Why Americans Hate Congress!

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Primrose Underwood
5 years ago
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1 Why Americans Hate Congress! If there's one thing that unifies an otherwise bipolar electorate, it's Congress. We hate it. The American public has spoken and it has almost zero confidence in their lawmakers' ability to solve problems. And this is no secret, not even to those who walk the halls of power. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Missouri, once joked that Satan is more popular than Congress, and he's probably not too far off. So why does Congress so irk the American public? Here are some reasons. 1. It's Too Big There are 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 members of the Senate. Lots of people think Congress is way too big and expensive, especially when you consider it appears to accomplish very little. Also: There are no statutory term limits and there's no way to recall a member of Congress once they've been elected. Ads 2. It Can't Get Anything Done, or So It Seems Congress has let the federal government shut down, on average, once every two years over the past 37 years because lawmakers could not reach accord on a spending deal. In other words: Government shutdowns are as frequent as House elections, which occur every two years. There have been 18 government shutdowns in modern U.S. political history.

2 3. It's Overpaid Members of Congress are paid a base salary of $174,000, and that's way too much, according to public-opinion polls. A majority of Americans believe members of Congress - a majority of whom are already millionaires - should earn less than $100,000 a year, somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000. On top of their salary they have excellent heath benefits and all sorts of perks. 4. It Doesn't Seem to Work a Whole Lot The House of Representatives has averaged 137 "legislative days" a year since 2001, according to records kept by the Library of Congress. That's about one day of work every three days, or fewer than three days a week. The perception is that members of Congress don't work a whole lot, but is that a fair assessment? 5. It's Not Very Responsive How would you feel if you took the time to write a detailed letter to your member of Congress explaining your concerns about particular issue, and your representative responded with a form letter that began, "Thank you for contacting me regarding?????????? I appreciate your views on this important issue and welcome the opportunity to respond." This kind of thing happens all the time, though. 6. Congressmen Waffle Too Much It's called political expediency, and elected officials have mastered the art of taking positions that will maximize their chances at getting re-elected. Most politicians will cringe at being labeled a waffler, but the truth of the matter is all elected officials and candidates would agree their positions shift constantly. 7. They Keep Spending More Than They Have The federal debt keeps getting bigger and bigger. We can debate whether that's the president's fault or Congress' fault. But they both share in the blame, and that's probably a reasonable sentiment. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1) According to the poll data who is more popular Darth Vader or Congress? 2) According to the poll what percentage of Americans have a negative perception of Congress? 3) How many times has Congress shut down the government in recent history due to its inability to pass a budget? How would that influence their popularity? 4) How much do members of Congress make? What do most Americans think of that amount? 5) Of the reasons listed of why Americans disapprove of Congress which one do you feel is the biggest problem? Explain why.

3 What is a lobbyist? A lobbyist is an activist who seeks to persuade members of the government (like members of Congress) to enact legislation that would benefit their group. The lobbying profession is a legitimate and integral part of our democratic political process that is not very well understood by the general population. While most people think of lobbyists only as paid professionals, there are also many volunteer lobbyists. Anyone who petitions the government or contacts their member of Congress to voice an opinion is functioning as a lobbyist. Lobbying is a regulated industry and a protected activity under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that guarantees rights to free speech, assembly, and petition. The top 10 industries for 2014 were: Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $65,420,126 Insurance $40,008,093 Electric Utilities $38,288,418 Computers/Internet $35,597,059 Business Associations $35,448,590 Oil & Gas $33,880,219 TV/Movies/Music $28,511,338 Securities & Investment $26,670,959 Misc Manufacturing & Distributing $23,650,110 Hospitals/Nursing Homes $21,985,808 According to OpenSecrets.org, the following data was recorded by the Senate Office of Public Records. Professional lobbyists research and analyze legislation or regulatory proposals, attend congressional hearings, and educate government officials and corporate officers on important issues. Lobbyists also work to change public opinion through advertising campaigns or by influencing 'opinion leaders'. Lobbyists represent just about every American institution and interest group - labor unions, corporations, colleges and universities, churches, charities, environmental groups, senior citizens organizations, and even state, local or foreign governments. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 6) What is a lobbyist? 7) How is lobbying protected by the Constitution? 8) According to the chart what group spent the most amount of money trying to influence legislative policy? 9) Why would an industry spend millions on lobbying? 10) Do you think that lobbyist play a role in Congress popularity? Why or why not?

Pork Barrel Legislation Coined from an 1863 story called The Children of the Public, pork-barrel spending referred to any public funds spent to benefit the public.

4 Pork Barrel Legislation Coined from an 1863 story called The Children of the Public, pork-barrel spending referred to any public funds spent to benefit the public. Over time, the term has evolved, referring to projects seen as wasteful, or that may only benefit a small group but the costs are spread out between all taxpayers. Of course, often, one politician's pork is another politician's legitimate expense. Billions however, are spent each year by the federal government on pork barrel legislation. Over the years there have been quite a few pork projects that have become infamous Bridge to Nowhere This infamous bridge, from Revillagigedo Island to Gravina Island in Alaska, would ve cost $190 million and was sponsored by Republican Rep. Don Young in The project intended to make travel to Ketchikan, Alaska s airport easier with a bridge instead of a ferry was so controversial it was eventually scrapped by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in The issue, Gravina Island only has a population of 50 people. The Big Dig The Big Dig in Boston ended up being the most expensive transportation earmark in history. From planning to finish, the Big Dig took over 20 years and more than $14 billion dollars to complete. The idea was to take an above-ground highway and relocate it underground to improve traffic flow to Boston's Logan airport and fix traffic gridlock in Boston. While the results have improved traffic flow in Boston, the ticket price was astonishing. Congress originally tried to appropriate funding for the project in a 1987 bill, but it was vetoed by President Ronald Reagan. Congress subsequently overrode the veto and federal funds were earmarked for this large project. Extreme cost overages, fraud and a death kept this project controversial. Pork barrel legislation is passed all the time, it is added to important bills as riders. The President doesn t have a line item veto. Legislation is approved in an all or nothing manner. The President cannot just veto wasteful spending without vetoing the entire bill. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 11) What is pork barrel legislation? 12) Why would members of Congress be in favor of this type of spending? 13) How is the Bridge to No Where a prime example of pork spending? 14) What is a line item veto? Why would a President wish for one? 15) How does pork spending shape American s opinion of Congress?

5 Could Term Limits Fix Congress The 22 nd Amendment to the Constitution limits the President to two, four year terms in office. Yet there is no limit on the number of terms a member of Congress can hold. Most incumbent members (current members) of Congress win reelection over and over again. Yet polls have indicated the vast majority of Americans support term limits for members of Congress. Some pundits claim that imposing term limits on Congress will help cure many of its ills. Evidence from states that have already adopted such measures actually suggests the opposite. States that have restricted their legislators time in office have seen no clear benefits but rather some unexpected negative results. Would Congressional limits also lead to negative side effects? Some states began placing term limits on their legislatures in 1990, virtually always by voter-approved ballot propositions. Voters were persuaded that term limits were desirable by several different arguments. One of the more compelling was that such limits would create a new breed of citizen legislators more reflective of the public s will. In turn, this would weaken the grip that special interest lobbyists had on lawmaking. In fact, the backgrounds of state legislators elected after term limits were imposed closely resemble the backgrounds of those elected before such restrictions. They typically have previous political experience and are more educated and affluent than the voters who selected them. And while term limits have changed the way lobbyists do their business, they have actually increased their influence. The legislators elected after term limits were imposed often lack knowledge of the details of many complex policies and turn to lobbyists for information. These special interest groups actually report that they now work harder educating less knowledgeable legislators. Others argue that term limits would open new opportunities for underrepresented minority candidates. This idea assumes that tenure restrictions would dislodge incumbent white males and allow others to take their place. After term limits were adopted, the number of women elected to state legislatures did increase, but this happened at the same rate as in states without such restrictions. Term limits provided no clear advantages for minority candidates either.

6 Instead, state legislatures with term limits have experienced some unforeseen problems. Newly elected legislators tend to be more partisan and ideological than their more seasoned colleagues. (Super conservative or super liberal). Long-serving lawmakers often become more understanding of the rival party and learn how to find workable compromises. Novice legislators, fresh from the campaign trail, often see the other party as an enemy. This can greatly inhibit the coalition-building needed to pass budgets and meaningful laws. In reality, there is almost no possibility that congressional term limits will be enacted. In the past, some states attempted to impose term limits on their congressional delegations in the same way they restricted state legislators. However, in 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot force their standards on the national legislative body because it violates Congress constitutional right to determine its own rules. Also, the few times term limits have been brought up for a vote in the House of Representatives, they failed. It is clear that Congress is not inclined to restrict its own members right to be re-elected. Term limits could be imposed by a constitutional amendment, but to even propose such a change would require a two-thirds vote from both chambers or a constitutional convention. Congressional term limits sound appealing to most Americans, but could they hinder an already fragile lawmaking process? Answer the following questions in complete sentences? 16) Why do many Americans believe term limits would help fix Congress? 17) How have term limits at a state level influenced lobbying? 18) How do newly elected representatives differ from experienced ones? 19) Why do you think Americans reelect incumbents yet still support term limits? Explain your opinion. 20) Do you believe term-limits will fix Congress? What are the chances of them being passed? Explain your opinion.

State Legislatures. State & Local Government. Ch. 7

State Legislatures. State & Local Government. Ch. 7 State Legislatures State & Local Government Ch. 7 Legislature in some states is the dominant branch of govt. Highlights State Legislatures have 4 clear functions: 1. Making laws 2. Represent their constituents