George packer is a Yankee/ American novelist, playwright and journalist. His fame comes with the writing he does for the New Yorker about The United States Of America foreign policy and his interrelated book The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq. In this paper, a well-studied analysis is done based on a watched video titled- the senators’ empty chamber- confirms or refutes what I have learnt so far about the structure and design of congress, and how it operates.
One of the senator’s roles that we all know in America is legislation. Pioneering bills is done in any chamber of the congress. Nevertheless, the origination clause of the constitution provides that each bill for putting up revenue shall instigate from the House of Representatives. Moreover, the House of Representatives stick to their guns that the senate does not have the mandate to instigate appropriation of bills or bill certifying the expenditure of national government.
In the past, the senate has refuted the elucidation backed by the House. However, when the Senate instigates an appropriation bill, the House only declines to back it, by this means settling the difference of opinion in practice. George should have considered this before he drove into conclusion. Imagine whenever the Senate try to pass a bill the House of Representative is always there waiting for it to be blocked. It seems like there is lack of coordination and harmonization between the house of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The perpetuated discouragement or demoralization has led to less participation in the congress.
The constitutional stipulation curbing the Senate from launching revenue bills is based on practice of British parliament where only the House of Commons can introduce such measures. The bottom line is Senate is equal to the House when it comes to spending regardless of the Constitution giving the House the mandate to introduce revenue bills. Woodrow Wilson wrote that the Senate has the mandate to amend overall appropriation bills exceptionally to the widest probable scope. The upper houses may add up what it desires; may even go altogether off the initial provision and tack them completely new characteristics of legislation, changing not only the figures but also even the entity of the expenditure and make up a material send them by the popular chamber procedure of completely different character or view.
It is necessary for both houses to give a go ahead for any bill, even the revenue bill, to become law. The two houses have to pass the same translation of the bill; if there is any dissimilarity they may be solved by the conference committee or by sending alteration back and forth, which includes members of both houses.
George packer in his interview speaks as though the role of the Senate cannot be felt any more by the citizens of United States America. Well, I criticize that strongly since the Senate is in congress to please the viewers on television as George was trying to put but to serve the citizens of its beloved country.
Lastly, George packer wants us to buy his idea that the senate is no longer the senate he knew as a young boy. The ‘political heavy weights’- politicians- might have changed, but the senate is guided by the same old constitutional stipulation that applied when George was as a young boy. Their role for legislation has been there for centuries not to mention their role for check and balances.
Moreover, the constitution gives some unique roles for the senate that it capability to check and balance the mandates of other rudiments of the Federal Government. This comprise of the necessity that the senate may give a piece of mind and must assent to several government appointments made by the president. Furthermore, the senate must assent to all arrangements with foreign governments. It also attempts all impeachments and further elects the vice president on the account that no one gets the greater part of electoral votes.
In conclusion, George Packer a Famous and respectable journalist is just trying to share his thoughts with the world. However, there is no clear evidence that the current senators are not as good as the past ones in his childhood. With the roles that I have just outlined that the senate takes care of am afraid to buy this story.
Work cited
NEED TO KNOW/ George Packer and Tom Udall on the Senate [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbp3zFsz-3I
