Essays on Congress

Zachary Taylor was born on 25th November 1784 at Barboursville, Virginia. Being born from parents who were ordinary plantation owners, life was not easy for him and had to struggle to rise through the ranks. The many acres of land owned by his family in Kentucky were prosperous with cotton. Millions of black slaves worked as workers in his father’s lands. Taylor realized his dream of being a militia earlier in life and was committed to achieving that dream all through his childhood (Lamb, p.37). In 1808, his dream of serving in the military began materializing when he Continue reading...

The American constitution grants the Congress the authority to make laws. A proposed law only becomes law after the approval of the senate and the House of Representatives. The creators of Congress ensured the body has more important powers than the Executive and the Supreme Court. Congress contains checks and balances to avoid the issue of absolute power on one branch and this led to the creation of the Senate and the House of Representatives (Haas, 2009). Congress has the empowerment of the constitution. Section 1 of the constitution state that all, “legislative powers vest in the Congress of Continue reading...

When most Americans hear that the Supreme Court has utilized judicial review to strike down a federal legislation, they often understand the Court’s act as a nullification of the legislation. Simply put, the court has undone the work of the congress and ended the life of the statute. The other branches of the federal government are elected by the Americans and are entrusted with the responsibility of making laws. Nevertheless, the reality is that judicial review does not usually end the life of the statute, but offers an exemplary opportunity for the congress to review the legislation and Continue reading...

Mayhew; Congress: The Electoral Connection. 1974

What does Mayhew assume is the number one goal of Members of Congress (MCs)?
According to Mayhew, members of the congress of the United States of America are primarily motivated by their behavior to seek reelection. The pursuit of reelection greatly affects the way the make decisions and formulate public policy. Mayhew links the motivation of members of the congress to institutional and political structure and it has widespread applicability in the legislative world. Pursuit of reelection hinders the performance of the members of the congress. They seek to influence federal spending in their areas of jurisdiction, and Continue reading...

According to the article, the impact of federal legislation on crime has had four major impacts on the rate of crime in the United States. An overlook of the four impact of the legislation show that, over the past few decades, the numbers of crimes in the United States that carry criminal penalties have increased. Second, the rate at which the United States congress increases the number of offenses is unprecedented. Third, many of the enactments are concerned with environmental issues (Baker, 2004).
The increase of the number of crimes that warrant a federal sentence has only caused more Continue reading...

The beginnings of West Point Military Academy can be traced back to the earliest days of the independent nation of The United States of America and Commander George Washington. Used as a strategically placed fort during the Revolutionary War, West Point, located along the Hudson River, demonstrated its importance during the war. Also during the pivotal and important events of the Revolutionary War, Washington was aware that the fledgling nation that had depended on foreign engineers and native ones that were of “dubious quality” for critical engineering information during the seven years of war. Washington believed that the new Continue reading...

Introduction

The US House of Representatives is one of the two Houses that make up the country’s legislature. It is constituted by representatives of the various districts of each state. Representatives play an important role in the political, social and international direction of the country because they, together with the members of the Senate, determine the laws to be passed. It is important, therefore, that representatives not only truly understand the needs and aspirations of the people, but also recognize the significance of the bills they pass to the nation as a whole. Two of the members of the Continue reading...

Abstract

Foreign policy is a set of strategies that a state formulates so as to safeguard its national interests. The constitution of the US divided the power of foreign policy formulation between the congress and the president. The two bodies each play important roles in the process. In the United States, the power to formulate foreign policy lies between the president and the Congress. However, the office of the president has more power over the formulation and implementation of these foreign policies. The strategic environmental, foreign policy is a foreign policy in the administration of President Obama that aims at Continue reading...

The United States & the world in the 21st century

The political custom of the United State is different, and it is not compatible with the leading world role. Questions have been posed as to whether the United States can overcome pressures ranging from national divisions economic pressures and transitional civil society. The political position in the United States if facing crisis and with the second term of president Obama, he is facing challenges from all over the world. The great super power is weakening each day and as the president does not have the support of the congress, which is hard on him because any decision made has Continue reading...

The application of ethical practices in the Central Intelligence Agency is inadequate.

Hypothesis
The ethical application in the Central Intelligence Agency is inadequate.
Research questions
Does the Central Intelligence Agency apply ethics in its practices?
Is the ethical framework adequate?
Is there need to legislate on the ethics necessary in the operations of the Agency?
Null Hypothesis
The ethical application in the Central Intelligence Agency is adequate.
Independent variable
The Central Intelligence Agency has an ethical practice.
Dependent variable
The dependent variable is the adequacy of the ethical practices in application within the agency.
Conceptual definition
The current standards and global developments demand for accountability especially in the private enterprises. However, Continue reading...

The main arguments that the President of the United States has turned into an imperial presidency include the understanding that while staff numbers continue increasing, most people take up appointments. This is especially with reference to those individuals with personal loyalty to people at office of president and not eligible to the approval or control from external sources outside. A comprehensive scope of drastic advisory bodies emerged around presidency while most of them complemented the lead cabinet functions with cabinet facing a decline in its level of influence. Vivid examples of this include Office of Management, Budget, and National Continue reading...

Strengths

Among the strengths of public polls include the fact that the polls advance the knowledge of the people regarding public opinion. Polls that are commercial in nature satisfy the interest of the public about trends and the preferences of most people. This aspect is premised on the fact that polls establish public preferences. For instance, public polls ascertain various policy concerns and monitor the behavior of the public regarding indicators such as party and ideological identities regarding the approval ratings of the incumbent regime. Through the polls politicians are able to determine their standing and whether their ideologies augur Continue reading...

Richard Nixon became the 37th president of United States of America after the presidential elections of 1968. He successfully served his first term as president and was reelected overwhelmingly into office in 1972. He, however, did not complete his second term in office due to allegations of involvement in Watergate scandal. He resigned as the president of US on August 9, 1974 after the Judiciary Committee had recommended his impeachment to the Congress over Watergate Scandal (Vile 30). Before Nixon became president, he served as the vice president during Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency between 1953 and 1961. In 1960, Continue reading...

For nearly ten years the Articles of the Confederation had been in effect as the first agreement among the thirteen States since their independence from Britain. After that, it became evident that a new document for dictating how the new country should be organized had to be made. It was James Madison who presented a draft for a new government structure, aimed to give more power to a federal authority. The coalition that backed this draft was formed mostly by people from the State of Virginia, so it came to be known as the Virginia Plan.
The most important Continue reading...

The Supreme Court was justified in overturning the decision of the trial court regarding the construction of the Tellico dam. The wording of the Endangered Species Act was clear in its plain meaning, and there was no exception as to the construction of the dam. If the congress by drafting the Act had intended to exclude the construction of such projects in protecting endangered species, nothing would have stopped them from making that provision in the Act. The exception was not necessary either. The protection of endangered species overrides any other project that may be initiated at the ecological Continue reading...

Congressional elections have implications for representation in the sense that they are premised on referendum, party congruence, and other political constructs. The aggregate results in congressional elections determine the aggregate representation that different parties should have in the congress and in the ruling government. This aspect creates divisions between the administration party and the opposition party and the manner in which the members of the congress pass and support policies. I agree with Jacobson’s assessments because congressional elections influence in the manner in which members of the congress relate, articulate and support policies, which envision national interests thus Continue reading...

Politicians are expected to uphold the laws that they enact. When politicians or government officials violate the rules and regulations enacted by the Congress a scandal ensues. Politicians try to avoid a scandal because it spoils the reputation of a political party they represent. There is no administration that has ever been spared from political scandals since the George Washington took the reins of the United States Federal Government. The public loses trust in their capacity to carry out government business; therefore, the disgraced politicians are forced to resign.
On 27 January 2014, Trey Radel resigned from Congress in Continue reading...

Facts

The case under scrutiny is named as Echazabal v Chevron USA, Inc. This is a case about a legal tussle between a man called Mario Echazabal and the firm for which he used to work viz. Chevron. The reason why Echazabal decided to sue his employer Chevron was that his employment offer was rescinded due to direct threat reasons by Chevron. The company came up to such a decision because they came to know about the ill-health of Echazabal and also that it was getting damaged due to him working in the cocker unit of the refinery. Echazabal was Continue reading...

Part 1: Civic engagement letter

Washington, DC Office
2205 Rayburn HOB

Washington, DC 20515

Dear congressman,
RE: Higher tuition in colleges
I am writing for the above named reason. My name is [insert name]. I am a 20 year old student from Xxxx University (insert name and address). The cost of a college degree has risen over the past three decades at a rate of 1,200 per cent. Majority of American students graduate from high school with hope of pursuing a post-secondary education. Graduating from college is part of the American dream. However, this dream is becoming more difficult to achieve. Dear congressman, with private college Continue reading...

President’s Sense of SOU

President Barack Obama delivered the State of Union address on 28th January 2014. Obama’s sense of the SOU was to highlight some aspects that currently exist in the country. He focused on letting American citizens understand that he is aware of the issues that need to be addressed by his government. Outlining the formulated strategies to solve the prevailing challenges in the country is essential for any democratic leadership. Barack Obama pledged to address the emerging issues such as raising the minimum wage to encourage saving in the American households. State of Union helps to give a nation Continue reading...

The Lee Resolution, sometimes called, Resolution of Independence was steered mainly by Henry Lee. Its main aim was to lobby for the independence of the American states from the British colony. It was on June 7, 1776 when Richard Henry Lee of the State of Virginia tabled a bill in Congress to declare independence to the American colonies. The resolution contained three parts namely: a declaration of independence, a call to form foreign alliances and the preparation and digestion of the form of the forthcoming confederation.
It is not until 9th July when Congress adopted the first plan (read Continue reading...

Steve Dedmon, a member of the State of Florida wants to use the Quran instead of the Bible as stipulated in the US constitution as the text with which he will affirm his Oath of Office to House of Representatives. House Rule 1.01 states that the only text recognized for swearing in a new member is the Bible. Should a person use a text other than the Bible, he would be barred from performing any function of the House.
Relying on the case of Powell et al v. McCormack, the members would be stopped from excluding Dedmon from sitting Continue reading...

Please pick one change you would like to make to the constitution, draft an amendment and explain why your amendment will be beneficial
The clause that excludes all people who do not have a United States born parent or who do not have the so-named natural born Americans bothers me a great deal. This status is one of the requirements that an individual has to meet before running for the presidency in the country. The eligibility requirements are set for two offices, the president and vice president’s office. However, the constitution does not classify the natural born citizen Continue reading...

The president of the United States of America is required under Article two of Section three of the United States Constitution to give a state of the union address to the nation. It is usually delivered once a year in January or February. The tradition began in 1790 when George Washington delivered a State of the union address before a joint sitting of the congress, usually in the House of Representatives. Thomas Jefferson discontinued the tradition, arguing that it was too monarchical in nature and it was replaced by a written report by the president. In the twentieth century Continue reading...

In the United States budget expenditures are divided on direct (mandatory) and discretionary. Direct costs are guaranteed by the legislation in force and cannot be trimmed (social benefits, health care programs, etc.). Discretionary spending annually are reviewed and approved in the budget for next year by the US Congress. At the same time a limit such costs is fixed. If the actual costs exceed the budget limits, sequestration runs, reducing the budget deficit (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
In 1986 the Supreme Court determined this Act as unconstitutional on the basis of sequestration gave the Congress inopportune authorities. Anyway, in 1987 the Continue reading...

Question 1

After every two years in America, a class of newly elected senators takes office at the capitol thus assuming the duties and responsibilities of the U.S Senator. The job of the senate is to serve the interests of their Congressional district citizens by introducing bills into the committee and serving on the committee. There are at least 26 committees in the House of Representatives and a number of subcommittees. On the other hand, there are there are 20 committees in the Senate and 68 subcommittees. The senate further has four joint committees in its docket to help it in Continue reading...

The history of the formation and development of the American federalism is interesting because, in spite of all its specific features, it largely reflects the general trends that are inherent in any federal state. Such, for example, as a struggle between the center and the subjects of the federation for the rights and powers, as the trend towards centralization of power, and so on. In other words, it indicates the urgency of the problem of the relationship between the central government and form part of any complex public education.
In 1775 the thirteen American colonies of England raised a Continue reading...

Introduction

The provision of the right of the citizens to participate equally to the processes of the government is what we know as democracy. Giving the recognition to public participation is one way of showing to the people that their voice matters and that the government values their insights. However, there are countries in the world that do not believe in democracy and so they have been governing their respective territories with other political ideology. Some would subscribe to the implementation of federalism, communism, socialism, capitalism and such. Though they have been subscribing to such ideologies with enough reasons behind, Continue reading...

The term Union was used during the American Civil war to refer to the United States of America. It specifically referred to the national government and five border slaves stated and twenty other free states. The union was opposed by the Confederacy that was composed of eleven southern slave states. The United States army soldiers were provided by all the union states (Blume, 2012). The area of the border sent large numbers of their troops to the Confederacy, and they also played a significant role as a base of supply for Union invasion of the confederacy. Industrial resources came Continue reading...

Written and published after his release in 1990, Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom gives precious insight into the life of the heroic South African president. Though his long-standing devotion to the fight against racial oppression won him both the Noble Peace Prize and the position as president of his country, the book reveals the less agreeable aspects of his life choice as political and moral leader. A Long Walk to Freedom provides not only an intimately reflective account of Mandela’s life, but also unmasks the grander story of the efforts of South Africans of color Continue reading...

The executive power is nowadays the most powerful office in the United States. But it was not always thus. As proposed initially by James Madison in his Virginia Plan, the executive branch had the power to appoint certain offices and to only execute national laws dictated by the legislature. The presidency had also the power to veto any legislative act that he deemed contrary to the interests of the nation. At the time of the adoption of the constitutional text, the United States had a handful of international ties and did not possess a standing army, so the executive Continue reading...

Question 1

There are four major types of committees in the United States Congress. Each of these committees have different roles and functions. The first is the standing committee. This one has fixed jurisdiction and has stable memberships. This committee deals with most of the issues of legislative concerns that are permanent. The conference committee is made if members of the Senate and the house and issue single bills for the two house to vote on. Select commits are usually created for limited periods, and they serve a particular purpose. Joint committees are also similar and are created and comprised of Continue reading...

In 1777, in the midst of the War of Independence, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, a document of a constitutional nature, which defined the United States as a confederation and fixed the powers of the central bodies. However, the document made a central government very weak, as well as giving a veto to each state. George Washington figuratively called the Articles of Confederation as 'ropes of sand'. Therefore, quickly began to emerge proposals to amend the Articles.
The process of the ratification of the Constitution of the United States began September 17, 1787 In his Continue reading...

The gridlock between the young and old generations has caused the public policy in DC to freeze (Bouie, 2014). The Congress is made up of both the young and the old generations. The Republicans make policies that target the older generation, while the Democrats make policies that target younger generations. The old generation tends to be conservative, and prefer to maintain their culture. The young generation is liberal, and gathers a lot of information through social networking. The young generation is dynamic, and uses current information to make decisions that are for the good of the environment. The public Continue reading...

Many pundits and historians perceive the years to 1781- as the most vital period in the American’s history. The period saw the formation of American states after successful rebellion against the British colonial rule. These free colonies for effective governance had to form frameworks that would see to it stability and development prevailed. The Articles of Confederation was the ultimate basis for the creation of proper governance systems. This primary constitution had been ratified by all free states in 1781 even before the ceasing of the Revolutionary war (Smith &Ronald 671). These laws however deemed short in meeting Continue reading...

The period between 1777 through to 1791 proved significant to the US history owing to the various constitutional changes that shaped the constitution to be what it is today. The meetings and discussions of the Continental Congress realized the need to created written rules. The result was the Articles of Confederation that was drafted and passed by the Continental Congress on 11th November, 1777. The Article of Confederation created the functions of the national government (US Department of State - Office of the Historian). However, the article created a weak central government that prevented most individual states from exercising Continue reading...

According to the Constitution, executive power is exercised by the President of the United States. In his hands is concentrated all the fullness of the executive, and he has the ability to quickly make important decisions. The presidential term is defined in four years. These powers do not depend on the vote of confidence of legislators, as is customary for prime ministers in parliamentary systems. According to the 22th Amendment, adopted in 1951, the president can not be elected more than two times and perform their duties longer than eight years. The president can become citizen by birth, over Continue reading...

A federal act of congress can be used to refer to the common laws formulated and enacted by the congress in the United States. The laws endorsed could either be common or public depending on how they will relate to the people and their effects. If a law is termed as public, then it applies to every individual in the country and no one is considered to be above the law in this case. On the other hand, private statues relate to explicit rules that apply to a particular group of people (Jensen, J. 2006). For instance, a group Continue reading...

Federal v. State Law Marijuana Legalization

Can states legalize marijuana while it remains illegal under federal law? Is medical marijuana a loophole to get around the federal law?
Marijuana is a hemp plant called Cannabis Sativa. It is available in the forms of dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. The resinous concentrate obtained from the plant is known as Hash Oil. Marijuana is an annual crop plant. It grows from seeds in open areas exposed to sunlight. It germinates within a week and attains its full growth in 4 to 8 months. Marijuana contains medicinally active compounds that act on the brain. The main active Continue reading...

The article starts with a flashback on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program that developed after the 9/11 terror acts. It aimed at providing stability to a then very uncertain terrorism insurance market. Green gives a detailed account on the past attempts by members of Congress to renew the act. According to Green, an extension to the program enforced by the above-stated act is very much in many people’s hearts with concern on the future terrorist acts on private businesses, property and life. A different opinion, however, can be heard as some people believe the private insurance marketplace can Continue reading...