Reflection On Politics And Politics

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Prior to taking this course, I had moderate fascination for politics and issues involving the government in our society today. Politics is described as “the struggle over power of influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant benefits or privileges” (Citation). While I was somewhat interested in reading the news and paying attention to presidential elections, I did not necessarily care for other “less significant” elections involving Congress members and proceeded on with daily life while being ignorant of what was going on around me. Because I had thought that the president of the United States controlled enormous power while rendering the legislative branch virtually powerless, I believed that voting for Representatives
One example would be that while I did not explicitly express my impression that the president had control over the economy, I did hold that notion without looking into it or doing any further research. I, like everyone else, would place the blame on the current president for the bad economy because s/he was the head of state who led the nation and had the most authority as a distinct individual. Head of state refers to “the role of the president as ceremonial head of the government” (Citation). After going this class however, I have realized that Congress has more control over the economy since it makes and enacts laws as the legislative branch; however, this does not mean that the president has no involvement in affecting economy. After all, s/he is also takes on the role as chief legislator who is able to sway Congress to pass laws in his favor. Hence, when the economy is failing, both Congress and the president can be at fault, not just the latter. Another feature that I have contradicted with my initial conception was the census taken every decade. It was mind boggling when I was trying to figure the specific purpose for the census of the federal government. I knew that it wanted to know the population number in the country, but I felt that it was not the principal reason as to why the government would engage in the said program. Again, after following through with this course, I have discovered the federal government’s motive in distributing these “intrusive surveys.” This is to ascertain the population growth (if any) for redistricting, interpreted as “the redrawing of the boundaries of the congressional districts within a state” (Citation) in order to appoint an appropriate number of representatives to each

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