Schwalb: Better use of a great power
Congress, you may remember from A.P. U.S. History, has power of the purse. Though “power of the purse” may sound like the lamest superpower ever, it’s actually a real-life power. And it’s about as cool as any superpower, since, unlike heat-vision, it actually exists. But our non-super representatives do a pretty bad job at wielding it.
There are three specific problems with the way congress guards our purse. First, bills are often cooked up with plenty of pork and rushed through Congress for a vote before they can be thoroughly read. One of my favorite examples of this was the...
George Patsourakos
I believe it is a good idea for Congress to vote separately for programs and for funding these programs, rather than voting for both programs and funding simultaneously. Since voting separately would allow for two separate debates, senators and representatives could better scrutinize the programs and especially their funding. Under the current system, Congress neglects too many bills that are important -- while enacting others that are mediocre -- because of "pork" benefits that their districts would receive.Voting separately for programs and for funding would be a fairer method, since Congress would be more likely to enact laws that are most essential for America!