Civics_Ch8_homework-1

=**Civics Chapter 8 Homework #1**= Answer the following on notebook paper.

1. A political party is a group of citizens with similar views on public issues who work to put their ideas into effective government action. One job of political parties is to nominate, or select, candidates to run for political office. A candidate is a person who runs for government office. Political parties try to convince voters to elect candidates who support the party's ideas. Political parties take different positions on key issues. Parties that favor more government involvement in lives with higher taxes to pay for such programs are called liberals and parties that favor smaller government and therefore less taxes are called conservative. The United States has a two-party system, which means that we have two main political parties - Republican and Democrat. The U.S. has many parties, but two MAIN parties that compete for control of the government and policies. The Democrat Party is more liberal and the Republican Party is more conservative. Several European countries have a multiparty system, or one in which there are more than two strong parties and therefore several parties have to join together in a coalition to have control of the government. In some countries, like communist countries, there are one-party systems in which a single party controls the government and usually all other parties are not allowed to exist. This would obviously destroy freedom. **What is the major difference between a one-party or two-party system.**

2. There have been third-party candidates run for office in the U.S. Theodore Roosevelt broke away from the Republican Party in 1912 attempting to re-enter politics with his own Bull Moose Progressive Party. He took votes away from the Republican candidate William Taft and so Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the election. In 1992, Ross Perot ran for the Reform Party, which was in favor of balancing the budget and cutting the debt. He took votes from Republican George Bush (the elder), which led to the election of Democrat Bill Clinton. In 2000, Ralph Nader ran for the environmentalist Green Party and took votes from the Democrat Al Gore, which led to the election of the Republican George W. Bush. **How can third-party candidates affect elections?**

3. Political parties exist for one reason: to nominate and elect candidates to office in order to steer public policy. An effective party has to be well organized with leaders, committees, and workers able to carry out the party's program. Parties have to organize at the national, state, and local levels. At the local level, committees are those responsible for conducting all local campiagns. They raise money for the party and party candidates. At the polling place, where people vote, volunteers often go to give people information on their candidate to do some last minute campaigning. **What role do parties play in the voting process at the local level?**

4. Presidential candidates may be financed in two ways. Private financing involves voters, business groups, labor unions, and many other organizations that contribute money to the political party that they believe best represents their interests. There are limits to the amounts that one can contribute with the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1972. There is also public financing with tax dollars being used. Americans can contribute a portion of their taxes to a campaign. **What are the two ways that presidential campaigns may be financed?**

5. At age 18, citizens become eligible to vote. The right to vote is one of the most important rights that you have. To be allowed to vote, one must be at least age 18, must be a U.S. citizen, and must be a resident of a state or D.C. To be able to vote, citizens have to register. This is important to protect one's right to vote. No one can vote more than once or claim to be you and cast a vote. When a person registers, he or she registers with a political party or registers as an independent. **Why is voter registration important?**

6. There are two major elections during a year - the primary election and the general election. Primary elections take place first and are usually held in the spring. The primary election allows voters to choose the party candidates who will run in the later general election, which is in November. The general election is where voters choose their leaders from the candidates offered by all political parties. In the primaries, Pennsylvania has a closed primary, which means only voters who are registered in a particular party can vote to choose the party's candidates. A few states have an open primary, which voters may vote for the candidates of either major party, whether or not the voters belong to that party. **How is a primary election different from the general election?**

7. Voting methods have changed a great deal since the first elections were held in the U.S. The responsibilities shared by voters, however, have remained the same. During the first part of the 1800s, voting was usually done by voice vote. Voters announced aloud to the election official their choice of candidate. This meant a person's vote was public knowledge. In 1888, the U.S. adopted the secret ballot, which is one that lists the names of the candidates and the voter marks the ballot in private. This makes the election fair and honest. Today, voting is done electronically, but is still in secret. **How have voting methods changed in the past 200 years?**

8. When you vote in a presidential election, your vote is part of the popular vote. The popular vote is the vote of the citizens of a country. Many people think that the candidates with the most popular votes becomes the president. That is not always true. Presidents are not elected by popular vote. That is, your vote - the popular vote - determines the vote of the electors in each state. An elector is one of the people chosen from each state and the District of Columbia who formally select the president and vice president. The group of all the electors is called the electoral college. There are 538 electors in the electoral college. Each state has a number of electors equal to the total number of senators and representatives in the Congress. There are 435 representatives and 100 senators. D.C. gets 3. Before the presidential election, each political party in every state selects electors who promise to vote for the party's presidential candidate. The party whose candidate wins the popular vote in a state gets its electors to vote in that state. A candidate needs over 50% of the electoral vote to win, which means 270 is the number needed to win the presidency. **How does the electoral college system work?**

9. In September of 1960, Republican nominee Richard Nixon faced off against Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy in the first nationally televised presidential debate. Both candidates had a good understanding of the issues. However, JFK seemed more at ease on camera and was commonly thought to have won the debate. Televised debates allow voters to find out where the candidates stand on certain issues. At the same time, they create emotional reactions. Televised debates can help change a voter's mind about a candidate because of the candidate's television "personality." More often, though, the debates help to strengthen existing support for a candidate. **What is good and bad about televised debates?**

10. Public opinion is the total of the opinions held concerning a particular issue. Opinions are influenced or shaped by many factors. The first factor is usually the family. Because we share many of the same experiences with our family, we often have similar responses to issues. As we grow older, the media - TV and Internet - become major influencing factors along with friends, teachers, and peers. The mass media are the forms of communication that transmit information to large numbers of people - books, magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, Internet. Many of the ideas in the mass media are directed at us for a purpose Someone or some group is urging us to do something - to buy something, to believe something, or to act in a certain way. Ideas that are spread to influence people are called propaganda. Communications, satellites, computer networks, and television broadcasts all help spread propaganda farther and faster than ever before. Citizens need to be aware of propaganda and the it's aimed at getting citizens to think a particular way. **How does propaganda affect public opinion?**

11. Government officials are responsible for carrying out the wishes of the people. How do government officials find out what the public wants? One important way of measuring public opinion is to conduct a public opinion poll, or survey. Polls are used to find out what people think about specific issues and about politicians and their policies. A poll attempts to measure public opinion by asking the opinions of a sample, or portion, of the public. **What do polls measure?**

12. Many Americans are members of one or more interest groups. These groups are organizations of people with a common interest that try to influence government policies and decisions. An interest group is also known as a pressure group, or lobby. A person who is paid by a lobby or interest group to represent that group's interest is called a lobbyist. Interest groups are not the same as political parties. Interest groups aim to influence policy while political parties aim to determine policy. **What are interest groups?**

13.Lobbyists work with Congress by showing reasons why Congress should support a certain policy. Interest groups are allowed to use any legal means to influence public officials and the public itself. Lobbyists are required to register so there are records of meetings. Some people are critical of interest groups believing these groups play too great a role in the lawmaking process. Critics charge that too much attention is paid to the interest group that is the most organized and best funded. Supporters of interest groups say it's a good way for citizens to get involved and stay informed. **Why do some criticize interest groups?**

14. As a good citizen, it is your responsibility to participate in political activities. These activities are vital to the preservation of a democratic government. Any American can participate in government in at least four ways: speaking out on public issues, participating in a community action group, working on a political campaign, and - most importantly - voting. Suppose the street corner near your home needs a traffic light. Or suppose you are opposed to a proposed 15-cent increase in your city's bus fare. Or perhaps the House and Senate are going to vote on an issue you care about. You can write letters or email your representative or senator. Community involvement is an important part of participating in government. **How do you think (opinion) community groups can make a difference?**

15. Another way you can influence political decisions is by participating in election campaigns. Although you must be 18 years old to vote, people of any age can work as volunteers in political campaigns. Volunteers are individuals who work without pay to help others. Working as a campaign volunteer is an effect way to have a say in who represents you. You can also learn firsthand how the American political system works. Interest groups often take part in political campaigns. They sometimes provide volunteers to help candidates who are sympathetic to their causes. They can also make financial contributions to election campaigns. Candidates get campaign contributions through Political Action Committees, or PACs, which collect voluntary contributions from members and use this money to fund candidates. **How do interest groups take part in campaigns?**

16. Spending has gotten out of control with the U.S. government. The biggest area of spending is on what are called entitlements, which include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, disability, and other social programs. Of the entitlements, health care areas are the biggest spending areas - mostly due to Medicare (health care for the elderly) and Medicaid (health care for those with low income). Defense spending is also a large area of spending. As our national debt grows, the interest on our debt that must be paid is taking more and more out of the budget. **What are the main areas of expenses for the federal government?**

17. Occasionally, there is not enough tax revenue to pay for all government programs (this has become more normal in American which is the reason for our high debt). Therefore, sometimes the government borrows money to meet their expenses. Governments borrow money by issuing bonds. A government bond is a certificate stating that the government has borrowed a certain sum of money from the owner of the bond. The government promises to repay the loan on a certain date and pay interest on the amount borrowed. **Why do governments borrow money?**

18. There are various types of taxes. Income tax is on what a person's earns through working and is where the federal government gets most of its money. It is a progressive tax, which means the more one earns, the more one owes in income tax. Other taxes include Social Security tax and estate tax (which on a person's property once a death occurs). **What is the biggest source of federal revenue?**

19. The government at each level is goes through an audit, or careful examination by trained accountants of every item of income and every expenditure. All governments must account for their revenues. At the federal level, the Government Accountability Office examines most federal expenditures. **How do governments and citizens ensure that public funds are properly spent?**

20. Your opinion: **Should the federal government be required to NOT spend more money than is brought in?**

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