Legislative Branch
How does Congress represent and reflect the interest and desires of the nation?
Because Congress is elected by the people and makes laws in the best interest of the people the majority of the time, they reflect the interests of the desires of the nation fairly well. The House of Representatives exists entirely to have the views of certain districts of America to be heard, while the Senate is more about the demographics of the state they live in as a whole. These two systems provide for the best accuracy of what the nation believes is right.
Is Congress representative of the nation as a whole?
While Congress strives in order to be representative of the nation as a whole, they often let their personal motives conflict with their constituents wishes. One of these wishes is the Affordable Care Act, which most of the nation was against, but still managed to be passed by Congress on two separate occasions, which leaves one wondering if Congress represents the nation or themselves when they attend sessions.
Is this the most efficient and effective way to make policy?
It is my belief that while this is not the most effective way, it is the only way that I can logically come to a conclusion with. The way that it's handled cannot be the most efficient and effective way, but short of a monarchy, it is one of the most effective and efficient ways in order to govern a republic.
Compare and Contrast the makeup of the House and the Senate.
House is large compared to senate, 538 members vs 100 members respectively.
House has stricter rules compared to the Senate.
Senate is considered the back burner for legislation, it goes there in order to be cooled down so to speak and prevent hasty decisions by the House.
They both are made up of elected officials who represent their constituents.
Senate members serve 6 years and House members serve 2.
How has Congress' role in policy formulation changed over time in relation to the other branches?
Before Judicial Review became a factor, Congress acted somewhat as the courts. During the McCarthy era, Congress acted as all parts of the law. This has changed somewhat by today's standards but Congress has taken advantage of their role second only to the Executive Branch.
Does the "system" work as intended?
The system works well when it wants to, which may be more often than the public acknowledges, but the point remains that Congress does not seem to want to get its act together, made in light of the recent government shutdown which could easily have been prevented if Congress tried a little harder to compromise and reach a deal that works long term.
Does the "system" work for citizens today?
The system works, but not always as the people intend to. They elect officials, but often times the officials are not people that they voted for. Politicians lie in order to get votes, they steal and get favors in order to receive more favorable pay and more lucrative interest groups. Through all this though, Congress still manages to attend to most orders of business, some a little more ridiculous and not worth the time put into them, but manages them nonetheless.
Because Congress is elected by the people and makes laws in the best interest of the people the majority of the time, they reflect the interests of the desires of the nation fairly well. The House of Representatives exists entirely to have the views of certain districts of America to be heard, while the Senate is more about the demographics of the state they live in as a whole. These two systems provide for the best accuracy of what the nation believes is right.
Is Congress representative of the nation as a whole?
While Congress strives in order to be representative of the nation as a whole, they often let their personal motives conflict with their constituents wishes. One of these wishes is the Affordable Care Act, which most of the nation was against, but still managed to be passed by Congress on two separate occasions, which leaves one wondering if Congress represents the nation or themselves when they attend sessions.
Is this the most efficient and effective way to make policy?
It is my belief that while this is not the most effective way, it is the only way that I can logically come to a conclusion with. The way that it's handled cannot be the most efficient and effective way, but short of a monarchy, it is one of the most effective and efficient ways in order to govern a republic.
Compare and Contrast the makeup of the House and the Senate.
House is large compared to senate, 538 members vs 100 members respectively.
House has stricter rules compared to the Senate.
Senate is considered the back burner for legislation, it goes there in order to be cooled down so to speak and prevent hasty decisions by the House.
They both are made up of elected officials who represent their constituents.
Senate members serve 6 years and House members serve 2.
How has Congress' role in policy formulation changed over time in relation to the other branches?
Before Judicial Review became a factor, Congress acted somewhat as the courts. During the McCarthy era, Congress acted as all parts of the law. This has changed somewhat by today's standards but Congress has taken advantage of their role second only to the Executive Branch.
Does the "system" work as intended?
The system works well when it wants to, which may be more often than the public acknowledges, but the point remains that Congress does not seem to want to get its act together, made in light of the recent government shutdown which could easily have been prevented if Congress tried a little harder to compromise and reach a deal that works long term.
Does the "system" work for citizens today?
The system works, but not always as the people intend to. They elect officials, but often times the officials are not people that they voted for. Politicians lie in order to get votes, they steal and get favors in order to receive more favorable pay and more lucrative interest groups. Through all this though, Congress still manages to attend to most orders of business, some a little more ridiculous and not worth the time put into them, but manages them nonetheless.