Description
Some observers express concern about high reelection rates for incumbent members of Congress and have advocated for term limits as a way to formally remove longtime members of Congress. Why do you think these proposals for term limits are being advanced? Are there advantages to having long-serving members of Congress in office (e.g., when dealing with an entrenched bureaucracy)? What do recent election cycles say about the need for term limits? Are there other ideas for systemic reform such that challengers are placed on a more equal footing with incumbents?
Given that most presidential powers are delegated and informal, the president’s ability to shape American politics is largely contingent on public support. To what extent do flagging political support or declining poll numbers hamper the president’s ability to lead Congress and the nation? Are there areas where this fact will be of little consequence? Discuss the suitability of public opinion polls for conferring a mandate on the president.
Consider the positive and negative effects of profit in the context of several different areas of public bureaucracy. What is gained and what is lost by privatizing functions such as education policy, trash removal, criminal incarceration, and national defense? How might privatization affect the constitutional rights of citizens who deal with the private companies?
If more than 60 percent of the federal budget is “mandatory spending,” what is left to cut? What economic goals do categories of mandatory spending support? What programs should be abolished or cut? Should any programs be expanded? If so, identify which ones and explain why they should be expanded.ief agencies such as the Red Cross?
In recent years, the American armed forces have been called on to perform duties that are more humanitarian than militaristic, providing support after the Fukushima disaster, in addition to funds for drought victimes in Ethiopia, COVID-19 vaccinations to countries who could not afford them, Ebola patients in West Africa, and earthquake victimes in Nepal. Do we have an obligation to assist other countries experiencing a crisis, or should that be left to private relief agencies such as the Red Cross?
