I've asked both classes to answer the same basic question - Is Congress Broken? - and to feel free to take a critical approach to the question. Perhaps it is in fact behaving as it was always intended to behave, with one side checking the ambitions of the other. Contemporary observers argue that the current level of polarization is preventing the Congress from solving basic problems. It no longer about checking and balancing, its about disfunction.
But again you may differ, and feel free to as long as you can provide a solid reasonable argument supporting your take.
Some students have asked where they can find info to address the question (remember that I've asked for a thesis for this week's weekly written assignment). As it turns out, I've complied a series of posts over time on this subject and you might want to look at some of these. They are listed under the following blog tags:
- Is Congress Broken?
- party polarization.
For specific stories to hang your answer on, look through news sources. You'll see plenty of links on the right hand column. These recent stories have caught my eye:
- Is Congress broken? Startup Act shows what can work.
- Republicans Pledge New Standoff on Debt Limit.
- Could 'fiscal cliff' push US into recession? Five questions answered.
- Top 9 reasons Congress is broken
