Essay 18

A) A description of a characteristic of the merit system is that hiring or promotion is based on merit, experience, and qualifications.

B) The Structure of the bureaucracy contributes to bureaucratic independence because it is based on merit.
Complexity of public policy problems contributes to bureaucratic independence because it delegates authority. Because Congress and the president cannot handle everything, they delegate authority to the bureaucracy

C) Congress can pass legislation affecting the bureaucracy
The Courts can implement rulings that limit bureaucratic practices
Interest Groups can utilize the 1st amendment while partaking in Lobbying, protests, and media use.
 

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Essay 17

A) One specific trend evident in the figure is the percentage of House seats for Democrats has trended down.

B)  From 1948 to 2000, Southern voters elected Democratic candidates to Congress more frequently than they elected Democratic candidates to the presidency. Incumbency advantage —Even though

Southern voters were voting for Republican presidential candidates, they continued to vote for incumbent Democratic congressional candidates because of the incumbency advantage. State versus national parties— Because national and state parties were largely independent of each other, to get votes Democratic congressional candidates responded to local interests, whereas Democratic presidential candidates responded to a national constituency.

C)  Over the past few decades, party composition has changed in groups. Catholics have become less reliable Democratic voters. Women have become more reliable Democratic voters; have increased in number and thus there are more Democratic supporters; have become a larger percentage of the Democratic voting bloc. Labor union members have become less reliable Democratic voters; have decreased in number and thus there are fewer Democratic supporters; have become a smaller percentage of the Democratic voting bloc

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Essay 16

2006-3 The United States congress and the president together have the power to enact federal law. Federal bureaucratic agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law. However, in the carrying out of these laws, federal agencies have policy making discretion.
(1) Explain two reasons why Congress gives federal agencies policy making discretion in executing federal laws.
(2) Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the policy area over which it exercises policy-making discretion and give one specific example of how it exercises that discretion.
a. Environmental Protection Agency
b. Federal Communications Commission
c. Federal Reserve board
(3) Describe two ways in which Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent.

1.  Congress gives federal agencies policy making discretion in executing federal laws because it's easier to come to agreement and it's more efficient that way.

2. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is under the policy of clean air and water. The EPA is in charge of protecting the environment by creating national parks and regulating pollution levels. The EPA passed pollution level laws and ordered all cities to change who didn't pass the test.

3. Two ways in which Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent are investigations and Legislative Veto. 

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Essay 15

2006-2 In recent decades, entitlement programs have constituted a substantial portion of the United States federal budget. Social Security is the largest entitlement program in the US. From the information in the chart above, and your knowledge of the US government and politics, perform the following tasks.
(a) define entitlement program
(b) What is the primary source of revenue for the Social Security program
(c) Identify one threat to the future of the Social security program should the trends depicted in the chart continue
(d) Describe on demographic trend that threatens the future of the Social Security program and explain how it is responsible for the threat that you identified in (c )
(e) Explain how any one of the trends in the chart above would change if the age of eligibility for social security were raised.

A) Entitlement programs are government-sponsored programs providing mandated/guarantee/required benefits to those who meet eligibility requirements/qualifications

B) Payroll taxes are the primary source of revenue for the Social Security program

C) One threat to the future of the Social security program should the trends depicted in the chart is running out of money

D) A demographic trend that threatens the future of the Social Security program is that People are living longer and have a greater life expectancy. Because the number of workers who fund Social Security is

decreasing, but the number of people eligible for Social Security is increasing the treat of running out of money is very likely.

E) If people were to work longer, less money would be paid out/more money would be paid in/the reserve would not decline as rapidly or as much.

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