This is a speech for a US Representative running for Senate. Includes problems that Congress has and 3 proposals to fix it.
First off I want to say that I am very happy to see all of you here. I am going to use this time to announce my candidacy for Senate. After much deliberation I have decided to leave the House of Representatives after my three terms and run for a position in the United States Senate. I believe that I am the right candidate for this position for several reasons. First of all, I was in the House for six years, because of this I understand how the institution is run from the inside, and I understand the problems of the Senate. I believe that this is a very important aspect when running for the Senate. Second I realize that Congress has some fundamental problems, that come from individual goals as well as institutional goals, and I want to take actions to fix these problems, not just point them out. I have chosen three proposals from Mayor and Canon that I think will help Congress in overcoming these aforementioned fundamental problems. My ideas are to help Congress make decisions that help improve the general good of the nation.
One problem I believe that Congress has is that its members are more worried about making policy that helps the citizens of there own district because this benefits them and are not as concerned about making policy that helps improve the country as a whole. This is also known a collective dilemma. In our system of government as long as there is no exact definition of the public good, there will always be conflict between collective lawmaking and local representation. This is a problem that is not just exclusive to Congress, but has been going on throughout history. To help you understand this problem I will explain two examples, according to Mayer and Canon, which you may have heard of before.
The first is the tragedy of the commons.
"Imagine that you raise sheep in a nineteenth-century New England town and that many other people in the town raise sheep as well. All of you use a common pasture--a commons--on which you all allow your sheep to
One problem I believe that Congress has is that its members are more worried about making policy that helps the citizens of there own district because this benefits them and are not as concerned about making policy that helps improve the country as a whole. This is also known a collective dilemma. In our system of government as long as there is no exact definition of the public good, there will always be conflict between collective lawmaking and local representation. This is a problem that is not just exclusive to Congress, but has been going on throughout history. To help you understand this problem I will explain two examples, according to Mayer and Canon, which you may have heard of before.
The first is the tragedy of the commons.
"Imagine that you raise sheep in a nineteenth-century New England town and that many other people in the town raise sheep as well. All of you use a common pasture--a commons--on which you all allow your sheep to