
Senior citizens, despite the infirmities of old age, have a far higher turnout rate than do voters under the age of thirty. True or False
True
Since man is fallible, argues Madison, whenever he can exercise liberty, there will always be the public means to shape opinions into a unified faction. True or False
True
Single-issue groups have risen sharply in number in the past half century and now pressure government on almost every conceivable policy. True or False
True
Social networking is proving to be a powerful grassroots organizing force even in nondemocratic societies. True or False
True
Super PACs cannot be held accountable in any significant way for what they do and sometimes they will create political ads filled with outrageous claims, untruths and wild accusations. True or False
True
Surveys repeatedly show that most Americans are convinced that people on welfare could get along without it if they tried. True or False
True
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the payment mechanisms adopted under the Health Care Reform Act will fully cover the program's cost. True or False
True
The Fed had the federal government print more money to buy billions of dollars in problematic mortgages from financial institutions. True or False
True
The Republican party was united in its opposition to a major overhaul of the health care system, reflecting the party's allegiance to a special interest and not the American people. True or False
True
The Tea Party representatives took an uncompromising position which contributed to a congressional deadlock that nearly put the U.S. government into default on its debt for the first time in history. True or False
True
The United States lags behind most Western countries, including Germany, France, and Great Britain, in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. True or False
True
The electoral reforms of the 1970s served to weaken campaign finance laws that has ultimately contributed to party polarization. True or False
True
The extraordinary number of interest groups in the United States does not mean that the nation's various interests are equally well organized. True or False
True
The federal government sells permits to mining firms, timber companies, and ranchers that give the latter the right to take or exploit resources. True or False
True
The federal government spends a lot more on its two major social insurance programs than it does on all public assistance programs for the poor combined. True or False
True
The greater flexibility of monetary policy is a reason the Fed has emerged as the institution that has primary responsibility for keeping the U.S. economy on a steady course. True or False
True
The highest rates of poverty exist in the suburbs as opposed to rural areas. True or False
True
The hopes of the Framers of the Constitution in dealing with factions (parties) is based on the assumption that such organizations would exhaust themselves in a futile attempt to fight their way through the American system of government. True or False
True
The inflation rate has not topped 5 percent in any year during the past two decades. True or False
True
The interest-group system over-represents business interests and fosters policies that serve a group's interest more than the society's broader interests. True or False
True
The president cannot remove the members of older agencies that are run by commissions even though the chief executive may have originally nominated them. True or False
True
The result of overregulation is higher-priced goods that are more expensive for consumers and less competitive in the domestic and global markets. True or False
True
The turnout rate among young adults has been higher in recent presidential elections than it was for them in the 1980s and 1990s. True or False
True
The unemployment program does not have the broad public support that social security enjoys. True or False
True
The voting public is more polarized in its political positions than is the public as a whole. True or False
True
There are no legal limits to the number of candidates that a Political Action Committee (PAC) can support during an election. True or False
True
Today the use of demand-side and supply-side stimulation is no longer possible because both strategies cause huge budget deficits that could dampen long-term growth, argues Patterson. True or False
True
Under the new guidelines in TANF, states have the option of denying increased benefits to unwed mothers who give birth to another child. True or False
True
Unlike President Clinton, when George W. Bush assumed office in 2001, he rejected the Kyoto Protocol, saying that it would blunt economic growth. True or False
True
Unlike iron triangles, where one's position is everything, an issue network is built around specialized interests and information. True or False
True
Unlike the Tea Party, however, Occupy Wall Street's target was private wealth. It aimed to curb the political influence of large donors and to rescind the Bush-era tax policies that benefitted the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. True or False
True
Whereas an iron triangle has an incentive for the participants to work together over the long term, the issue network disbands once the concern has been resolved. True or False
True
