Deck 11: The Bureaucratic Elite

Question 1

What is the purpose of the "ten commandments" of bureaucratic infighting?

A) Outmaneuvering elected officials
B) Securing a greater share of the budget
C) Having greater influence over policy
D) A way for bureaucratic to increase their personal power

Answer 1

A

Question 2

President Richard Nixon attempted to deal with the problem of bureaucratic power by

A) appointing Republicans to leadership positions.
B) increasing the power of his White House staff.
C) cutting the budget to "starve out" the bureaucracy.
D) dissolving different executive agencies.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Federal budget surpluses ended after 2001 because of

A) increased spending for homeland security.
B) tax cuts, which reduced government revenues.
C) the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq.
D) increases in entitlement spending - primarily Medicare and Social Security.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

"Capital gains" or income from investments, is taxed

A) at the same rate as income from employment.
B) at a higher rate than income from pensions.
C) at a lower rate than income from employment.
D) at a lower rate than income from pensions.

Question 5

Which of the following is not a component of an "iron triangle"?

A) Elected representatives
B) An executive agency
C) Interest group representatives
D) The media

Question 6

Presidential power over the bureaucracy comes from all but which of the following?

A) The power to dissolve executive agencies
B) The power to reorganize the bureaucracy
C) The authority to appoint secretaries and other top officials
D) The formal power over the budget

Question 7

The power of bureaucracies grows with

A) advances in technology.
B) increased tax revenue.
C) new presidential elections.
D) Congressional regulations.

Question 8

All requests for funding by executive agencies must be cleared by the

A) General Accounting Office.
B) Federal Reserve.
C) Congress.
D) Office of Management and Budget.

Question 9

Cabinet meetings are held by the president in order to

A) decide important policy questions.
B) provide the president with expert information.
C) help the president sell already-decided views.
D) examine and re-evaluate current agency regulations.

Question 10

"Incremental" budgeting is when

A) the OMB accepts the bureaucracy's base budget and requests for additional funds.
B) the President approves additional budget requests to increase the size of the bureaucracy.
C) the OMB only uses the base budget adjusted for yearly inflation.
D) Congress provides additional funds to bureaucracies due to bureaucratic lobbying.

Question 11

The federal government finances itself primarily from

A) individual income tax and social security payroll taxes.
B) corporate taxes and social security payroll taxes.
C) estate taxes and import tariffs.
D) borrowing from foreign banks.

Question 12

When choosing members of his cabinet, the president

A) chooses someone who is likely to confirmed by the Senate.
B) only chooses people who are considered experts for that position.
C) chooses whoever is recommended by the party.
D) may choose anyone he wants.

Question 13

Social Security and Medicare taxes are paid

A) by all citizens of the United States.
B) entirely by employees.
C) entirely by employers.
D) half by employees and half by employers.

Question 14

The average government employee salary in a government union is _________________.

A) $48,000
B) $78,000
C) $100,000
D) $65,000

Question 15

"Capping entitlements" is widely recognized by economists as the only way to rein in future federal spending, but

A) there is little agreement on what those caps should be.
B) few in Washington want to take on senior citizen lobbyists.
C) many members of Congress receive campaign money from AARP.
D) all of the above are true.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of a federal bureaucracy?

A) Department of Motor Vehicles
B) Office of Management and Budget
C) Internal Revenue Service
D) All of the above

Question 17

The portion of the federal budget that is non-entitlement and non-defense is approximately

A) 50 percent
B) 12 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 36 percent

Question 18

The single biggest item in the budget is

A) Social Security.
B) Medicare.
C) military and defense.
D) education.

Question 19

Entitlement spending accounts for what percent of federal spending?

A) 40 percent
B) 60 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 70 percent

Question 20

Which is not one of Max Weber's characteristics of a bureaucracy?

A) Neutrality
B) Specialization
C) Hierarchy
D) Flexibility

Question 21

The group that consists of the leaders of the 15 executive departments, the president, and vice president is known as the ____________________.

Question 22

The costs of government regulation are paid for by

A) businesses.
B) workers and employees.
C) consumers.
D) all of the above.

Question 23

To stabilize the banking system and control the supply of money, the Federal Reserve requires all banks to maintain a reserve

A) in currency in the amount of half of all bank loans.
B) in cash supply in each bank location.
C) in currency or in deposits with a Federal Reserve bank.
D) by buying bonds from the government.

Question 24

If increased regulation and new regulations increase the cost to businesses,

A) larger business are forced to start operations overseas.
B) the cost is equally shared by small and large businesses.
C) small businesses find it harder to compete.
D) larger businesses begin to only hire part-time workers.

Question 25

America's money supply is controlled by

A) the Department of the Treasury.
B) the Federal Reserve System.
C) the President.
D) Congress.

Question 26

Budget implementation is the development of procedures and activities to carry out

A) the directives of the president.
B) the regulations of bureaucracies.
C) federal and state governments.
D) the policies legislated by Congress.

Question 27

A technical expert with the knowledge of information and technology needed to carry out policy is called a ____________________.

Question 28

"Revolving doors" refers to

A) Washington insiders who are frequently kept out of the political process.
B) Washington insiders who set the agenda that the media cover.
C) Washington insiders who earn more than their counterparts in other cities.
D) Washington insiders who frequently change jobs.

Question 29

The Federal Reserve, or the Fed, is fully independent, meaning

A) it must act in accordance with the president's policies.
B) its decisions are reviewable by the courts.
C) its members are elected by the voters.
D) its decisions need not be ratified by the president, Congress, or the courts.

Question 30

The branch of the federal government with the most direct control over the bureaucracy is the

A) Judicial branch.
B) Executive branch.
C) Legislative branch.
D) both A and C

Question 31

Only___ percent of American people trust the government administration to do what is best for the country.

Question 32

Prior to the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, government jobs were handed out to reward political support, which is referred to as ____________________.

Question 33

The argument over the role of the EPA in regulating the practice of "fracking" is an example of the competing demands

A) for cheap energy and the cost to the environment.
B) for nutritious food and animal safety.
C) of environmentalists and business owners.
D) of the residents and opportunistic businesses.

Question 34

The executive branch was reorganized after the terrorist attacks of 2001 to create a new Department of ____________________.

Question 35

Congress can restrain the bureaucracy through

A) passing legislation that changes regulations.
B) mobilizing the people to protest.
C) suing an executive agency in court.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 36

The 2010 Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, known as Dodd-Frank, after its authors,

A) created a new government department to oversee the Fed.
B) limited the authority of the Fed.
C) added considerable flexibility to regulation.
D) reduced the portion of the budget that goes to the Fed.

Question 37

The main goal of a bureaucracy is to

A) serve the public needs.
B) execute the laws of Congress.
C) increase in size and secure more funding.
D) promote and implement the policies of the president.

Question 38

"Issue networks" are

A) the connections elected representatives make with voters.
B) the connections among those who hold positions in multiple iron triangles.
C) the connections between the bureaucracy and members of Congress.
D) all of the above.

Question 39

The idea that regulated industries come to benefit from government regulation and regulators begin to represent the regulated is known as

A) corruption.
B) the capture theory.
C) the iron triangle.
D) establishmentarianism.

Question 40

The Ethics in Government Act limits the post-government employment of former Congress members by not permitting them to

A) lobby any executive agencies for two years, but only on matters over which they had previously had any responsibility.
B) lobby Congress for five years after leaving office.
C) lobby agencies or Congress for two years after leaving office.
D) lobby Congress for one year after leaving office.

Question 41

Power in the United States is shifting from the President and Congress to the bureaucracy.

Question 42

Currently the U.S. debt is $________________ trillion and growing.

Question 43

The function of the ____________________ is to prepare the budget of the United States for the president to submit to Congress.

Question 44

Entitlement programs, in which benefits are limited to lower-income families, are all based on a ______________ to determine benefits.

Question 45

Income from investments, also called _______________, are taxed at a lower rate than income from employment.

Question 46

A tax that captures a larger share of income from higher-income earners is called ___________________.

Question 47

The term ____________________ refers to the frequent change of jobs by elites among bureaucracy, business, and other government positions.

Question 48

The president has unlimited power over the bureaucracy.

Question 49

Defense spending account for ____________ percent of the annual budget.

Question 50

The Internal Revenue Service is the most powerful bureaucracy in the government.

Question 51

The 2010 Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, known by its main authors' names as Dodd-Frank, increased financial regulations in which the costs were ____________________

Question 52

Individuals who hold positions in multiple iron triangle relationships help to create __________________.

Question 53

________________________ is the development of formal rules for implementing legislation.

Question 54

In the absence of either an approved budget or a ____________________, the federal government is supposed to shut down.

Question 55

There have been ____________ government shutdowns, with longest taking place under President _______________.

Question 56

Bureaucracy is defined as a form of social organization, such as a corporation or government.

Question 57

President ___________________ created the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Question 58

The federal income tax is highly ____________________, capturing a larger share of the income of higher-income workers than lower-income workers.

Question 59

The bureaucracy has roughly 2.8 million employees.

Question 60

No federal money can be spent without ____________________.

Question 61

The percentage of federal spending on defense in 2008 was less than half what it was in 1960.

Question 62

The United States had the highest corporate tax rate in the world.

Question 63

Discuss the "iron triangle" in terms of its impact on the decision-making and implementation stages of policy-making.

Question 64

Explain the role that bureaucracies play in making regulations. Does this help or hurt businesses and the economy? What can be done about detrimental regulations?

Question 65

Income from investments, called capital gains, are taxed at a lower rate than income from employment.

Question 66

In brief, explain the budget cycle. What branch or bureaucracy has the most impact on budgetary spending?

Question 67

For four years under President Clinton, the government ran a surplus.

Question 68

Regardless of the amount, all income is subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

Question 69

Line-item veto power was given to the President by Congress and was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court.

Question 70

Bureaucrats generally believe strongly in their programs and are motivated by the importance of their tasks.

Question 71

Lois Learner and the IRS targeted liberal groups in 2012 to prevent them from donating to candidates and participating in the election process.

Question 72

The budget process varies in its timing each year with the strength of the economy and tax receipts.

Question 73

Regulations produced by the bureaucracy take effect immediately and can only be overturned by an act of Congress or an injunction by the Courts.

Question 74

Describe the Federal Reserve, the Federal Reserve Board (chairperson), and its powers.

Question 75

Explain why and how there has been a significant shift of power from the President and Congress to the bureaucracies in the United States.

Question 76

"Incremental" budgeting is common practice by the OMB and keeps the budget process on schedule.

Question 77

Under former President George W. Bush, capital gains taxes doubled in terms of taxable income.

Question 78

The Congressional Budget Office is the bureaucracy where the budget process begins.

Question 79

Only Congress has the power to reorganize the bureaucracy.

Question 80

Iron triangle members compete with each other for control of policy.