Discussion 14

#3: Discuss why the immigration reform bill of 2007 did not produce reform?

The Immigration Reform Bill of 2007 did not produce reform because even though a couple different versions were produced, there were several attempts made at compromise, and there were several revivals of the bill, it failed to get a needed vote to stop debate and move on to a final vote.  Its major downfall was the heated criticism and debate and the inability to gain enough Senate approval to get a final vote. 

Web Critique 13

Website Name:  www.cbo.gov
Operated By:  The Congressional Budget Office
Funded By: Congress via the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

According to the website, “CBO provides formal, written estimates of the cost of virtually every bill approved by Congressional committees to show how the bill would affect spending or revenues over the next 5 or 10 years, depending on the type of spending involved.”, as well as other information, such as evaluations of the President’s budget, tabulations of Congressional actions, etc. They are required by law to disclose the methodology for their calculations. The website presents its information in a very professional and clean layout. They have a convenient document on the website titled An Introduction to the Congressional Budget Office providing basic information about the institution. Their Topics tab makes it easy to search for budget information on any topic. Once you find a topic you are looking for, there are many different related reports sorted by “Featured”, “Latest”, and “Policy Options”. The reports succinctly convey the information along with appropriate graphs or charts. The website is easily navigable, with access to the tabs on all website pages. The Cost Estimates tab takes you directly to Cost Estimates on specific House or Senate bills, and also a search engine for finding ones you may be looking for.  And between the FAQ tab and the Blog, any other possible budget information you could ever want is easily found!

 

Discussion 8

Prompt: 
What five (or more) important traits or qualities do you want your elected representatives to have?  

My response: 

Five important traits I want my elected representatives to have:

(1) Track record of fiscal responsibility

(2) Love of our country and our people

(3) Pro-life/pro-woman

(4) Pro-education

(5) Works well to coordinate efforts regardless of partisan affiliation

(6) Makes sensible decisions

(7) Not capricious; stands firmly on principles

Instructor's Notes- Congress and the Presidency

Americans must consider carefully when making decisions about who to vote for and put into office in Congress and the White House.  We need to consider the traits that are most critical for a person to lead our nation. I personally want someone who is above average intelligence. I want someone with a clear vision and a steady hand as our Commander in Chief.  It is important to have a leader who understands international affairs and will not embarrass our country or get us into an unnecessary war. I feel it is important to have a leader who believes our government is important and understands its importance to the great majority of Americans. This is a very important decision.

The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan national organization and they actually have a guide online to assist people in this important decision making. They state:  “Candidates can be judged in two ways: the positions they take on issues and the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to the office. Your first step in picking a candidate is to decide the issues you care about and the qualities you want in a leader.

When you consider issues, think about community or national problems that you want people in government to address. Also consider what party the candidate belongs to and the typical stance the party takes on the issues. For example, you may be interested in national security, government funding for student loans or unemployment.”  You can see the full article at  http://www.lwv.org/content/how-judge-candidate (Links to an external site.)

Discussion 7

Prompt: Should former members of Congress be free to become lobbyists once they leave office?

My response:

Yes, for two reasons. 

(1) To restrict this would be infringing the freedom of both the interest group and also the ex-Congressperson.

(2) The whole reason for hiring ex-members of Congress is that they are knowledgeable about how the government works. They are highly desired for their experience. It makes sense for interest groups to hire members of Congress. Interest groups are fine and are an important part of the pluralist model. We don't want unqualified people running interest groups in America. I think it's best if we have great minds working in the interest groups and then they can all duke it out together. :)