American Democracy Now

American Democracy Now Chapter 16: Domestic Policy

Chapter Summary:

Quotations from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, to the effect that the American government must ensure its citizens a just society where they are able to live freely in pursuit of happiness, serve as a reminder of this chapter’s purpose in conveying domestic policy goals. This chapter demonstrates the difficulties and successes in citizens’ efforts to effect policy change. Included are examinations of the following:

 The types of public programs by which government provides for its citizens’ basic needs  Income security programs  Food policy  Health care policy  Housing policy  Environmental protection policy  Energy policy  Homeland security policy  Immigration policy

Chapter Learning Objectives:

Having studied this chapter, students should be able to do each of the following:

1. Describe the tools of domestic policy. 2. Outline the evolution of national environmental policy. 3. Outline the evolution of a national energy policy. 4. Describe the major income security programs. 5. Differentiate between poverty thresholds and poverty guidelines. 6. Describe the major national health care programs. 7. Summarize the goals of homeland security policy. 8. Discuss the criteria for being allowed to immigrate to the U.S. 9. Outline some issues raised in the immigration reform debate.

Chapter Outline:

I. Citizen Engagement and Domestic Policy II. Tools of Domestic Policy a. Laws and Regulations b. Direct Provision of Public Goods

IM – 16 | 1 c. Cash Transfers d. Loans, Loan Guarantees, and Insurance e. Contracting-Out III. Environmental Policy a. Environmental Degradation b. Environmental Protection i. Clean Air ii. Clean Water iii. Clean Land IV. Energy Policy a. Energy and Global Warming b. National Energy Policy i. The OPEC Embargo and Carter’s Response ii. An Energy Policy Focused on Fossil Fuels iii. Future Directions V. Income Security Programs a. Social Security i. Old-Age and Survivors Insurance ii. Amendments to the Social Security Act b. Unemployment Compensation c. Minimum Wage d. Earned Income Tax Credit e. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families f. Government Definitions of Poverty VI. Health Care Policy a. Medicaid b. Medicare c. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act VII. Homeland Security a. Four Challenges for Policy Makers b. The Importance of Intergovernmental Coordination VIII. Immigration Policy a. Authorized and Unauthorized Immigration b. Proposed Immigration Policy Reforms

Complementary Lecture Topics:

 Analyze the relationship between American values, particularly individualism, and the country’s approach to social welfare.

 While poverty exists in almost every nation, are there any features of this problem in the United States that differentiate its nature and its possible solutions from the type of poverty that exists in other parts of the world, especially third-world countries?

 The United States has a greater number of welfare programs than the European

IM – 16 | 2 democracies, and the eligibility criteria are more stringent. For example, European democracies provide government-paid health care for all citizens, while the United States provides it for only some elderly people and some poor people, all of whom must prove they are eligible in order to receive benefits. What are the benefits and costs of each system?

 Speculate on how the United States would have evolved if it had adopted an educational system based on social class or the general principle of elitism.

Class Discussion Topics:

 Welfare and other social policies have been subject to increased scrutiny by governments increasingly impoverished by the effects of the 2008 economic crisis. Ask students to discuss what role government should play in these circumstances, and whether people should expect government to assist them in times of individual crisis and difficulty.

 Encourage students to identify comparisons and contrasts between social insurance programs (such as Social Security) and public assistance programs (such as food stamps). Traditionally, Americans have favored the former over the latter. Ask students to discuss why this is so, and whether they think this will change as the twenty-first century continues.

Chapter Activities:

I. THEN, NOW, NEXT Discussion Activity Participants: entire class in small-group or large-group discussion Time: 10-15 minutes

Directions Utilize the “Then, Now, Next” questions from the beginning of the chapter as a basis for class discussion.  Then—In the 1930s, radical new federal government policies created a safety net that enabled economically-distressed citizens to provide for their basic needs.  Now—The federal government faces a host of domestic policy issues, from the high cost of maintaining the safety net to environmental degradation, scarce energy supplies, homeland security threats, and calls for immigration reform.  Next—  Will global warming and worldwide environmental degradation force U.S. policy makers to sign international treaties?  Will the perpetually increasing costs of income security programs and health care force U.S. policy makers to enact major legislative reforms?  Will demographic change owing to high immigration today bring new issues to tomorrow’s domestic policy agenda?

IM – 16 | 3 II. 1-Minute Paper Individual Activity Participants: individual Time: 1-2 minutes

What to Expect This easy activity allows the entire class to participate. It entails the individual completion of a 1- to 2-minute written essay. Suggested writing topics are chapter-specific for American Democracy Now.

What Students Will Learn In this activity, you are engaging students in effective critical thinking via writing. For optimal results, brief students in the subject matter first. Then, administer the exercise. Collect and read the papers. Finally, during the next class, give feedback to students on their papers. Specific quotes and praise can help students retain a life-long learning experience about the subject of study.

Topics: Chapter 16 – Domestic Policy To students: Please write a 1-minute reply to the following: Topic 1 Social Security Do you think that when you are eligible to retire, there will be funds available for you from Social Security? Explain your answer.

III. Peer Quiz Activity Participants: two-person teams Time: 3-5 minutes

What to Expect This easy activity allows the entire class to participate in teams of two people each. First, issue some questions to students from the practice quiz found at the end of the chapter in American Democracy Now. Next, have students exchange their quizzes and mark the correct answers with the help of the textbook. Finally, students should provide each other with constructive and positive feedback for enhanced exam performance.

What Students Will Learn In this activity, instructors help students exercise effective study skills for important examinations based on textbook material. The students become familiarized with textbook material and/or exam material. This activity can be done at the end of a lecture to determine comprehension. Also, it can be administered at the beginning of a lecture after finishing the chapter of evaluation, to determine retention.

IM – 16 | 4 Chapter 16 Quiz Choose the best answers for the following:

Multiple Choice

1. Pell grants and financial support to farmers for growing or limiting the growth of crops are two examples of the policy tool of a. contributory cash transfer. b. direct subsidy. c. insurance. d. loan guarantee. Answer: b

2. The disaster that prompted the national government to establish the Department of Homeland Security is a. the Great Depression. b. Hurricane Katrina. c. Love Canal. d. the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Answer: d

3. What is the current minimum wage? a. $5.50 per hour b. $6.75 per hour c. $7.25 per hour d. $8.00 per hour Answer: c

Fill in the Blank

4. ______is the national program that provides health insurance to the elderly. Answer: Medicare

5. A(n) ______program guarantees a benefit to all who meet the program’s eligibility criteria, regardless of the total cost to the government. Answer: entitlement

IV. Cri-Think Team Activity Participants: entire class in pairs Time: 6 minutes

What to Do Students will engage in a mini debate. Taking ONE of the prompts below, one student will argue the pro position and one student will argue the con position. (In order to save time in

IM – 16 | 5 choosing, you may simply designate the person whose last name comes first alphabetically to the pro position and the other student to the con position.) Students will each have two minutes to state their side, and one minute each for rebuttal.

Suggested Prompts  What steps can we take now to ensure that when we are ready to receive social security benefits, the social security system will have the funds?  Has the federal government’s minimum wage program improved the quality of life for those who earn at or near the minimum wage?  Poverty in the United States is estimated to be around 13%. What domestic policies or changes to existing policy should the government pursue to reduce this figure?

V. Online & Library Out-of-Class Research Participants: individual Time: 20-30 minutes, to be done outside of class time

What to Do Ask students to independently research the following: Think of an issue that you feel is of particular importance, or use one of the issues noted below. Investigate which groups have formed around the issue. What stake does each of the groups have in the issue? Which of these groups represent private interests? Which represent public interests? What actions have these groups taken? What forms of digital activism have these groups engaged in? How effective do their efforts appear?

Possible issues to research: 1. Have government’s efforts to reduce welfare, such as the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), been effective domestic policy legislation? 2. The Social Security System should be reformed, but how? Many studies suggest that the system will be bankrupt in the not-too-distant future. What are the various arguments and groups who come down on various sides of this issue? 3. Governmental efforts to protect the environment are frequently in conflict with economic development. Should we drill for oil, for example, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Alaska Wildlife Preserve, as one step necessary to achieve greater energy independence and reduce the cost of gas at the pump?

VI. YouTube & Discussion Activity Participants: entire class Time: varied, few-minute short clips, 2-10 minutes

What to Do A video for Chapter 16 can be found on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pck0OM-KwQg

IM – 16 | 6 This is a short video about the immigration debate as a controversial domestic policy issue. You will need to spend a moment setting the video up.

What to Expect This easy activity allows the entire class to participate. You will project for the students a chapter-related video from YouTube, and follow with class discussion.

What Students Will Learn In this activity, you are engaging students in effective critical thinking via audiovisuals and the World Wide Web. For optimal results, brief students in the chapter of study first. Then, administer the clip. Next, prompt a class discussion about the video.

Discussion Points 1. How big is the illegal immigration problem in the U.S.? 2. Do illegal immigrants have rights? If so, what are they?

Internet Resources: http://www.usa.gov/ – Links to government agencies and their programs. http://www.epa.gov/history/topics – The Environmental Protection Agency’s website, which provides historical overviews of toxic waste sites that the government has cleaned up. http://www.cbpp.org – The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities focuses on the impact of public policies on low-income households, including numerous reports. http://www.chej.org – Website of the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, formerly the Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste, an organization that assists grassroots groups with organizing.

IM – 16 | 7