Notes from Friday April 11th 2008

Congressional Policy Making
" Leaning much to be desired"

Particularized benefits
- Government currency
- Also known as distributive policies or "pork"
- Only other people's pork is corruption . Mine is money well spent
- Often a zero sum game


Legislative Process
"Innovation Possibilities"

Five Conditions Prompting Innovation
- Strong or Poplar legislative leaders
- Well organized Grassroots efforts
- Elite Consensus
- The need for change becomes apparent
- catastrophic events


Effectiveness
- Each of the five may cause " Punctuated equilibrium" But, working in Tandem the odds are enhanced

What do we want Congress to be?
" Lofty Public Expectations.

Representative
- We want individual numbers to represent the views of their contituents (delegate)
- But we also want the Congress as a whole to articulate and represent all viewpoints ( Trustee)

Responsible

- We want Congress to be responsible to make quality laws
- But we also want Congress to be Responsible to popular majorities or majority preference

Responsive
- We want Congress to be responsive to the pressing issue of our times
- But, we also want Congress to be Forward thinking and consider the long term well being of the nation as a whole.


Problems.
- Policy that is responsive to pressing needs can easily be at odds with constituents preferences
- If you represent all view points you can not be responsible to majorities.