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Research Paper:

1. Discuss the entire process of how a bill becomes a law. Use real examples from bills

passed by Congress. Why do most bills not become law?

The very first step of lawmaking procedure is to change a thought into a specific

proposition for a law. The proposition might be for another law, for altering current law or for

revoking a law. The proposition may arise from a range of sources including; people, state

offices, public groups or organizations. However, for a thought to become law, it must be

presented as a bill by a Representative only. The representative the does research concerning the

ideas and drafts them as bills. The second stage involves bill proposal. The Representative chats

with different Representatives about the bill with expectations of getting their support concerning

the bill. The bill is ready to be introduced once it has support of some Representative (Bradley &

Ewing, 716).

The bill is introduced to the House of Representative by placing it in a special box “the

hopper” on clerk’s desk where it is assigned a number beginning with “H.R” or “S” and then

entered into a ledger and Legislative Information system. Example in 13th May, 2003, Senator

Olympia Snowe introduced the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 (S. 1053).

The bill is then marked for printing and delivered to printing office of government where copies
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are made available for the House of Representative. It is then read to all representatives and the

speaker directs the bill to one of the committees (John, 23). At the committee, it is reviewed and

revised before voting is done to determine whether it will be sent back to House floor or not.

Example is the S. 1053 bill was then referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education,

Labor and Pensions (HELP). Whenever the members of the committee want further information

concerning the bill, it is sent to subcommittee where it is examine closely and make changes and

amendments before being sent back to the committee for endorsement (John, 23). Subcommittee

may vote not to report to the committee where the bill is considered dead. Example is on 21st

May, 2003, the Senate HELP Committee held a markup of S. 1053 where they offered

amendment to the bill. The committee votes the bill and recommends it to the House (Bradley &

Ewing, 719).

Upon approval by the committee, it is then sent to the House floor where it is debated by

House of Representatives. Reading clerk is then allowed to read the bill all through and

recommendations are made by the Representatives. Change are then made and the bill is set for

voting. The bill passes or is defeated depending on the majority of voters. Voting is done through

voice vote, division or recording using electronic voting system. Example is on October 14th ,

2003, the Senate voted on S. 1053 and passed by a vote of 95 to 0. The bill is then referred to

other chamber, the Senate, where it goes through similar steps as those of House of

Representatives including voting. The chamber may approve, reject, ignore or change it.

When the bill is approved, it is sent to the president where he can sign it to become a law.

He can refuse to sign it or veto the bill. Here, along with the reasons for president’s veto, it is

sent to House of Representatives. The veto of the president is overridden and it becomes law if

the Senate and House of representative still believe it should be a law and through voting, two
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thirds of both chambers supports the bill. The president might decide to do nothing. The bill

become a law automatically after 10 days if the congress is in session. Otherwise, it doesn’t

become a law. The law is then signed and enforced by government.

Although many bills are drafted, only few of them become laws. The process involved is

long and tedious. Some bills are even dead on arrival. According to research, less than 10% of

the bill are approved to become laws. The bills are scrutinized and has to be voted for by the

House of Representative, the Senate, the committees and subcommittees involved before

approval by president. Some of these bills drafted are unique to some districts thus find it hard to

be passed. The bills mostly are many page documents and the Senate may not go through them

all thus end up not voting for them.

2. Discuss some of the powers of the President. Do any of his powers help him be an

effective agenda setter?

The constitution of United States assigns the president substantial authority to make

important and execute policies. The president is the sole head of government and heat of state.

He has a mandate to ensure country’s positive progressing by intervening on key issues such as

rule making, diplomacy. Agenda management, commanding the armed forces, executive orders

and public-private partnership creation. The president has abilities to provide solution to citizens

on matters that concerns them most such as education, protection of consumers, creation of jobs

and economic competitiveness, affordable and quality healthcare, clean energy future and energy

independence, and a sustainable security for the nation (Cohen, 89).

The president has the following powers on policies on domestic economy front;

Coordinate an evaluation, methodology, and new approach advancement to ensure


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competitiveness, dispatch the new buyer financial protection authority with a forceful plan to

enable customers’ protection and empowerment, increment the limit of small business to grow

employing and buys by quickening the execution of the Small Business Jobs Act, elevate

automatic intercession to maintain a strategic distance from dispossession where conceivable and

speed resolution, make a web-based interface to enable lodging advisors, decrease loads on

moneylenders, and accelerate home loan alterations, help balance out home estimations and

advance practices that bolster working families (Fairlie, 194).

In matters of the national security and foreign policy, the president has powers to;

rebalance our Afghanistan methodology with more noteworthy accentuation on political and

conciliatory advance, advance generation of domestic revenue in Afghanistan and Pakistan,

name an extraordinary commission to survey contracting hones in foreign affairs and national

security issues, increase bolster for Palestinian state-and organization building endeavors and

seek double track strategy on Iran while honing emphasis upon Iranian human rights issues. The

president has appointment powers to select federal positions before assuming office, nominate

federal judges and appoint officials for various federal agencies ((Fairlie, 197). In addition, he

can appoint his staffs such as assistants and advisers and appoint ministers, ambassadors and

consuls. He also has powers to sign treaties with other countries.

The constitution grants president power of clemency through pardon and commutation,

emergency powers, approve and sign a bill into law (Fairlie, 203). The president of US has

executive powers that enables him manage national affairs. He can make rule, instructions or

rules referred as executive order having binding law forces. The president is the Commander in

Chief of the Armed Forces of United States and during emergency, the congress can give the

president more powers to protect security and manage economy of United States.
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Although the constitution does not give the president direct powers for agenda setting, he

is heavily involved. The congress has powers to set agendas but the president play vital role in

influencing them (Cohen, 92). The constitution allows the president to give to Congress

information of State of the Union and endorse measures and considerations that seems necessary

and convenient. The State of the Union allows permits the president to talk on issues he wants

tackled and with the help of the media the message is spread. The executive power through

executive orders also aids the president become an effective agenda setter. With the help of the

media, citizens and congress, the president can utilize his agenda setting powers the best he can.

This is more effective during his first term (Light, 78).

3. Discuss the difference between the merits and spoil system?

Spoil system, also referred to patronage system, is a system whereby political party that

wins an election rewards posts in government to its campaigners, family, friends and active

supporters among other favors. The system includes political movement by open workers who

support their political party while some employees are removed from office on basis of political

affiliation. New officials are brought to control powerful positions especially those having

political responsibilities. The system is characterized by most cases of nepotism. This system

was witnessed earlier in the 19th century under President Andrew Jackson where government job

were given to individuals who held the positions at the pleasure of voted officials. Jackson’s

supporters believed that it was the right and duty of political elections winner to rotate the

government appointments in and out with a popular phrase “to the victor belong the spoils”.

The spoil system does not require qualification for the government post and anyone could

be fired from their position in government anytime and for no substantial reason. The politicians

are held accountable whenever the employs do not perform since they are the ones responsible
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for hiring. The system abuses political power to benefit themselves and accumulate wealth to the

ruling party. This is done through siphoning of public funds to the part by awarding contracts to

party contributors to handle public projects with exaggerated rates, even giving public franchise

to friends at very low costs, favoring their supporters in law cases prosecutions, levying taxes

and unnecessary placement of insurance companies.

The spoil system received a lot criticism from opponents due to the fact that people

appointed were less skilled, unqualified and were incapable to deliver at their posts. Corrupt

officials could easily find themselves in offices which they would finally abuse as long as they

supported the ruling party. Party loyalty is highly emphasized over other important qualifications

such as relevant skills and experiences.

The merit system is also known as civil service system characterized by offering posts in

the government based on individual’s qualifications and abilities. It is applied to all positions

within government branches as long as they are hired rather than elected. The skills and

qualifications of the applicants are measured by tests and those that score highest are awarded

the post or promoted. The application if usually open to most people with similar abilities. Firing

or demoting a government employee in the merit system is a long procedure and on has to have

reasons and a concrete proof.

Merit system disconnects the employees of the government from political pressures and

emphasizes on competences rather than political affiliation as for the case of spoil system. The

employees have the right to appeal any decision made about their promotion or demotion. The

supporters of this system believe in holding of offices to benefit the whole public. This system

provide high standard and quality work to the public since it creates an honest, productive and an

effective workplace.
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Workers builds associations and the administration they give to clients permits the

department to be effective. Without its workers or clients, an association would be damned.

Inspired and glad employees are the key to the merit system. Happy and satisfied employees with

their occupations are probably going to give a more elevated amount of efficiency, they are less

likely to quit, extraordinary correspondence for voicing working environment concerns, less or

no cases of abusing company’s benefits such as meal breaks or rewards, and so forth. The

system is in charge of giving and setting the environment and models of a working environment

that leads in milestone achievements. The system encourages competitiveness which may cause

tension among employees.

4. Discuss the differences between Realism Idealism and a Multilateral and Unilateral

foreign policy.

Idealism is where you imagine or see things in a perfect or flawless way. Realism inclines

toward a more realistic and genuine perspective of a circumstance. In philosophy, idealism is a

hypothesis that expresses that our existence is formed by our considerations and thoughts or

ideas. Realism deals with truth indicating the absolute existence of reality independent from

one’s thought, consciousness and ideas (Collin 34).

Idealism is the gathering of theories which attest that reality is mentally constructed

otherwise irrelevant. It shows as a suspicion about the likelihood of knowing any mind-

autonomous thing. In a sociological sense, idealism stresses how human thoughts particularly

convictions and qualities shape society (Singh and Dr.Mona 92). As an ontological teaching,

vision goes further, affirming that all substances are made out of brain or soul. Idealism thought

was advanced by Plato in 400 B.C. He thought that by correcting human thoughts and already

existing knowledge discovery, then human s could be improved. This philosophy also views God
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as spring of all understanding and values are unchanging and absolute. According to an idealist,

the actual object is not real but rather the idea behind it is. Idealism concentrates on reasoning

and how knowledge can be brought up by a person from inside. Therefore, the world exists

solely in people’s minds and essential truth depends on consistency of thoughts or ideas.

Realism thought advanced by Aristotle who was a student of Plato. Realism asserts that

material world is the only reality and the only way to find reliable truth is through studying the

outer world. It views the world as a condition that our minds are required to adhere to. Realists

trust that whatever we trust now is just an estimation of reality and that each new perception

conveys us nearer to understanding the reality. We accomplish more prominent and more

noteworthy learning through legitimate investigation of the world. In Realism, a man is an

unfilled vessel for learning which can just originate from outside of the self, through perception.

Realist view the world as corporal reality as the basic thing that is true.

Multilateral foreign policy depicts a state's mission to affirm its interests and objectives

through participation and coalitions with different states. Unilateral foreign policy is where the

state is upheld by its own powers, regardless of whether these depend on a solid economy, a high

innovative standard or on solid military limits. Unilateralism’s advocates tend to view the world

as unipolar where by a super power, couple of major powers and several power exist in a

unipolar system (Sonja, 10).

Multilateral foreign policy guarantees international community support thus making

international insight of action more likely. With the increased good-will, this makes present

action easier. Multilateralism ensures a coalition of knowledge and interests. This guarantees an

adjusted comprehension of the issue and prompts clear destinations for activity (James, 18). This

at last prompts a more noteworthy probability of accomplishment. It is presumptuous and


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hazardous for nations to expect that only they comprehend the issue, and only they have the

"might" and the "right" to tackle it.

Unilateralism is destabilizing in that if a nation battles wars exclusively on a residential

impulse, unconstrained by conference or talk with partners, it is probably going to act lopsidedly,

oppressively and counter-gainfully. It is likewise a horrible point of reference to set for different

states to take after: worldwide relations could fall apart if standards of participation are not

supported. Disarray and rebellion would be the outcome if states chose to act alone. Unilateral

approach provide maximum freedom of action. Although some ally states can add on

capabilities, they dictate how tools will be used (James, 14).


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Work cited

Annick. Philosophy of education, Andrews University Extension Center, School Education,

Northern Caribbean University, 2009.

Bradley and Ewing. Constitutional and Administrative Law. Twelfth Edition. Longman. 1997.

Page 718

Cohen, Jeffrey. "Presidential Rhetoric and the Public Agenda." Midwest Political Science

Association. 39.1, 1995: 87-107

Costly, Andrew. "Foreign Policy - Constitutional Rights Foundation". www.crf-usa.org.

Collin. Conference on Peace Research in History, and C. A. In Barker. Power and law:

American dilemma in world affairs: Papers. Johns Hopkins Press, 2001, Print

Fairlie, John. "The Administrative Powers of the President". Michigan Law Review. Vol. 2, No.

3: pp. 190–210

Hilaire Barnett. Constitutional and Administrative Law. Second Edition. Cavendish. 1998. Page

537.

James A. H. “Multilateralism and Unilateralism”, 2003.

John V. Sullivan. "How Our Laws Are Made". The Library of Congress

United States government. "Recent Votes". United States Senate. 2010.

Louis, Fisher. “Constitutional Conflicts between Congress and the President”. University Press

of Kansas, 2007: pp. 249–272

Light, Paul. The President's Agenda: Domestic Policy Choice from Kennedy to Clinton, 2001.

Mead, Walter Russell. Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the

World, 2001.

Roberts, Dan. "The USA Freedom Act: a look at the key points of the draft bill"
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Singh, Dr.Mona. "Indian Foreign Policy: From Idealism to Realism." International Journal of

Scientific Research, vol. 3, no. 5, 2012, pp. 91-92, Print.

Sonja D. “American Foreign Policy between Unilateralism and Multilateralism”, 2002.

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