"...to refine and enlarge the public views, by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country, and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations."
Much has been made of the public opposition to current health care legislation as evidence that Congress would be wrong to pass such legislation now in its current form. (Of course, the polling data is a little misleading, see here. A good number of folks oppose the bills because they don't go far enough.) The question then is, would the Congress be acting improperly in face of the public opposition to the legislation? Or should we expect our legislators to carry out their duties based on what they perceive as being in the public interest?
Well, if the legislators always do whatever the people wanted, we wouldn't be able to operate very well as a country because a majority of those people probably have a view that would benefit them personally rather than a country as a whole. It'd basically be mob rule.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is, if people only vote for their personal benefit, how are we going to trust that those who are being voted for are able to make decisions to help the country as a whole.
There is also the point at which, if who we vote for doesn't do what we thought they would and goes against public opinion, then are we as a people being properly represented?
I know I do not have enough experience on the government-run health car to say that the legislators should do one thing or another, so I can't really answer the question.
-Luke Coury
I believe the legislators should be listening to our opinions of how to reform and shape our new healthcare plan, but in the end I think they have a better idea of how it would end up working out.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are going to be many options that will be completely equal for everyone involved while creating a completely new system. Some people are going to have benefits over others, or atleast for awhile until they work out the bugs.
- H. Moore
Who's really to say what the "public interest" is? While, according to the poll, a majority of Americans disapprove of "Obamacare", there is still a significant percentage of people who support it, despite the fact the data is flawed (as aforementioned above.) There's never going to be complete agreement on this issue and legislators know that.
ReplyDeleteYou can't make everyone happy all of the time, and legislators are doing what they think is best for the country. I think what they're doing is commendable, even if I sometimes disagree with what they've decided. Then again, who am I to say what is right or wrong for the American people as a whole?
~Trecek
Alot of people disagree with the way that our politicians bring forth bills to be passed. Politicians are supposed to be listening to their constituents and not their political party.
ReplyDeleteThere should be a happy median between what the people want and what the political party leaders want. But this of course will not make everybody happy. In our society, no matter what the politicians do, not everybody is always happy.
- Tyler
Who is to say that the legislators are mirrors or mediators? legislators try to do their best for the county and the people but not everyone approves with their work.legislators listen to the peoples demands the best way they can but only can do what they also think is the best outcome for the country and not to just an individual.
ReplyDeleteif any new plan gets approved different people with different lifestyles with approve of it and others wont.legislators i think speak for the wishes of the people and thier own believe on what is really best for the future.it can not be an easy job to please everyone and its not possible to make everyone satisified.
Watson
I believe that Congress would DEFINITELY be doing the wrong thing if they passed the Health Care bill in its current form. Only about 33 percent of voters favor the Democrats Health Care reform. 49 percent of voters want Congress not to pass a bill this year and 48 percent doesn't want anything to happen. To me this shows that people do NOT want this bill to be passed.
ReplyDeleteWhile Obama previously taught Constitutional Law, he is having trouble understanding that very document. The Constitution clearly defines the role of the President. Obama has either misread or he doesn't understand, but he is WAY out of line. The Constitution says nothing about the President being able to pass Health Care. This is a job for the legislature.
Obama has called this, "His bill." It is supposed to be a bill made by the legislature. . .for the people. He is trying to push "his" bill through congress before the people have their say on it. This is because Obama and the Democrats know that it is not in the publics interest. Therefore, Congress would be wrong to pass it.
~Brittany Arthur
I'm not certain that I agree with the current bill in its entirety, but that's not really the issue that's up for debate here. I don't really feel comfortable with the idea of direct public rule - in other words, I agree with Madison that they should mediate between the realms of public desire and legislative possibility. However, Madison's viewpoint relies on the fact that the lawmakers act out of "patriotism and love of justice." I think too many of today's legislators act for the interests of their party and getting reelected, instead of the true concerns of 'we the people.'
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world, Madison's view of legislators would be great. However, they can't always be trusted to act in the public interest, so sometimes it would be better if they directly mirrored the public interest.
I believe that it depends on the situation the role of which our legislators assume. In my opinion the biggest factor in deciding which way interests must be considered is EDUCATION.
ReplyDeleteWhile it would without be doubt be best if true overall public opinion was followed, the honest truth is that the vast majority of citizens are not sufficiently educated in the areas of certain voting matters.
I therefore agree with Madison's statement about the role of our legislators, but simply because they are more educated in these matters (or presumably should be); after all it is their sole job. You trust a Dr. to make his best decisions on your treatment because that is what he studied in and is his job. You wouldn't consider wanting to be in the loop of every decision and the thought involved behind each. While Doctors, like politicians, are subject to bias there are ways in which validity is attempted to be kept; such as medical certifying boards. While this obviously isn't perfect, it is practical and the best that can be done in an impossible situation.
-Charlie Harless
I believe that while at times our legislative body reflects what we the people want, it at other times decides what would be best for us or our country.. The problem is that although it may better the country, we may not all agree with it or the way the legislative body goes about it may not be appropriate for the situation at hand.
ReplyDeleteWith the case of health care, I don't really see a solution coming any time soon. I am blessed to have health insurance, good health insurance, and it saddens me to know that some people can't go to the doctor when they are very ill when I go when I have a tickle in my throat.. But at the same time, at what cost to the American people would be the cost of health care for everyone? To me, it is an unsolved mystery that won't be solved in my lifetime.. I hope that I am wrong and that the legislative body can find an appropriate conclusion that everyone can agree with.
- TDAG
As legislators are of a particular political party, their views on public interest can be seen as slightly one-sided. A good legislator would, of course, attempt to pass legislation that would benefit everyone. However, legislators are people too, and therefore are not perfect. They will want the legislature to be useful not only to the people, but their party as well. - Samantha
ReplyDeleteOur country runs on a representive democracy, and I believe this is to prevent mad chaos. As Charlie said earlier there is a large precentage of Americans that I would not want our legislative branch to mirror, due to their education level and some times their plain ignorance. I also agree with Brad and Mr. Madison, in a perfect society representitive democracy would be perfect, and our representitives (politicians) would only have one goal and that would be help the welfare of the American people. Unfourtantely even in tough times some of our Politicians still have one objective and that is to keep their status and get reelected at the end of their term. I believe that our legislators should look at their people, "US", and then take their wisdom and political knowledge to mend the ideas and beliefs of the two together. I think when our government can find a "happy median" earlier said by Tyler, between the people and all of our legislators then the American people will see real change
ReplyDelete- Andrew
I belive our represenatives who make the decisions for the American people should base those decisions on what the American People truly want. Not about what would make them look better in their own party. Government officials should not worry about making decisions that would get them re-elected, but make decisions to help change society and be remembered for that.
ReplyDeleteThe American People rely on these people to make the decisions for them and I think those people should put differences aside and start thinking like a true "American Person" would.
G. Goad
I believe that the legislators are elected "by the people, for the people." Now that may sound cliche, it is the truth. Our government is, in fact,a representative democracy. If the voters want it, then it is the legislators duty to uphold to the people. That is why they are sworn in, to uphold the legal responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteI use he term "voters," because those who do not vote and are eligable to, apparentlyo not care enough about what the government can do to them, therefore they have no right no complain if the legislators chose to do the exact opposite of what they want.
The people ultimately do hold the power, if you don't want a legislator that you disagree with in office, don't vote for them! The system is majority rule, so if the legislator you vote for does not win the election, the least you can do is try. It is the only way to make a difference.
God Bless America
It would be great to think politicians mirrored the opinions and views of the people they represented, but sometimes the public view is not always the best view. Politicians seem to try and pass legislation that is best for the country, though their own agendas appear to creep in from time to time.
ReplyDeleteWhen officials are elected, assuming they will make the best decision for those that they represent is all anyone can hope for. Politicians are elected for what they say they will do, but the final decision still rests in their hands, not in the people's.
- Dustan
THIS IS VIKTORIOUS FINALLY BACK TO CIVILIZATON SAYING:
ReplyDeleteMan..this one is tough. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in the shoes of a legislator today, but I imagine it is a little bit like being a 21st century golem. Their original intentions are good, however "they have the potential to become destructive based on what we the people instill in them"(Our Gods Wear Spandex).
One would imagine that eventually there would be a win-win situation, but seeing as we are all human this will never happen.There is never total agreeance.
Since we the people are never in agreeance it would be absurd to expect our representatives to be in total agreeance. This inturn brings up the fact that we should be able to trust our legislators to make laws in the best interest of us, however can we really trust them? Can we really, honestly trust these corrupted human beings to not act in self interest?
It is a complicated situation that even I do not have an answer for. The cycle just continues to be perpetuated from so many angles and I just simply do not have a resolution.
Mr. VIKTORIOUS is right. No matter what kind of government we have, there will always be somebody thats only looking out for themselves, whether or not it benifits society. We have the type of governemt that has many representatives. There will be good and honest ones, but there will most definitely by corrupt and power hungry people there. The only good thing about elections is that we get to elect who screws the nation over. It doesn't matter if the president is a good person and a good president, he's mostly a figurehead puppeted by congress and his party, on both sides republican and democrat. Unless you can read minds, you can never really trust anyone with the country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of the statements made earlier. If our representatives were to simply parrot everything their constituents wanted, our country would be a mobocracy. If we rely on our representatives to mediate "out of the goodness of their hearts," well, that shows a profound lack of understanding about human character. I think the best solution is the mess we have now. A reflection of the majority interest in our representatives' actions, and a system of free press, involved citizens, and private interests that check the decisions of representatives. This system does not necessarily produce consistent results, but most extremes are balanced to equilibrium in the end.
ReplyDelete