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Gov Unit 4 Vocab
Government Unit 4 Vocabulary: Chapters 13-17
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Chief of state | term for the president as the ceremonial head of the USA, the symbol of all the people of the nation |
| Chief executive | term for the president as vested with the executive power of the USA |
| Chief administrator | term for the president as head of the administration of the Federal Gov. |
| Chief diplomat | term for the president as the main architect of foreign policy and spokesperson to other countries |
| Commander in chief | term for the president as commander of the nation’s armed forces |
| Chief legislator | term for the president as architect of public policy and the one who sets the agenda for Congress |
| Chief of party | term for the president as the leader of his or her political party |
| Chief Citizen | term for the president as the representative of the people, working for the public interest |
| Presidential succession | scheme by which a presidential vacancy is filled |
| Presidential Succession Act of 1947 | Law specifying the order of presidential succession following the vice president |
| Balance the ticket | when a presidential candidate chooses a running mate who can strengthen his chance of being elected by virtue of certain ideological, geographic, racial, ethnic, gender, or other characteristics |
| Presidential elector | a person elected by the voters to represent them in making a formal selection of the vice president and president |
| Electoral votes | votes cast by electors in the Electoral College |
| Electoral College | group of persons chosen in each state and the District of Columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the president and voce president |
| District plan | proposal for choosing presidential electors by which two electors would be selected in each state according to the statewide popular vote and the other electors would be selected separately in each of the state’s congressional districts |
| Proportional plan | proposal by which each presidential candidate would receive the same share of a state’s electoral vote as he or she received in the state’s popular vote |
| Direct popular election | proposal to do away with the Electoral College and allow the people to vote directly for president and vice president |
| Electorate | all of the people entitled to vote in a given election |
| National popular vote plan | proposal whereby each state’s election laws would provide for all of the state’s electoral votes to be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote and enter into an interstate compact agreeing to elect the president by national popular vote |
| Executive Article | Article II of the constitution. Established the presidency and gives the executive power of the Federal Government to the president |
| Mass media | those means of communication that reach large audiences, especially television, radio, printed publications, and the internet |
| Imperial presidency | term used to describe a president as an “emperor” who acts without consulting congress or acts in secrecy to evade or deceive congress; often used in reference to Richard Nixon’s presidency |
| Oath of office | oath taken by the president on the day he takes office, pledging to “faithfully execute” the office and “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution. |
| Executive order | directive, rule, or regulation issued by a chief executive or subordinates, based upon constitutional or statutory authority and having the force of law |
| Ordinance power | power of the president to issue executive orders; originates from the Constitution and acts of Congress |
| Treaty | An international agreement that requires senate approval. |
| Executive agreement | a pact made by the president directly with the head of a foreign state; a binding international agreement with the force of law but which (unlike a treaty) does not require Senate consent |
| Recognition | the exclusive power of a president to recognize (establish formal diplomatic relations with) foreign estates |
| Persona non grata | an unwelcome person; used to describe recalled diplomatic officials |
| Line-item veto | a president’s cancellation of specific dollar amounts (line items) from a congressional spending bill; instituted by a 1996 congressional act, but struck down by a 1998 Supreme Court decision |
| Reprieve | an official postponement of the execution of a sentence |
| Pardon | release for the punishment of legal consequences of a crime, by the president (in a federal case) or a governor (in a state case) |
| Clemency | mercy or leniency granted to an offender by a chief executive |
| Commutation | the power to reduce the length of a sentence or fine for a crime |
| Amnesty | a blanket pardon offered to a group of law violators |
| Bureaucracy | a large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization |
| Bureaucrat | a person who works for a bureaucratic organization |
| Administration | the officials in the executive branch of a government and their policies and principles |
| Staff agency | an agency which supports the chief executive and other administrators by offering advice and other assistance in the management of the organization |
| Line agency | an agency which performs the tasks for which the organization exists |
| Executive Office of the President | an organization of several agencies staffed by the president’s closest advisors |
| Federal budget | a detailed financial document containing estimates of deferral income and spending during the coming fiscal year |
| Fiscal year | the 12-month period used by a government and the business world for its record-keeping, budgeting, revenue-collecting, and other financial management purposes |
| Domestic affairs | all matters not directly connected to the realm of foreign affairs |
| Executive departments | often called the Cabinet departments, they are the traditional units of federal administration |
| Secretary | an official in charge of a department of government |
| Attorney general | the head of the Department of Justice |
| Independent agencies | additional agencies created by Congress located outside the Cabinet departments |
| Independent executive agencies | agencies headed by a single administrator with regional subunits, but lacking Cabinet status |
| Independent regulatory commissions | independent agencies created by congress, designed to regulate important aspects of the nation’s economy, largely beyond the reach of presidential control |
| Quasi-legislative | having to do with powers that are to some extent legislative |
| Quasi-judicial | having to do with powers that are to some extent judicial |
| Government Corporation | corporations within the executive branch subject to the President’s direction and control, set up by Congress to carry out certain business-like activities |
| Civil service | those civilian employees who perform the administrative work of government |
| Spoils system | the practice of giving offices and other favors of government to political supporters and friends |
| Patronage | the practice of giving jobs to supporters and friends |
| Register | a record or list of names, often kept by an official appointed to do so |
| Bipartisan | supported by two parties |
| Progressive tax | a type of tax proportionate to income |
| Tax return | a declaration of taxable income and of the exemptions and deductions claimed |
| Payroll tax | a tax imposed on nearly all employers and their employees, and on self-employed persons—the amounts owed by employees withheld from their paychecks |
| Regressive tax | a tax levied at a flat rate, without regard to the level of a taxpayer’s income or ability to pay them |
| Excise tax | a tax laid on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of goods and/or the performance of services |
| Estate tax | a levy imposed on the assets of one who dies |
| Gift tax | a tax on a gift by a living person |
| Customs duty | a tax laid on goods brought into the United States from abroad, also known as tariffs, import duties, or imposts |
| Interest | a charge for borrowed money, generally a percentage of the amount borrowed |
| Deficit | the yearly shortfall between revenue and spending |
| Surplus | more income than spending |
| Public dept | all of the money borrowed by the government and not yet repaid, plus the accrued interest on that money; also called the national debt or federal debt |
| Entitlement | a benefit that federal law says must be paid to all those who meet the eligibility requirements, e.g., Medicare, food stamps, and veterans’ pension |
| Controllable spending | an amount decided upon by Congress and the President to determine how much will be spent each year on many individual government expenditures, including environment protection programs, aid to education, and so on |
| Uncontrollable spending | spending that Congress and the President have no power to change directly |
| Continuing resolution | a measure which allows agencies to continue working based on the previous year’s appropriations |
| Domestic affairs | all matters not directly connected to the realm of foreign affairs |
| Foreign affairs | a nation’s relationship with other coutries |
| Isolationism | a purposeful refusal to become generally involved in the affairs of the rest of the world |
| Foreign policy | a group of policies made up of all the stands and actions tat a nation takes in every aspect of its relationships with other countries; everything a nation’s government says and does in world affairs |
| Right of legation | the right to send and receive diplomatic representatives |
| Ambassador | an official representative of the United States appointed by the President to represent the nation in matters of diplomacy |
| Diplomatic immunity | when an ambassador is not subject to the laws of the state to which they are accredited |
| Espionage | spying |
| Terrorism | the use of violence to intimidate a government or society |
| Draft | conscription, or compulsory military service |
| Collective security | the keeping of international peace and order |
| Deterrence | the policy of making America and its allies so militarily strong that their very strength will discourage, or prevent, any attack |
| Cold war | a period of more than 40 years during which relations between the two superpowers were at least tense, and often hostile. A time of threats and military build up |
| Containment | a policy based in belief that if communism could be kept within its existing boundaries, it would collapse under the weight of its internal weaknesses |
| Détente | a relaxation of tensions |
| Foreign aid | economic and military aid to other countries |
| Regional security alliance | treaties in which the US and other countries involved have agreed to take collective action to meet aggression in a particular part of the world |
| UN Security Council | a 15-member panel which bears the UN’s major responsibility for keeping international peace |
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