final paper

- 1 - 1 2 3 4 1. It is amazing that Why is this amazing? [Kevin Eirich] 2. senate and the house of representative.

Senate and House of Representatives are proper nouns; they should be capitalized throughout.

[Kevin Eirich] 3. oversight problem. The oversight problem comes into play because of the size of the federal What, exactly, is the big oversight problem to which you refer? [Kevin Eirich] 4. pays their staff poorly What information do you have that supports this idea?

Explore the library to find reliable resources, such as quotes and data, to help prove your point and strengthen your argument.

[Kevin Eirich] LEARNING ACTIVITY WORKSHEET - Week Three Please review the full assignment prompt and the Week 5 Final Paper instructions located within the classroom and in the POL 201 Course Guide before beginning this assignment.

Utilizing the worksheet below, develop detailed paragraphs that focus on the first main point for your final paper. For each section, a minimum of one fully-developed paragraph is required. A fully developed paragraph should be a minimum of 5-7 sentences in length. Each paragraph should include at least one in-text APA citation that provides support for the topic. At least two scholarly sources from the Ashford University library (not including your textbook) with in-text citations utilized within your paragraphs are required. Two new sources should be utilized each week to meet the minimum of eight required sources for the final paper. By finding and supporting your material with these sources each week, you will have the research necessary to construct a strong final paper. For help with writing and citations , please review the handouts and tutorials provided by the Ashford Writing Center. 1. Branches of Government: (Pick one: Executive, Legislative, or Judicial).

A. One strength of one of the three branches of government.

One strength of the legislative branch is that it has the power to make new laws as well as change existing laws that are in the best interest for the people. When these new laws are made or existing laws are altered it still must go through the senates and the house of representatives to be reviewed and make sure that law is necessary and proper. It is amazing that if the president vetoes a law the legislative branch can still get the law passed by obtaining two- thirds votes in the senate and the house of representative.

B. One weakness of one of the three branches of government.

One weakness of the legislative branch is the big oversight problem. The oversight problem comes into play because of the size of the federal government. As stated in the article The Legislative branch’s big oversight problem by Kosar (2015) “There are so many agencies to track and so many complex programs and policies to comprehend”. With the number of agencies that must be tracked along with programs there are not enough heads in the office that to review and study the policies effectively or hold hearings. The legislative branch pays their staff poorly which leads to being understaffed and causing a huge oversight on policies and laws. - 2 - 1 2 3 4 5 1. government discussed above.

Margaret, Above, you cited a strength as the power of Congress to make laws. Why would term limits maintain that power? Congress has the power to write laws without term limits, so why would having term limits alter that power? [Kevin Eirich] 2. is to keep fresh eyes on board and know what is needed for the people. Having a fresh pair of eyes and proper knowledge of what is needed can help bring laws and make changes to existing laws the people are saying need reevaluating or laws that need to be created.

How would you compel this?

This is a nice sentiment with which many would agree, but I'm not sure of your recommendation on how we do this specifically. [Kevin Eirich] 3. is to pay its staff properly.

Margaret, You've provided no data on how staff are paid, so how can the reader know if the pay is improper? [Kevin Eirich] 4. Kosar (2015) also stated that to improve oversight the congress can reduce the size of the government and make it easier to oversee or increase congress; professional support staff.

What do you say? [Kevin Eirich] 5. Staff Staff are not the same as members of Congress. There are more than 535 staff members working for Congress. [Kevin Eirich] C. One option to maintain the strength of the branch of government discussed above.

One option to maintain the strength of the legislative branch is to keep fresh eyes on board and know what is needed for the people. Having a fresh pair of eyes and proper knowledge of what is needed can help bring laws and make changes to existing laws the people are saying need reevaluating or laws that need to be created. In the article The Legislative Branch it is said that members of the house are elected every two years and must be 25years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and the resident of the state they are looking to represent. With allowing a term for members of the house it allows laws that are taken to the senate and the house of representative to have less restrictions because of different time frames others were in. For instance, if there were members of the house that have been there for 15-20years, it could cause a problem because they would be set in their old ways and old laws. It could cause more harm to the future than a positive effect.

D. One option to correct the weakness of the branch of government discussed above.

One option to correct the weakness of the legislative branch is to pay its staff properly. With the amount of work and time that must be inputted for their position they should be paid accordingly. In the article written by Kosar (2015) it is said that staff were doing more communication work rather than their actual jobs of working on policies. With making these changes it gives the opportunity of less oversight and proper oversight needed and gives knowledge that the staff is needed and are appreciated for their time and hard work they put forth. Kosar (2015) also stated that to improve oversight the congress can reduce the size of the government and make it easier to oversee or increase congress; professional support staff. There are 535 members of congress and a 3.9 trillion government. Staff increase is needed without a doubt. 2. Reference List (utilizing full APA citations) - 3 - 1 1.

https://www.whitehouse.go v/1600/legislative-branch http://www.rstreet.org/op- ed/the-legislative-branchs- big-oversight-problem/ Your source(s) are not formatted properly, in accordance with APA format.

Please review the Writing Center information on the course homepage for additional information on the proper formatting of URLs/web links. Thanks.

[Kevin Eirich] https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/legislative-branch http://www.rstreet.org/op-ed/the-legislative-branchs-big-oversight-problem/