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Study Tool

American Urban Society

Chapters 13-16

Spring 2013

Ch13

1/ The American Federal bureaucracy has mushroomed into a giant apparatus to protect us,

provide health and services, deliver mail, collect taxesthe 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 Presidents 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 isviolated (incl. labor, civil rights, property rights, Social Security, truth-in-lending, federal crimes

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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 theprinciple ofjudicial 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, personalinjuries, 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.

Ch15

13/ Public policy is a term that requires more explanation. It just doesnt 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 and1969 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 tocontrol 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, ortrade, of carbon credits fromanother 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.

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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 decisionsre: 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 dont haveschool children sometimes do not support school levies.

16/ As with any problem, personal or national, nothing happens until the problem isrecognized 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, policyformulation/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 ofpoverty 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 governments revenue through income taxes. Check out the sources of

income chart in Chapter 15 to look at additional detail.

Ch16

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 aclose 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 securityin the last several years.

20/ Often, the insights of those who are from another land, provide an extraordinaryresource. 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 groupsor factions, our unique physical isolation and defensible borders, and our tendency

toward egalitarianism.

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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. Foreignpolicy 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 effectivelydestroyed. 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 theSoviet 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 ofan anticipated attack by others.

24/ So, what are our national interests? What really matters. Whats 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 ourtreasures 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 justone 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?

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Note: Articles posted on class website and class discussion notes should be reviewed for Extra

Credit questions which are mined from this material.