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Standard and Short Edition:
1 American Political Culture
2 The Founding and the Constitution
3 Federalism
4 Civil Liberties
5 Civil Rights
6 Public Opinion
7 The Media
8 Political Participation and Voting
9 Political Parties
10 Campaigns and Elections
11 Groups and Interests
12 Congress
13 The Presidency
14 Bureaucracy In A Democracy
15 The Federal Courts
16 Government and Economy
17 Social Policy
18 Foreign Policy and Democracy
Texas Edition:
19 The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
20 The Texas Constitution
21 Parties and Elections in Texas
22 Interest Groups, Lobbying, and Lobbyists
23 The Texas Legislature
24 The Texas Executive Branch
25 The Texas Judiciary
26 Local Government in Texas
27 Public Policy in Texas

Chapter 16: Government and Economy

You Decide Exercise

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This exercise continues the Tax Policy debate in the text, and will explore the question of "who gets what, when & how" in our tax system. It will examine inequality in state taxes, worker/CEO pay discrepancies, and the general trend towards income and wealth inequality in the US.
  1. From your reading of the chapter, distinguish between progressive and regressive taxes. Give an example of each type.

  1. Read this article: http://search.csmonitor.com/2003/0915/p09s02-coop.html?mostViewed . Why does Bob Riley argue that the tax structure in Alabama is unchristian?

  1. Go to http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/executive2.html and click on “Facts and Figures: Executive Pay and Worker Pay Worldwide.” Compare the executive to worker pay ratios in Japan, Britain, Mexico and the US.

  1. Based on the textbook, has inequality in the US increased or decreased in recent years?

  1. How does this debate reflect the point that politics is “Who gets what, when and how?”

  1. List one tax that has a social purpose behind it? Explain the reasoning for the way that tax is set up.

  1. Should our tax policy reflect our social values? Does it reflect yours? Explain



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