In other words, is the complicated legislative process we've created in this country more responsible for outcomes than the desires of the majority?
I think that there is a need for a complicated legislative process. Democracy is not just simple. If government in the United States was simple, the governemnt would be a monarchy instead of a democracy. Since I've esatbalished the 1st grade, simple reason that the legislative process is complicated, I can now answer the question. I think that because the lesilative process is so complicated the outcomes are definitely a majority over the desires. Just because the consitutents want the government to pass regualtions on a certain industry or pass a bill on health care, that doesn't necesarily mean that the regualtion or bill will get passed. The legislative process calls for a lot of compromises and has lots of shortcomings. Since the proposal for something has to go through this long, complicated, dissection- called the leglative process, I feel that most of the desires are stripped and the outcome is determined by whose pocket wins the battle. The people though, I feel, only have a small amount of room to complain because they vote the people into these positions to govern over the legislative process. Maybe for there to be actual change in government, there needs to be a change in the process.
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I agree with you that the process is complicated for a reason. Part of that reason--as you learned last year--was to ensure that we were protected against the tyranny of the majority as well as protected against the tryanny of a single leader like a king. Democracies may be based on the will of the majority but they also have to protect minority rights. That was part of the rationale for creating a two chamber legislature. HOWEVER,its possible for the minority to wield to much power. SO to play devil's advcoate a bit, is is possible that committee chairmen, acting out of mainly self interest--and preventing a merger such as this from occurring--are not representing the will of the people? And is it possible that the outcome we will get from this current issue is less based on what the public wants and more on how we've set up the legislative process with all its committees and chairmen etc? Just something to consider. Keep that idea of protecting minority rights in the forefront of your mind. It explains so much of American history and government!
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