How Congress Works and Why You Should Care

Cover......Page 1
TOC......Page 6
preface......Page 8
1 The Role of Congress......Page 12
Why Congress Exists......Page 13
Core Principle: Sovereignty of the People......Page 15
Core Principle: Balancing Powers in Government......Page 17
Congress and the President......Page 20
Why Federalism Works......Page 22
Key Power: Passing the Basic Laws of the Land......Page 24
Key Power: Controlling the Purse......Page 27
Key Power: Shaping Foreign Policy......Page 29
Congress and Individual Liberties......Page 32
The Roots of Our Success......Page 34
2 Th e Impact of Congress......Page 37
Congress and the Fabric of Our Lives......Page 38
Government’s Greatest Endeavors......Page 40
An Ordinary Day......Page 41
Congress Does More Work than Meets the Eye......Page 44
A Balanced View of Congress......Page 46
Members of Congress Who Had an Impact......Page 48
3 How Congress Works......Page 53
A Complex Institution......Page 54
An Evolving Institution......Page 56
The Many Roles of a Member of Congress......Page 59
Representing Constituents......Page 63
How a Bill Really Becomes Law......Page 66
Why We Need More Politicians......Page 70
Power in Congress......Page 74
The House and the Senate......Page 76
The Awesome Responsibility of Voting......Page 79
The Frustrations and Rewards of Congress......Page 83
4 Public Criticisms of Congress......Page 86
Legislators Are a Bunch of Crooks”......Page 87
“There’s Too Much Wasteful, Pork-BarrelSpending by Congress”......Page 89
“Legislators Just Bicker and Never Get AnythingDone”......Page 91
“You Can’t Trust What Members of Congress Say”......Page 93
“Congress Almost Seems Designed to PromoteTotal Gridlock”......Page 96
“Members of Congress Compromise Too Much”......Page 97
“There’s Too Much Money in Politics Today”......Page 100
“Members Are Out of Touch with Their Constituents”......Page 101
“Congress Is Run by Lobbyists and Special Interests”......Page 104
Conclusion......Page 107
5 Key Ways Congress Could Work Better......Page 108
Declining Civility......Page 109
The Importance of Good Process......Page 111
Better White House/Congress Consultation......Page 114
True Congressional Oversight......Page 117
Improving Ethics Enforcement......Page 119
Thinking about the Future......Page 122
The Money Chase......Page 125
Improving Public Understanding of Congress......Page 128
Tackling the Tough Issues......Page 129
Congress and the Common Good......Page 131
Conclusion......Page 134
6 Civic Participation......Page 135
A Failure to Communicate......Page 136
Being More Involved in the Work of Congress......Page 139
The Cornerstones of Active Citizenship......Page 143
Making Your Views Known to Congress......Page 145
Individuals Who Have Made a Difference......Page 149
Can the People Govern?......Page 152
Strengthening Representative Democracy......Page 155
appendix: communicating with congress......Page 160
notes......Page 162
index......Page 164