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-rw-r--r--rich/15_congress67
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+ Sep 4 lecture (INTA)
+ Sep 9 lecture (INTA)
+ Sep 11 lecture (INTA)
-- Sep 14 lecture (INTA)
++ Sep 14 lecture (INTA)
- Sep 16 lecture (INTA)
+ Sign of Four + Other portrayal of Sherlock
- Math Chap 2 + HW2
diff --git a/rich/15_congress b/rich/15_congress
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+Article I, Section 8 (on Congress)
+- Enumerated powers
+- Implied powers
+"The legislative authority necessarily predominates" (Madison, #51)
+ - The modern power of the presidency wasn't intentional
+ - Article II gives very little express power. Mostly legislated
+- The power struggles of the time influenced the founders
+ - Senators represented each state legislature
+ - House meant to represent the people
+ - Class structure: senate = elite
+ - Only in 1913 did the 17th amendment elected the Senate by pop.
+ - Professional ruling class like Plato's society
+ - "Big picture," "protectors of society"
+ - The House also had class stratification.
+Term length and constituencies
+ - House
+ - 435 members
+ - Equally populated districts
+ - 2 year term
+ - Senate
+ - 100 members (2 per state)
+ - 6 year staggered terms
+Governing rules (like parliamentary procedure)
+- House has more and more strict rules (size, time limits)
+- In the Senate, everyone can address an issue
+Prestige!
+- Senate is a less formal "coming-together," so it has prestige.
+ - Represent the entirety of the state, so a huge amount of
+ canvassing
+ - Responsibility entrusted for 6 years
+- House is less prestigious (strict rules, short terms, small areas)
+ - Districts can be very small
+ - Don't conduct impeachment trials
+ - Less responsibility
+
+Functions/Responsibilities of Congress
+1) Lawmaking - the primary/intended purpose
+ - Founders wanted broad (collective good) national policy
+ - Vast majority of proposals (bills) don't become laws
+ - Meant to be able to die in many ways
+ - Congresspeople don't (mostly) write their own bills
+ - Executive branch writes bills
+ - Parties write proposals and help push them through
+ - Interest groups
+ - Like the executive branch, experts = interests
+2) Constituent Services
+ - Help out the people from your district
+ - Casework (e.g. handling phone call complaints)
+ - Acts as an access point to the political network
+3) Representatives' two roles
+ - (Burkian) Trustee: prevent constituents from enacting dumb laws
+ - Act as part of the larger body
+ - Senators play this role more often
+ - Instructed Delegate
+ - Do what your constituents want, based on polls, casework
+ - House Representatives with a more sensitive seat
+ - Instance: tobacco
+ - Senators and Representatives hurt Big Tobacco as trustees
+ - But Virginia's tobacco industry was harmed, so labor voted
+ against Representatives who acted as Trustees
+4) Oversight
+ - How is the executive handling congressional legislature?
+ - Confirmation/appointment powers (this is a check/balance)
+ - Public hearings
+ - Despite the quantity of these, things fall through the cracks
+ - Ex: FEMA officer during Katrina lied on his resume.
+ - There is a lot of legislation and officials.