American Government and Politics - Assignment Example

FINAL EXAM Affiliation SECTION Question People get their opinions about politics through socialization. This socialization is facilitated by various agents. First, people get their opinions from the media as political events are reported (Jillson, 2009). For instance, when the media reports about the latest actions of the Congress, people can form their opinions about these actions. With the growth of social media and the internet, the influence of the media is enormous. Secondly, the family is an important source of political opinion. Most children learn from their parents as they react to the daily events and news (Jillson, 2009). For example, children whose parents are republicans are likely to receive positive messages about this party from the parents. Thirdly, schools or education is also a source of political opinion. In all schools, subjects such as American history are taught, and through such subjects, learners get to know some of the influential figures in American politics. In addition, schools also teach about current happenings in political, social and economic spheres. This information can be used to form opinions. Finally, events in the society such as war, government scandals and economic events are a great source of political opinion. For example, a scandal in government may cause one to have a negative view about the president. The public political opinions are shaped by personal preferences and interests. For example, a person’s economic interests shape his opinions. The values in our societies and communities also shape opinions (Jillson, 2009). The values in these communities tend to direct how people will view and interpret political events. Finally, an individual personal identity dictates his views and political preferences. Question 2 Interest groups can influence public policy in many ways. First, these groups may attempt to persuade key government officials into buying their idea or to support their position. These groups use information and statistics to convince these officials. Secondly, they may use various forms of incentives in order to persuade government officials. For example, a group may decide to host government officials for dinner in order to get the chance to sell their ideas to them. If these officials agree with them, it is likely that there would be a change in policy. Thirdly, these groups may decide to engage the services of consultants or lawyers in order to have a policy changed (Jillson, 2009). These lawyers will seek the changes desired by taking the matter to the courts. In addition, the interest groups might decide to sue the agents or groups they are opposing. Forth, interest groups may decide to disrupt events or functions in order to get the attention of the government or a specific group. Such disruptions are usually achieved through pretests where the members of the interest group often get support from citizens. For instance, it is common to see interest groups using strikes in order to initiate changes in policy. Finally, interest groups may offer campaign assistance to specific candidates with the aim of having these candidates make favorable changes. For example, a labor union might decide to support a candidate in order to have a given legislation retained or removed. Question 4 Although America is dominated by two major parties, the minor parties have continued to play a major role in the politics of the United States. First, these small parties act as indicators of changes in the political mood in the country. Through these parties, analysts are able to understand the political views of Americans, and also understand the general political mood of the public. Such information has been used by the two larger parties to shape their agenda. It is therefore possible to have the bigger parties using the ideas of the smaller parties in their campaigns (Schmidt, et al, 2008). Secondly, these parties have the ability to determine the outcome of an election by taking off votes from the candidates of the major parties. In other words, these small parties might act as spoilers. Third, given that America has two major parties, the minor parties have been the alternative parties for those who do not belong to either of the major parties. This is important because these parties have provided a safe ground for those groups that would otherwise cause unrest in the country. Forth, when people are changing from either Republican to Democrat and vice versa, these third parties have acted like the transitional parties. People use these parties to make their next political moves. This is important not only to the individuals concerned but also to the major parties. Finally, these parties play an important role in initiating change in the American society. Members of these parties share certain ideologies, and as a result, tend to follow these ideologies in order to create the change they need. Although these small parties might not command big numbers, they tend to have a significant impact in initiating change in the society. SECTION 2 Question 7 In producing the federal budget, the president first submits a budget request for the following fiscal year. This is the first step of the federal budget making process. This budget request plays three main functions. First, it details to the congress the federal fiscal policy developed by the president. This policy outlines the amount of money the federal government will have to use for public purposes, the taxes to be collected and the balance or deficit that should be run by the federal government. Secondly, the budget request details the president’s spending priorities for federal programs. Finally, the budget details the recommendations of the president for spending and the policy changes in tax. The congress examines the requests presented by administration officials, and from these, comes up with a budget resolution. This is the second step or stage of the federal budget making. The budget resolution details the amounts that will be spent by Congress in all of the nineteen spending categories. This budget resolution also details the total amount of revenue to be collected by the government for at least five years from the period of making the resolution. After the budget resolution has been adopted, Congress has to consider the annual appropriations bills. These bills are required for the funding of discretionary programs in the fiscal year to come. In addition, the Congress develops legislation that is required to make changes to revenue levels or mandatory spending. Question 9 It can be said that the United States has remained ‘expansionist’ throughout its history. The United States has expanded its power as well as economic territory, and now is a considered a global leader, taking over from Europe. Throughout history, the United States has continuously sort to increase its own power, and this has sometimes come at the expense of smaller or weaker nations. The expansion of the United States can be traced from the 17th century when Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory (Foster, 2006). This marked the beginning of the expansion of the United States. During the nineteenth century, the United States engaged in the conquering and colonization of countries overseas. This was the growing of what Jefferson called the ‘Empire of Liberty.’ For instance, during the Spanish-American war, the United States conquered several lands overseas. This expansion can be attributed to the fact that the security of a nation is based on its geographical size, the economy and the population. This has been the main driving force behind the United States expansion. It is also clear that although the United States relinquished most of its empires after the Second World War, it retains most of economic empires through the threat of military intervention (Foster, 2006). For example, in the 1990s, the United States was engaged in various military interventions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. These interventions ended with the Kosovo war. Such interventions are seen as an attempt by the United States to grow its power and influence into these regions. The United States continues to have a major influence in many economies around the world. References Foster, J. (2006). Naked imperialism. New York: Monthly Review Press Jillson, C. (2009). American Government: Political Change and Institutional Development. Psychology Press. Schmidt, S., Shelley, M & Bardes, B (2008). American Government and Politics Today 2009- 2010 Edition. Cengage Learning Read More