POSC Exam 1 EQ's

What is the "race to the bottom" problem?

A state of competition where companies, states or nations attempt to undercut the competition's prices by sacrificing standards, safety, regulations, wages and so on. A race to the bottom can also occur between nations and regions. In an attempt to attract investment like a new factory or corporate office, a jurisdiction may lessen regulation, reduce oversight, or otherwise compromise the public good in order to get a company to commit. There are legitimate ways to compete for business and investment dollars - a race to the bottom is used to characterize competition that has gone over the ethical line and could be destructive for most of the parties involved. A race to the bottom is a result of cutthroat competition. When companies engage in a race to the bottom, it often has a negative impact far beyond the immediate participants. Lasting damage can be done to the environment, the employees, the community and the companies' respective shareholders.

What is required of citizens in a democracy?

Citizens in a democracy also have responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is to choose our leaders. Another is to keep informed about what is going on with our government. It is also the responsibility of citizens to help make their community and neighborhood good places in which to live. A democracy needs active citizens in order to work. There are many ways to take part in a democracy such as voting, communicating with elected officials, and volunteering.

What is the notion of "dual citizenship" all about, how did the Barron v. Baltimore case illustrate this idea, and how did the process of selective incorporation that began in the 1920s, and which accelerated in the 1960s, change this notion?

Dual citizenship is a person's citizenship status, in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen of more than one state under the laws of those states. Barron v. Baltimore illustrated this idea because it helped define the concept of federalism in US constitutional law. Selective incorporation is a constitutional doctrine that ensures states cannot enact laws that take away the constitutional rights of American citizens that are enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Selective incorporation is not a law, but has been established over time through court cases and rulings by the United States Supreme Court. At its heart, selective incorporation is about the ability of the federal government to limit the states' lawmaking powers.

Describe the level of Americans' political knowledge and trust in government? What have been the trends in these areas, and how have they affected the health of our democracy?

If you are way into politics, you are not the average American. Americans continue to distrust the government, although there are signs that hostility toward government has begun to diminish. There is also considerable evidence that distrust of government is strongly connected to how people feel about the overall state of the nation. Political compromise has been deteriorating in recent decades, and especially in the last five years. They are increasing restrictions on the right to vote, weighing disproportionately on voters for one party and implemented at the state level by the other party. Growing gap between rich and poor. The remaining contributor to the decline of American democracy is the decline of government investment in public purposes, such as education, infrastructure, and nonmilitary research and development.

Substantive compared to procedural liberties - be able to define.

Substantive liberties are restraints limiting what the government shall have the power to do, such as restricting freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or freedom of the press. Procedural liberties are restraints on how the government can act.

Why do we have federalism? What are the benefits? - think about the constitutional convention deal to secure support from the states; the benefits of having state policy experimentation; and the usefulness of having a diverse nation for guarding against tyranny of the majority.

The argument for American federalism, for dividing powers between national and state governments centers on the advantages of decentralization. Federalism permits diversity, helps manage conflict, disperses power, increases political participation, and improves efficiency.

What civil liberties were protected in the original constitution, before the bill of rights?

The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion, the public safety may require it. Civil liberties were protected because the Constitution prohibited ex post facto laws which punished conduct that was not illegal at the time it was performed. It also prohibited bills of attainder which singled out individuals or groups for punishment. It also states that people get the right to trial by jury in all criminal cases, and requires that the trial be held in the state where the crime was committed. It state that the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens of several states.

What does the Constitution say about local governments? What is home rule? What role did federalism play in helping the new nation govern as a decentralized republic?

Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all powers not granted to the federal government are reserved for the states and the people. All state governments are modeled after the federal government and consist of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. Federalism presumably gives the rulers and the ruled citizenship, preserved liberties, and a flexible response to their problems.

Difference between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan

Virginia Plan- favored by large states, new powerful central government with a representation based on: population of each state and proportion of state's revenue New Jersey Plan- small state plan; consisted of 11 resolutions that were offered as an alternative option to the Virginia Plan. It detailed a legislature of only one house and featured equal representation in which each state had the same number of representatives. The goal was for smaller states to have the same level of power in the legislature as the large states. Both- The New Jersey Plan, like the Virginia Plan, also called for Separation of Powers consisting of legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Why have the Bill of Rights in the first place? What were the anti-federalist arguments for and the federalist arguments against?

the Bill of Rights has served as the cornerstone of basic American freedoms. One of the many points of contention between Federalists and Anti-Federalists was the Constitution's lack of a bill of rights that would place specific limits on government power. Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.