Order Number |
636738393092 |
Type of Project |
ESSAY |
Writer Level |
PHD VERIFIED |
Format |
APA |
Academic Sources |
10 |
Page Count |
3-12 PAGES |
Description
After reading and understanding how many seats every state gets, would you increase the size of Congress?
In this discussion, use the platform to debate ideas on whether or not increasing the size of Congress (meaning increasing the seats in the House of Representatives) is good for the United States or not.
Watch the following video:
Then reflect on the following questions:
What are your reasons for increasing the number of seats in the House of Representatives?
How will the size (increasing the number of seats) impact the process of passing bills?
How will it impact accountability?
How does it affect congressional effectiveness and efficiency?
Respond to the questions above by replying to this post then respond to two classmates.
Please reply to two posts in a few words.
1-Increasing the size of Congress would benefit the United States in the way that smaller states would have more of an equal voice to larger states and be represented as the same. However, even though that sounds like the obvious decision it is actually one of the reasons why the Articles of Confederation failed. So, it is obvious now that it is not to America’s benefit to increase the size of Congress.
The main reason the United States as a whole would benefit from increasing the number of seats in the House of Representatives is purely for the fact that the smaller states would have the same weighted say as the larger states.
Increasing the number of seats might impact the process of passing bills in the way that there would be less deliberation and thought put into the legislation before it becomes law. It might be easier to pass laws and in turn, potentially have a single faction or interest group enact laws.
On the bright side, increasing the number of House of Representatives seats would reduce the voter-to-congressman ratio while also creating more electoral votes. Increased numbers make the legislative process more equitable. By including more voices, you have a better chance of making decisions like adopting legislation that benefits the majority. This will also have an influence on accountability in the sense that each state has a voice, and delegates are responsible for making decisions that reflect their state’s view.
Consequently, Congress is unable to monitor exactly what is going on at the federal level. As a result, people have been debating whether or not to expand the size of the House of Representatives. It is also suggested that the growth in numbers would have an impact on the overall efficacy of Congress since a legislature becomes awkward, inefficient, and incapable of making good choices when the number of members increases significantly.
Increasing the size of Congress will impact accountability by having each state be represented by the same amount of people. This means there will be an equal amount of politicians making choices on behalf of the people of each state. This is one benefit.
Increasing the size of Congress will actually negatively affect congressional effectiveness and efficiency. The reason why America was actually able to stand on its feet after the Articles of Confederation was failing was because they chose a bicameral congress. It turns out that if the smaller states had the same weighted voice as larger states, just by ratio it would mean that the smaller states would outweigh the larger states. So, it wouldn’t be equal after all.