Pork-barrel legislation is a term that is used with the phrase "bringing home the bacon." The phrase "bringing home the bacon," in relation to the local projects, highlights how effective pork-barrel legislation is on the congressional committees and leadership positions that authorize the spending for the projects. Legislative bodies obtain and secure the federal funds for the improvement of local projects, such as parks and roads, through the use of influence on these congressional committees. Pork-barrel legislation is deemed unfair and is criticized by many of the observers of the political system because it is not based on the principle of designating the federal funds to the most worthy and need priorities.
This has been one of the most fascinating political seasons in recent history. The level of discourse and potential scandals on both sides has increased my attention level. Rather you support either of these candidates, both the fringe candidates from the left and the right both have struck a chord with a lot of people. Whether either of them wins their party’s nomination and becomes the president is still left to be decided. Mainstream political pundits and major social institutions have either condemned or flatly said that some of these candidates’ proposals are not feasible, but to the electorate that doesn’t seem to matter. There has been a lot of commotion about a brokered Republican convention even though it seems that there will be one
This paper will be focusing on Robert Casey better known as “Bob” Casey the Senator from Pennsylvania. Casey was born and raised on April 13, 1960, in Scranton Pennsylvania. Casey; “graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in 1982 and spent the following year teaching fifth grade and coaching eighth-grade basketball in inner city Philadelphia for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps”. (Senate.gov) Later on, he received his law degree from Catholic University in 1988. He married to his wife Teresa and has 4 children. In 2002 Casey wanted to follow his father into running for governor of Pennsylvania, however, he was defeated, later becoming the “treasurer” in the elections of 2004. Casey was first elected to the senate in 2006 as a Democrat, showing as one of the second highest victories since “1920” against an incumbent Senator. Later in 2012, he was re-elected becoming the first Democrat Senator into serving a full term and into being re-elected as a Pennsylvania Senator. Casey has become and followed the step of his father who was also a governor.
Filibusters can surely be effective for Senate minority leaders. However, it can have both its pros and cons. Some of the advantages include that the filibuster was created to protect the privileges of the Senators in order to fully debate and modify laws in the United States Senate, therefore securing the concern of all the citizens in America. Filibusters tend to exist thanks to the Founding Fathers ideology of designing a democratic government in which politicians became involved and educated throughout many political processes. Whenever a Senator goes on the Senate floor and talks endlessly for hours on a particular issue, it automatically engages attention to the particular matter, such as the 11-hour filibuster Senator Wendy Davis accomplished
Smaller states like Delaware and New Jersey objected to the Virginia Plan saying that the large states would easily outvote them in Congress if the number of votes were based on population. After weeks of debate, William Patterson of New Jersey put forth a plan that called for three branches including a legislature with only one house where each state would have one vote. The New Jersey Plan with a single house legislature and equal representation was more like Congress under the Articles.
Most individuals with a general background knowledge of the United States Federal Government system are aware that in order for a bill to become a law, it must first pass a majority vote in Congress. There is, however, a very important step in the legislative process that sometimes goes unnoticed. The committee system of the legislation process ensures that the appropriate attention is given to each bill introduced to Congress. Each member of both chambers are assigned to committees and subcommittees, and are expected to become subject matter experts in their respective roles as committee members.
The USDA does what the committees want because the House committees have the "power of the purse" and in return the USDA gets political support and budget appropriations. The Committees do what the AFBF wants in return for votes and campaign contributions. These iron triangles exist at the local and state levels as well. For example, one could exist between the North Carolina Farm Bureau, the North Carolina Congressional Committees on Agriculture and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. This iron triangle may ensure that hog farmers receive state money from the "Rainy Day Fund" to create sanitary means of hog waste disposal.
By now, many Americans have been made aware of the construction of the Keystone Pipeline XL. It has been seven years since the pipeline was first proposed by the TransCanada Corporation with the intent to “allow crude oil from Canadian oil sands to reach U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast” (Mantel par. 2 on Chronology timeline). Some Americans are in favor of the construction of the Keystone Pipeline XL and others are strongly opposed to it. On Feb. 17, 2013, thousands of protestors gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in the hopes that President Barack Obama would reject the construction of the $53 billion oil pipeline (Snyder par. 1). The rally attracted 35,000 people making it the largest climate-change protest in U.S. history,
The topic that I am choosing to do is on Obama Care. I chose this topic because the idea of the government forcing people to obtain insurance is wrong in my eyes. I am interested in analyzing the validity for what has been said about this topic in order to increase my understanding about Obama Care. I am not an expert when it comes to Obama Care. I know that this is an insurance that is being provided through the government for the general public. I have read that President Obama never initially read the whole bill itself. I also know that people who cannot afford it, but make too much money to qualify for Medicaid are being heavily encouraged to get this insurance. Some of the common knowledge that I have found that the general public has about this subject is that some people are for Obama Care and think that it is a wonderful idea and that there are some people that are dead set against Obama Care. Younger adults, specifically college age and individuals that are in their twenties tend to be for Obama Care. The insurance is being forced upon individuals that may or may not want it. It also seems as though that the insurance being offered is pretty generic in terms of coverage. Some of the questions that I have that I believe will aide me in writing this paper would be the following: What are the pros and cons of Obama Care? What are the thoughts of Obama Care with the people of the government? As well as what are the basics of Obama Care?
I am terribly ashamed to admit that prior to this class I really did not have a position on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I simply ignored what was going on because I had insurance through my employer and I didn’t feel like the ACA would have that much bearing on my life. I was aware of some of the positive and negative aspects but had not really given it all a lot of thought. The one thing that did intrigue and interest me was the potential for Medicaid expansion. This was both exciting and troublesome because my job is totally structured around people who qualify for Medicaid. Increasing the rosters would have had a drastic effect on what I do and would have meant tremendous growth for my business but since Tennessee opted not to expand
Legislation restricting arms also known as “gun control” does not positively impact crime reduction rates.
Just a few years ago the Affordable Care Act otherwise known as the ACA. The Affordable Care Act is also famously know as Obamacare. This has not been very good for the American people in several ways. It has caused the people of this great nation a very difficult time in signing up for this new healthcare, everyone’s insurance prices have risen, people have been losing a lot of hours at work, and if people decide not to have insurance they can be fined. The way to get rid of all of these problems is to get rid of the Affordable Care Act all together.
Deficit spending happens when a government grows its debt, meaning that its spending is greater than its income. (Deficit Spending, 2008) Deficit spending is a fiscal policy, that when used appropriately can do some amazing things, like pull the United States up from its bootstraps effectively ending The Great Depression. President Hoover increased government spending by 50% and used the money to fund public works and infrastructure projects from 1928 to 1932. (Deficit Spending, 2008)
Almost every angle of the food industry can be considered dangerous. It is dangerous to make the food, as a meatpacking job is one that is viewed as having abnormally high risks; however when the food is handed over a counter on a tray or prepared in a family of four’s kitchen, it poses a huge risk to humankind. Foodborne illnesses are all too common and almost everybody has the possiblity of contracting a foodborne illness. These are life threatening diseases that need to be monitored and regulated; therefore the enforcement of government regulations in the fast food industry could potentially save many lives that are lost annually due to the numerous factors that need regulation.
They pose the many different sides that past presidents and politicians have taken to the debate. Certain presidents, like George H.W. Bush brought up the issue in a comical way by suggesting congress cut programs like “asparagus research” or “mink reproduction”. The question that Ellwood and Patashnik are trying to answer in the article is whether pork is helpful or harmful, or important or wasteful. Throughout the article opinions about the role of pork, which is legislation that allows representatives to bring jobs and money to their districts, in government of many different presidents, congressman, and politicians are mentioned. At one point in the article it says, “Rather, we think that pork, doled out strategically, can help to sweeten an otherwise unpalatable piece of legislation.” There are always going to be parts of a bill or program that a congressman may not agree with. However, when they have the opportunity to receive funding on a state project, it distracts them from the things they did not agree with, and creates a compromise of sorts. Many people argue that this pork-barrel spending is what is causing our nation’s debt, and argue that it should not be allowed. But, then again, if funding for a bridge or lighthouse in their home state is taken away, those same people will be wishing the pork-barrel funds were there to help
Voters should care about redistricting because it cherry-picks voters, can be used to eliminate an incumbent, eliminate an opponent, skews state-wide representation, dilutes minority voting, and splits up communities. The lines are tailored more to fit the representatives and not the voters.