from Chapter 4 Textbook Review

Sep 17, 2015 11:30pm

America's political culture

Americas political culture is guided by a set of core values shared by a large portion of Americans. These
values generally guide how and why policies and laws are made and enforced. Americas core beliefs set
it apart from other nations, who dont put a premium on the values most important to Americans.
One of the core beliefs is the idea of individualism. Which is the belief that every person has certain rights
that come before government and society. It is also believed that everyone is in control of their own fate
and actions. If you work hard you are rewarded and if you do not work you cannot succeed. American
individualism comes with the idea that inequality is bad, but the government should only offer equal
opportunities and not actually provide equal rewards.
Distrust of government is ingrained in American history, this deep running belief still through most
Americans. Fear of a tyrannical all powerful being haunts that infringes upon the rights of citizens haunts
Americans and makes them weary of giving the government too much power. However there is a
cognitive dissonance most American feel in regard to government involvement. They do not trust the
government but they know they need and use government programs.
Freedom and democracy are pillars of American politics. America was built to be the land of the free and
the allure of that freedom brought people to the New World. Part of that freedom is having democracy.
Americans love the idea of having a voice in government and room to guide how they are governed. While
freedom and democracy are cornerstones of America, they have not always been guaranteed to everyone
in America.
The last two core beliefs are populist and religion. Citizen want people like themselves to represent them
in government. They want relatable not elitism when it comes to elected officials. Populist fits into the idea
of the real America and rejecting the idea that wealth and power are superior. Religion is also important
to Americans and can reveal a lot about a persons political ideologies. Religion is so ingrained in
American society that it is expected for politicians to openly discuss their religious beliefs when discussing
political matters.

If core beliefs were not so ingrained in American political culture how would the political landscape be
different? How has the deep distrust of government limited its ability of to function effectively?

from Chapter 4 Textbook Review

Sep 20, 2015 11:48pm

Hannah Pinelo

All immigrant, document or undocumented, pay taxes. Undocumented immigrants in the United States
account for billions in tax dollars a year. By the same token, giving undocumented immigrants legal
resident status could potential save the government billions in deportation fee.
Yes, it is up to the government to fix poverty on both state and federal levels. Crime and drug use are not
a defining characteristic of people in poverty. Institutional racism, low minimum wages, disproportional
incarceration rates, and housing discrimination are all factors that affect who lives below the poverty line.
They can also be fixed through government action and intervention.
from Chapter 4 Textbook Review
Sep 20, 2015 11:56pm

Hannah Pinelo
Yes, if inequality did not exist people would still work hard. Equality doesnt mean there is no competition
or incentives, I think it mean people are given the same opportunity to succeed and tool to do it.
In an idealist world America would be the land of opportunity, but its not. It is only the land of opportunity
for certain people, that is why there is so much poverty.