Essay: Moralistic political culture / The lack of power given to Congress / Proposition 6

1) Moralistic political culture is an ideology that the people believe the government is a force for good. The people within this political culture believe the government can better society and promote the general welfare of the public. Within this political culture, the public expects politicians to be honest, put the interest of the people they serve above their own, and commit to improving the area in which they serve. The political process in the moralistic political culture is seen in a positive view rather than a process filled with corruption. People within this culture believe in no patience for corruption and that the politicians should be motivated to benefit the area they serve instead of being motivated by the money they can make in that position. There is a value for citizen engagement and a desire for participation in all forms of political affairs. The public supports individuals based on qualifications rather than being awarded a position for party loyalty. Because of individuals being supported by qualifications, this leaves more open participation in third parties. Since mass participation is highly valued in the moralistic political culture, state law is more likely to make it easier for residents to register and to vote. There is a higher sense of competition for positions because the people want to elect someone who has the best qualifications.
Individualistic political culture is an ideology that the less government, the better. People within this political culture believe that the government should provide goods and services deemed essential. Rather than serving for the best interest of the community, people believe that the focus should be on meeting people’s individual needs/private goals. The motivation to be engaged and involved with government are only if the individuals have a personal interest. Citizens in this political culture tend to be tolerant of corruption. In regards to competition in elections, voters are loyal to their parties and tend to not see the candidates for their qualities and qualifications.
In traditionalistic political culture, people believe that the government is for elites. Newer public policies will be advanced only if they support the beliefs and interests of those in power. With the growing demands of services, lawmakers have to prioritize government revenue. Unlike the moralistic political culture, political participation is seen as a privilege reserved only for those who meet the qualifications and often is more barriers to be able to participate.
California is classified as having a moralistic political culture because the policy initiatives we pass are focussed on public interests even when as a whole, not everyone demands them to be passed. Politics is seen as a way to change concerns in the civil society for everyone, not just those who are at the top of the economical structure or are pursuing a career in politics.
An example that shows how California falls into the moralistic political culture is how citizens look at the qualities and qualifications of candidates rather than just voting on party loyalty. California makes registering to vote and the process of voting easier. To support that claim, many social medias, like instagram, snapchat, and facebook all had links to help you become a registered voter. Also Uber is providing free rides to the polls. With the focus being on qualification rather than party loyalty, California has one of the highest third party registrations in the United States.
2) The lack of power given to Congress hurt the federal government by allowing them to pass laws but no way to enforce them. Article 3 addresses the issue on enforcing laws by setting up a judicial system. Congress had no power to regulate trade and impose taxes. The 16th amendment grants the government the ability to tax income.  Amending the Articles of Confederation required an unanimous decision which was extremely hard. Article 5 makes it to where only 2/3rds votes in the house is needed to pass an amendment.
Confederal government is when the state government has more power than the national government. Unitary government is when the national government has more power than the state government. Federal government is when the state and national government’s power is shared.
The framers of the US Constitution established a federal government because they believed in a separation of powers. The framers wanted a strong national government but wanted the states to keep the significant power. Government power poses a threat to individual liberty so that power must be limited.
3) Proposition 6 is an initiative constitutional amendment to eliminate certain road repair and transportation funding. It will require certain fuel taxes and vehicle fees to be approved by the electorate. In starting a campaign to promote this initiative, I would have to put together a campaign filled with paid and unpaid volunteers. Some of the positions are but not limited to: chairmen of campaign, a treasurer, an attorney, a scheduling person, a public relations/communications director, an advance/ travel agent, a fundraiser director, a human resource agent, and security personal. In the perspective of advertising and getting the information out, I would set up a group of volunteers to go door to door informing people about proposition 6, offering yard signs for sale to help fund the campaign, and setting up social media partnerships to get the information out as well.
It was hard to find an interest group that that would support proposition 6 because the only transportation interest group I could find was the California Bicycle Coalition. However, in the tax category, the National Tax-Limitation Committee was the closest interest group I could see supporting this initiative solely because of their name. Their mission is “to provide national leadership to achieve the optimal size and functions of government and promote candidates and initiatives that support these goals” (https://votesmart.org/interest-group/691/national-tax-limitation-committee), which is still not so much related to limiting taxes, just supporting their interests of achieving the optimal size and functions of government. In conclusion, this interest group is far reaching to me for support of proposition 6 but is still the closest interest group I could find relating to transportation and taxes.
Some interest groups that would oppose proposition 6 would be the California Professional Firefighters, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. They oppose this initiative because they believe cutting funding to road/highway maintenance and repairs will jeopardize the safety of roads and bridges.
In evaluating the credibility of articles or stories, it is important to look at corroboration, specific facts, facts that are constantly being vetted, peer-review, and importantly the writer’s credentials. The writer’s credentials could show a great deal of why an article is leaning one way more than the other, or even if the writer has fact checked and gave their honest opinion, why their article could be a good source. It is up to the reader to make sure of the creditability of the writer and the facts and if there is an agenda trying to be pushed across. What it comes down to is a skill of critical thinking on the interpreter’s part.
A short poll question that could gauge California public opinion on proposition 6 would be “Would you like your gas prices to be lower?” with a simple yes or no answer. I feel this is what stands out to the public on voting on this initiative because people in California have been paying a lot for gas and would most likely want new taxes and fees to be approved by the electorate.
Another short poll question could be “Do you support the maintenance and safety of roads and bridges?” with a yes or no answer. This question could spark debate because voting no on proposition 6 will mean cutting funding towards the maintenance of roads and bridges ultimately not securing the safety and integrity of said roads and bridges.
One method of distributing this poll would be to give out the poll with a receipt of purchasing gas and another method of distributing by providing a poll link on highway/bridge signs. A con of providing a poll with purchasing gas would leave a biased view on the statistics of the answers. A pro to providing a poll with purchasing gas would be that you could reach a lot of people that can be affected by this proposition. A pro to having signs with a link near highways and bridges is that you can word it to bring light to the maintenance and safety that the maintenance can bring to roadways. A con to signs with links is that it can distract drivers, even if the phrase and link is very short and the link easy to remember.
4) Political parties have a direct role in the organization and operation of both the U.S. Congress and state legislatures because of how candidates are voted in positions based on their political party. The candidates are voted in because of how they stand on an issue which can then jurisdict what party they are apart of because of their stance and where others in that political party stand on those issues. When these candidates are voted in because of the public supporting their views on issues, they then work on passing these ideological views through legislation. When political parties are discussed, we tend to think of the two major competitors, the Democrats and the Republicans, which almost all of Congress is consisted of.
The reason why political parties influence on the election process has weakened overtime is because people have been voting on the candidates ideology rather than their political party association. Another reason is that more and more people are registering under the third party or independents, which leaves the two power house parties weakened because people are now voting not only because of just party association. Also candidates are now being selected by direct primaries and caucuses instead of by the political party itself.
A reason to do with why its difficult for third parties to have an effective voice in the political area is because of the win or lose mentality. A lot of people do not want their vote to be ‘wasted’ because they do not want to vote for a third party member that won’t end up winning an election and feel that it is just better to vote for someone in the two power house parties that could be the lesser of two evils. Another reason third parties have a difficult time having a voice in the political area is because the candidates usually need thousands of votes to get onto the ballot where Democrats and Republicans automatically get onto the ballot. Also third parties face financial struggles because a party needs to have gotten at least 5 percent of the vote in the previous election to be able to qualify for federal funds.