State Government
... views more than legislators who thought of themselves as trustees. 4. A. A strong governor has 4 year terms with the ability to succeed themselves. There are only themselves, the Lt. Governor, and the Atty General as elected state executive officials. A single, removable appointee are head of agencies instead of board and commissions. Many state agencies are consolidated into larger departments that report directly to the governor. B. Weak governors have extremely hard times getting their agendas approved because his/her power is spread out over many executive officials and interest groups have success in getting what they want with board and commissions. 5. A. There are two ways a governor can appoint officials to head of agencies that are not directly elected. They can appoint with or without the legislature’s approval. B. The restrictions for removal are even more difficult. Governors can only remove “for cause only”. They must provide a clear cut state of charges and a hearing must be convened. 6. A. Supporters of the election of judges stress accountability. They value the ability to vote for competing candidates, which give them some control over the judiciary system. Non-supporters state that incumbent judges are rarely challenged for their seat and a vast majority never lose. Also, voters don’t really take the election of judges seriously and it forces judges into political relationships. B. Supporters of appointing judges feel that choosing judges should be taken out of the voters hands, because they aren’t able to screen and evaluate legal qualifications. Non-supporters feel that you never really take politics out of judges. It may take party politics out of it, but just places it into other political hands. C. Supporters of the “Missouri Plan” state that this completely removes politics for judges and keeps voters basically out of the loop, because they know very little about the qualifications. Non-supporters state that in has the same basic drawbacks as elections. The judges run unopposed and the vast majority never lose. 7. A. Rehabilitation- take inmates, give them skills and teach them how to be productive members of society. B. Deterrence- Making prison sentences predictable and long. “If you can do the time, don’t do the crime.” C. Retribution- The punishment should fit the crime. For example, if you take a life, you should be put to death. 8. A. Commission- The traditional form in which legislative and executive powers are combined in an elected commission that oversees the various city departments. B. Council-manager- The elected council appoints a manger to supervise the various city departments. C. Mayor-council- Legislative power is given to the council and the city departments are supervised...