The U.S Congress is a well-known body under the constitution and it is detached from other arms of the government such as the executive, and judiciary. The Congress is made of two houses, namely; the Senate, and the House of Representatives. In the senate, every state is represented by two senators regardless of the size. Regarding the House of Representatives, members are elected based on population. The U.S Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes, borrow funds for the United States, regulate trade, raise and support armed forces, declare war, and make required changes for executing its powers.
The U.S Congress is not perfect, but representative in the sense that Congresspeople have to maintain balance on constituency issues, national and party interests. That is Congressmen have to strike a compromise. For instance, the Democratic Party in the United States was trying to pass a motion of reducing the military expenditure. This led to the closure of most military bases. In cases a democratic Congressman has one of the bases in his area that is providing jobs, he is unlikely to vote for the motion. Therefore, the whip can be temporarily be withdrawn based on such cases. As a result, there may be a vote against the closure, and abstaining from voting. Most certainly, the Congressman will appeal to the relevant committee to alter the bill before it is forwarded for the second reading. The paper is discussing why the U.S Congress is not representatives. Secondly, the paper provides some reforms to the Congress so that it can be a representative house.
Demography
According to some critics, the Congress is believed to be unrepresentative because its demographic features are reflective of the general population. Similarly, the decisions of the Congress have failed to represent the public opinion on major issues. However, the framers have entitled to scorn these perspectives. According to the Federalist No. 35, Hamilton asserted that all classes of people in the United States should have their numbers in the representative house[1]. He claimed that this could not take place because of the current arrangement of the Congress that freely leave the votes of the people. Additionally, the mismatch in demography between the Congress and the public has been a symptom of discrimination; hence, leading to unequal opportunity. But the reduction of such barriers has opened the Capitol doors for the women, the blacks, and Hispanics. However, it is unrealistic to think that free election will generate a representative sample for the public.
Public opinion
The instructed delegate holds that the main representation depends on the adherence to the popular sentiments. The major problem in the Congress is that there are no public opinions that guide the house. Therefore, most voters are not aware of the bills that are before the Congress as well as the position of their legislatures on such bills. So, the lawmakers are anticipating the mind of voters while learning about the bills. For instance, the Congress has been responsive to a fault especially on issues of polling data that reveals public sentiments. Despite the falling deficits in the U.S budget, the baby boom retirement is likely to send them upward. But, the Congress failed to address the looming debt balloon because voters were likely to favor cuts in expenditure while opposing them in particular. After surveying about the nineteen key programs, most Congressmen were for either maintaining or increasing the spending for eighteen of them. Most of the public members were dissatisfied with what the Americans are paying for taxes. That is the groups wanted the Americans to pay less in taxes. Therefore, lack of agreement on the acceptable solutions should not arise. So, the Congress cannot make decisions because the public cannot decide.
Polarization
Regarding the unrepresentativeness of the Congress, the congressional parties are much more divided in terms of ideology than the general public. The blame is always on the GOP both in general and partisan form of the Congress. Similarly, the Congress is easily influenced by money for the campaign. These funds usually come from organizations and the PAC such as the AARP.
On the other hand, the money does not come as a bribe, but with the presence of AARP, the Congressmen send a questionnaire to the members. After filing the forms, the candidates will represent their interests. After that, they will be given money for campaigns. The PAC's are to combat personal donors and business organizations. Essentially, they are pooling funds which represent public interests.
Proportionality
The fact that the Congress does not have a proportionate number of people with disability implies that it does not represent the interest of the disabled. It also means that women, African Americas, and Latinos are unrepresented. For example, a criminal layer does not need to be a convicted fellow so as to represent one in court. They just have to be good lawyers. This is also applicable to the Congress. The lines of constituencies are drawn by the state. Therefore, the federal government does not control such lines. The constituencies are always in favor of the republican and democratic parties. This may make the Congress more unrepresentative despite small impacts. Furthermore, it is the unfortunate thing that should be stopped because it revokes state rights.
The congress is unrepresentative based on the diverse political belief in the United States since only two independents are elected in the Senate and none in the House. Despite the recent polls which indicated that about 40% of the American neither consider themselves as democrats nor republicans, about 100% of congresspeople do classify themselves on political affiliations[2]. Even though it is not related to the political learning in America, it is also poor in presenting the Americans in terms of gender and wealth.
The greater inequality remains gender-wise. That is white males are overrepresented to make up 75% the House, 79% of senators with only 37% of all Americans[3]. The American women are making up about 51% of the total population in America. But they only represent 17% of the Congress. Based on income, the difference between the average American and the representation is also essential. The medium income earners are receiving around $ 50,000. But most of those people in the Congress are worth $ 1 million and above. Consequently, the U.S Congress is not a representative house in terms of diversity in America[4].
Part two
The Congress should represent the interest of the people. Nevertheless, money has interfered with the system. Instead of considering their constituents, the elected leaders often spend time in raising money for reelection. Therefore, individuals who are funding political campaigns become more powerful than the leaders. Thus, campaign finance reforms are essential to address this issue.
Instead of being obsessed with reducing the pressure of corporate funds in politics and countering it with democratic mobilization, I will open up some third fronts such as increasing the capacity of the U.S government to withstand the pressure. Since a government is not about an inactive strand of rope in a tag of war about policies, I will resource, organize, and motivate government institutions to create an independent knowledge as well as the means that pushes back against some claims of the rich in the name of the immobilized. However, this cannot be achieved if the capacity of the U.S government to gather and process evidence has been dismantled in the system. Such destructions are what has taken place to most institutions of the United States. Thereby, making the Congress unrepresentative. As a result, the policymakers have been losing the ability to reason for themselves.
It will be my pleasure if given the opportunity to make some choices for the entire nation. This will enable me to take private time to research all options before deciding whom to vote for. Then with the seriousness of responsibility, I will likely to vote with no regrets a few years later. Therefore, to tame the unrepresentative nature of the Congress, members of the public should not favor anyone after making my mind not to take the bribe.
The two senators for each state should be removed to remain with a single house system. For example, the much representation in Rhode Island just like California during these periods is a silly representation. Representation has its place in the revolutionary times. Therefore, Congress should progress with trade and population. Moreover, I will ensure that there is greater transparency especially for those that are in power as well as those that are seeking to influence power. Again, there should be a disclosure of campaign donations and foreign money track in the U.S political system. The special interest expenditure should also be disclosed in order to identify individuals who contributed to the political committee. By doing this, I will need their financial details based on conflicts of interests. These measures should be a habit of self-respecting and representative democracy. The extensive financial disclosures need to be a requirement of law, and it should be supported by the resources that can enforce the law.
More importantly, the Congress should refresh the institution itself by supporting the structures of its traditional committees. The Congress should also refrain from its ridiculous habit of enacting budgets via omnibus bills[5]. Similarly, I will ensure that the Congress does not allow major legislation to be put together by a few leaders in closed meetings. This will restore powers of the Congress vis-a-vis the president. But these changes that I'm advocating for will not be achieved without citizen actions.
In conclusion, the lawmakers have been fixated on the re-election. Hence, they are comfortable with the status quo of their predecessors over the decades. Politicians have to be held accountable for ethical standards. Without this, there will be a loss of faith in the political institutions, something that will not be easy to reverse.
Bibliography
Connelly, William F., and John J. Pitney. "How Representative Is Congress? – The Brookings Institution – Medium". Medium. Last modified 2017. Accessed February 26, 2018. https://medium.com/@Brookings/how-representative-is-congress-c4605c61000d.
Eaves, Lucas. "Congress Is Not Representative Of America's Diversity - IVN.Us". IVN.Us. Last modified 2013. Accessed February 26, 2018. https://ivn.us/2013/04/11/congress-is-not-representative-of-americas-diversity/.
Hamilton, Lee. "You Can Lay The Groundwork For Reformation Of Congress". Fayette Tribune. Last modified 2017. Accessed February 26, 2018. http://www.fayettetribune.com/opinion/you-can-lay-the-groundwork-for-reformation-of-congress/article_4aeb36dc-e605-11e7-8a4a-d3e08bd02f78.html.
[1] Connelly, William F., and John J. Pitney. "How Representative Is Congress? – The Brookings Institution – Medium". Medium. Last modified 2017. Accessed February 26, 2018.
[2] Eaves, Lucas. "Congress Is Not Representative Of America's Diversity - IVN.Us". IVN.Us. Last modified 2013. Accessed February 26, 2018.
[3]
Ibid., n.p
[4]
Ibid., n.p
[5]
Hamilton, Lee. "You Can Lay The Groundwork For Reformation Of Congress". Fayette Tribune. Last modified 2017. Accessed February 26, 2018.
