How the American Congress Works

Content of the books “How the American Congress Works”.

SUMMARY
PREFACE
1 The role of Congress
What is Congress for?
Basic principle: the sovereignty of the people
Basic principle: the balance of power within the state
Congress and the President
Why is federalism effective?
A decisive power: promulgate the fundamental laws of the country
A decisive power: financial control
Decisive power: defining foreign policy
Congress and individual freedoms
The deep reasons for our success
2 The influence of Congress
Congress and the fabric of our lives
The great achievements of the State
An ordinary day
Congress is doing more than it seems
A fair view of Congress
Members of Congress who had real influence
3 How the Congress works
A complex institution
An institution in constant evolution
The Multiple Roles of a Member of Congress
Represent voters
How a bill becomes law
We lack good politicians
Where does the power lie in Congress?
The House and Senate
Voting for a law: a terrible responsibility
Frustrations and joys of the parliamentarian
4 Congress under fire
“Legislators are just a bunch of crooks”
“Congress spends too much money on electoral purposes”
“Apart from bickering, parliamentarians don’t do much”
“We cannot trust the word of parliamentarians”
“Congress seems practically designed to favor the total blocking of the system”
“Members of Congress compromise too easily”
“Money plays too big a role in politics today”
“Parliamentarians lose contact with their voters”
“Congress is in the hands of lobbyists and interest groups”
Conclusion
5 Some ideas for improving the functioning of the Congress
The decline of civility
The importance of a good legislative process
Better consultation between the White House and Congress Congress must exercise real control
Greater respect for ethics
Thinking about the future
The race for money
Better inform citizens about the functioning of the Congress
Tackle tough questions head-on
Congress and the general interest
Conclusion
6 Citizen participation
A lack of communication
Getting more involved in the work of Congress The cornerstones of citizen engagement
How do you make your views known to Congress?
Citizens who influenced the course of things
Is government by the people really possible?
Strengthen representative democracy.

Extract of the books “How the American Congress Works”.

Preface
From the thousands of public meetings I have held with my constituents in southern Indiana during my thirty-four years in office, I have drawn one conclusion: many citizens do not have a complete understanding of the Congress (or Parliament) of the United States – how it works, its role in American democracy, its impact on the daily lives of each of us and the improvements that could be made to it.
People were critical – often disappointed and rarely satisfied with Congressional action. Above all, they expressed a certain perplexity in the face of the institution which, in our democracy, most directly represents their interests.
Responding to their comments and questions, I found that I often spent as much time explaining and defending Parliament as an institution as I did answering questions on specific points. Congress, I tried to explain, constitutes the “primary power” of the federal State, designed to be closest to the people, most attentive to their needs, their desires and their aspirations. But Congress cannot function satisfactorily when such a large proportion of citizens do not see its usefulness or misunderstand its powers.
Our system of representative democracy is based on the idea that the people have both the right and the responsibility to be involved in the management of public affairs. It is one thing to profess a certain skepticism about politicians and the state; no longer expecting anything from the system is another.
Throughout the years I have served in the House of Representatives…

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