Am Govt Homework Two Answers - Student Four

Ed's (TeacherEd's) Homework 2 answers:

1. What are the six major powers of Congress?

A. Taxing Power B. Spending Power C. Commerce Power D. Power to declare war E. Property Power F. The power to turn committee hearings into comedy shows with renowned comics like Stephen Colbert ... just joking - another important power is the Bankruptcy Power.

2. Do you support term limits for congressmen? Do you support a power by the people to recall congressmen? How are these two powers different?

Yes, I support both term limits and the power of the people to recall congressmen. Term limits simply limit the number the number of terms (or years) someone can be in office - once they exceed that limit, they can't run again. The power to recall a congressman lets the people remove someone from office before their term ends. This is very important, as it lets the people choose a different representative if the current one is doing a terrible job.

4. Why do you think Constitution Day is not celebrated as much as perhaps it should be in recent years?

I believe it's mainly because liberals have control of most of the government in recent years, including both the Presidency and Congress. Liberals are not too keen to focus on the constitution, as they like to "reinterpret" it to fir their progressive views of the world. They flaunt the constitution in many laws they try to pass, so they certainly don't want people remembering about the constitution, which would reveal their disdain for the founders' original intentions.

7. Do you think having Stephen Colbert testify before a Congressional committee makes a mockery of the institution?

Yes, I definitely think it does. Not inherently because they let a famous person testify, but because they let him testify "in character", and on a serious topic (immigration) that this particular celebrity knows nearly nothing about.

8. What obstacles might prevent Republicans from passing legislation in 2011?

It is quite likely that even after these mid-term elections, Democrats will still have a majority of the senate, thus hampering the passage of Republican bills. Even if they don't have a majority, they could still filibuster bills. Furthermore, until 2012 Obama, a Democrat, will still be President, so he is likely to veto legislation passed by the Republicans.