Rights and Responsibilities Services Provided by Government Taxes Levels of Government Branches of Government

Social Studies Government Test Review

Resources to use for studying:• This study guide• This PowerPoint linked to Mrs.

Bitter’s class website• KY Adventure book, pp. 316-335• Social Studies journal

Establish and Maintain Order: Rules and laws make life run smoothly and help to keep us safe.

Protect Rights: Our laws provide security by protecting our property rights and individual rights.

Accomplish Common Goals: The state government is made up of people who live in KY. KY citizens vote for and elect leaders they think will make laws that support the goals they want accomplished (i.e. to have a safe society).

Basic Purpose of State Government

With Rights… Come Responsibilities

Rights Responsibilities

You have the right to help make laws.

You have the right to worship as you wish, or not at all.

You have the right to express your opinion in newspapers, internet, etc.

You have the right to vote.

You have the responsibility to obey the laws.

You have the responsibility to respect others’ choices of worship.

You have the responsibility to respect others’ opinions.

You have the responsibility to learn about the candidates.

Services Provided by Our Government

Road Repair

Libraries

Police Officers

Public Parks Ambulances

Firemen

They get money from TAXES. A tax is money citizens pay to the

government in many different forms.

How can the government provide all these wonderful services to us?

Sales Tax: The money added to something you purchase at a store. Kentucky sales tax is 6%.

Property Tax: The money paid on property you own, such as a home, land, or a car.

Income Tax: This is money you pay to the government on the money you earn. You pay federal income tax and Kentucky state income tax.

Tariff Tax: This is money paid on goods coming from another country.

Four Types of Taxes

Level Place What It Provides

Local Cities and Counties

Police, Firefighters, City Parks, County Road Repair

State KentuckyState Land and Resources, State Roads, Driver’s License

National/ Federal

United States

Military, Printing Money, Relations with Other Countries

Levels of Government

Branches of Government

• Executive• Legislative• Judicial

Makes sure state laws are carried out

The governor is the leader of the state and serves

a 4 year term

Signs bills into law

Governor can veto a bill

Calls special sessions of the General Assembly

Commands the state National Guard

Pardons (excuses) criminals from punishments

Kentucky State Executive Branch

Governor Steve Beshear

Kentucky State Executive Branch

Lieutenant Governor

Crit Luallen

Writes the bills that can become laws

People in Kentucky elect representatives to serve in this

branch, which is called the General Assembly

Two houses (groups): House of Representatives and Senate

138 Legislators:100 representatives and 38 senators

Meets once a year in regular session to vote on bills that

can become laws

Decides how much money will be spent on state programs

such as education

Kentucky State Legislative Branch

Senator John Schickel

Representative Addia Wuchner Representati

ve Adam Koenig

Kentucky State Legislative Branch

Representative Sal Santoro

Decides what the laws mean, and makes sure they are

fair (constitutional)

The courts make up this branch

KY Supreme Court has seven judges and they serve

eight year terms

Judges listen to cases and decide punishment of guilty

people

A jury (a group of people) can also be asked to listen

and decide if a person is innocent or guilty

Kentucky State Judicial Branch

Chief Justice John Minton, Jr

Justice Bill Cunningham

Justice Daniel J. Venters

Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson

Deputy Chief Justice Mary C. Noble

Justice Michelle M. Keller

Justice Will T. Scott

Each of the three branches has the same amount of power, or control over what happens in the government. This is sometimes called Checks and Balances. Each branch uses its power to check on the other two branches, making sure no one branch is becoming more powerful than the other two. We don’t want one branch to gain all the power and begin making decisions that are not good for our state’s citizens.

Balance of Power

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