Reading/Lecture 1 Studying Texas Politics and Government

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Reading/Lecture 1 Studying Texas Politics and
Government

• Topical Scenario On Campus
• Political Vocabulary
• Politics and Government
• Political Values
• Individualism
• Liberty
• Equality
• Democracy
• Constitutionalism

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Topical Scenario

• Why do I have to take Texas Government?
• 41st Texas Legislature made courses in the Texas
  and US Constitutions a law in 1929.
• Applies only to state schools.
• Differing interpretations.

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The Political Society

• No rules or laws are needed in the state of
  nature. (As society developed so did politics and
  government.)
• Family Egalitarian
• Clan
• Tribe Chief or
  Elders
• Nation King or
  Aristocracy
• State
• Nation-State Republican Democracy
• The political systems created to impose rules
  have varied throughout history.

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Politics

• Politics is the authoritative allocation of
  values for a society.
• Values are both material and non material in
  nature.
• Values are limited which creates a competitive
  distribution system.
• Sociology definition - the social institution
  that distributes power, sets a societys agenda,
  and makes decisions.

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Government

• Government is the institutions and processes that
  make public policy for a society.
• Institutions are the structures making the
  decisions and rules.
• Process is how the decisions are made.
• Policy is a decision made by a government.
• Sociology definition - a formal organization that
  directs the political life of a society.

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Forms of Government

• Autocracy
• Oligarchy/Aristocracy
• Democracy
• Theocracy

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Democracy Classic to Republican

• The concept of self-government was discussed by
  the ancient Greeks but fell out of favor.
• The Roman Republic
• Democratic theory was revived in the United
  States in the 1780s.
• Representative democracy was believed to be the
  only viable form of democracy for the United
  States.
• The presidential campaign is democracy in action.

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Democracy

• Democracy is how a government makes decision.
• Who participates and with how much weight is also
  critical.
• Conditions for Democracy
• Political Equality
• Fundamental Rights (Nontyranny)
• Participation - Available and used
• Deliberation - Open discussion

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Models of Democracy

• Classical - individual citizens participates in
  process.
• Republican a representative selected to speak
  for selected constituency within government.
• Majoritarian - Majority rules. There is political
  equality, centralize power in a single executive.
• Pluralistic - emphasis on minority rights. Power
  is dispersed in groups with decentralized
  authority and processes.
• Elitism a small group of wealthy individuals or
  organizations control politics and government.

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How Do Governments Govern?

• Constitutional
• Authoritarian
• Totalitarian

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Core Ideals American Creed and Texas Creed

• Individualism
• Liberty
• Equality
• Constitutionalism
• Democracy

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Liberty

• Freedom to pursue personal goals without undo
  government restrictions.
• The regulation of individual activity and
  taxation are often cited as violations of
  individual liberty.
• These were rights that the defenders of the Alamo
  gave their lives to protect.

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Equality

• Political, economic and social equality.
• Slavery, segregation, racial and ethnic
  discrimination, and poverty demonstrate our lack
  of success in achieving equality.
• Equal opportunity or regulated equality?

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Democracy

• Rule by the citizens of a state.
• American political knowledge and activity is
  surprisingly low, despite the fact that more
  Americans are permitted to vote and political
  activity is encouraged.

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Constitutionalism

• The fundamental law of the land.
• Cannot be easily changed.
• Has consent of governed.
• Provides structure for power distribution and
  policy discussion.

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InteractionCore Ideals - Institutions

• Individualism
  Politics
• Liberty
• Equality
• Constitutionalism Government
  
• Democracy
• Other Family Religion
• Types of Institutions Education