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Gross Domestic Product
The sum of all the goods and services produced in the united states in a year; a measure of the size of the U.S. economy. TERM 2
Tax Burden
DEFINITION 2 Taxes paid as a percentage of personal income. TERM 3
Assessed Value
DEFINITION 3 The dollar value placed on a property for tax purposes by the local government assessor. TERM 4
Regressive Taxes
DEFINITION 4 Taxes that take a larger share of the income of low- income groups than high- income groups. TERM 5
Progressive Taxes
DEFINITION 5 Taxes that require high- income groups to pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes than low- income groups.
Proportional Taxes
Taxes that require all income groups to pay the same percentage of their income in taxes. TERM 7
Homestead Exemption
DEFINITION 7 Excludes a certain portion of the value of owner- occupied homes from property taxes. TERM 8
Fiscal Stress
DEFINITION 8 Unfavorable financial conditions that impair borrowing ability, require the reduction of services, and may threaten public health and safety. TERM 9
Natural Attrition
DEFINITION 9 The elimination of jobs due to death, retirement, resignation, transfers, or moving. TERM 10
Equity
DEFINITION 10 Fairness in spending; can be defined in terms of people or geography.
Regents of the University of California v.
Bakke
Early case challenging affirmative action; ruling that race may be considered a plus factor in evaluating admissions applications but banning specific quotas. TERM 17
United Steel Workers of America v. Weber
DEFINITION 17 A case regarding Affirmative action in which the Supreme Court of the U.S. held that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not bar employers from favoring women and minorities. TERM 18
The United States v
Paradise
DEFINITION 18 They held that principle of hiring and promoting one black for one white police officer was appropriate and did not violate the constitutional rights of due process or equal protection. TERM 19
Firefighters Local Union v. Stotts
DEFINITION 19 That a court-ordered injunction against a policy which laid off those firefighters with least seniority before those with most seniority, in order to save the jobs of African American firefighters, was inappropriate. TERM 20
Richmond v. Crosen
DEFINITION 20 That Richmond's ordinance of requiring non-minority contractors to pledge 30percent of city construction contracts to minority subcontractors was invalid under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
Commonwealth
A government that resembles that of a state, with a constitution and elected governor, but with no voting members in the U.S. Congress and no electoral votes in the presidential elections. TERM 22
Northwest ordinance
DEFINITION 22 The first recognition by Congress in 1787 of the importance of education to democracy; provide grants of federal land to states for public schools. TERM 23
Inputs
DEFINITION 23 Measure of resources expended on education. TERM 24
Outputs
DEFINITION 24 Measures of what pupils are learning. TERM 25
Magnet
Schools
DEFINITION 25 Schools emphasizing instruction in particular areas in an effort to improve quality and attract students.
Free Exercise Clause
The First Amendment clause of the U.S. Constitution, interpreted by the Supreme Court to prohibit states from closing religious schools or forcing all students to attend public schools. TERM 32
Official Poverty Rate
DEFINITION 32 The percentage of the population whose annual cash income falls below that which is required, according to the federal government, to maintain a decent standard of living. TERM 33
Feminization of Poverty
DEFINITION 33 Poverty is most common among female- headed families. TERM 34
Income Distribution
DEFINITION 34 A measure of inequality; generally the percent of total family income received by each quintile (20 percent) of families from highest to lowest in terms of income. TERM 35
Earned Income Tax
Credit
DEFINITION 35 A refundable federal income tax credit for low- income working individuals and families; when the EITC amount exceeds taxes owed, a refund is made to those claiming credit on their income tax return.
Underclass
Persistently poor persons; economically disadvantaged portion of society. TERM 37
Medicaid
DEFINITION 37 Federal aid to the states to provide health insurance for the poor. TERM 38
Managed Care
DEFINITION 38 An insurance companys or health care organizations rules governing patient- doctor relations; limits ability of physicians to decide patient care.
