American Government questions

 Why is seniority so important in the US Congress? What is the effect of allocating Congressional committees and other assignments based on Seniority? Do you think that term limits for Congress members is a good idea? Why or why not? 5b. How does a bill become law in the US Congress? What is the role of committees and sub committees in writing legislation? Who, besides Congressmen themselves, are some of the important players in the actual writing of legislation? Why do these unelected people have so much influence over congress? Do you think this kind of specialized professional input in the writing of legislation is appropriate? Why or why not? Why is it so difficult to get a piece of legislation through Congress? How many different ways can you kill a bill? 6a. Should the qualification for president that requires a person to be a natural-born citizen of the United States be changed? Explain your answer. Should presidents be limited to two terms in office? What are the best reasons for retaining the Twenty-Second Amendment? What are the best reasons for getting rid of it? 6b. What are the express powers of the President as laid out in the constitution? How have these been expanded in the years since the Constitution was written? What are executive orders? What is executive privilege? What role does the President play in the national budget procedure? Are there limits to these powers, and if so what are they? Does the President have the kind of power often associated with office in the public mind? Why does this “illusion of Presidential government” exist? 7a. Describe the process by which legal cases reach the Supreme Court? How does the Supreme Court decide which cases it will hear? Once a case reaches the Supreme Court, how do the Justices go about reaching their decisions? What different kinds of opinions does the court issue, and what is the significance of each? 7b. What is the difference between judicial self-restraint and judicial activism? How do judges make law? Should judges make law? Why or why not? What do you believe to be the proper role of the federal court system in a constitutional democracy?