The New York Times ran this article a few weeks back, and I initially didn't want to post it for fear of it appearing to be biased. After re-reading it recently, I realized the fact that despite the controversial nature of the topic, it perfectly captures the relationship between Congress and interest groups (which we just studied!).
I don't want to ask about your opinions on gun control, or on the amount of power the N.R.A. seems to hold over law-makers (though feel free...). Rather, I simply want you to read it, digest it, and ask yourselves if you there is anything our government can do in regards to the power of lobbies? Are interest groups doing anything illegal?
Last, it seems as if our government is missing the bigger picture here. Think about the process of how a national tragedy turned into lawmakers worrying about re-election in the end. Are Congress' priorities in the right place?
I think our government is corrupt. They only focus on re-election and pleasing the larger voting groups. I think some of the more well known interest groups like the N.R.A. have gained too much control of our government. The government needs to focus on doing their job and not worrying about getting elected so much.
ReplyDeleteIn our country it's all about making money. Everyone cares about themselves more than anybody else. So people that are in our government just want to make money and make a difference to those people that are in the same boat as them or for the people that will vote for them. The interest groups have gained a little bit more power than what they should have and that is shown by how they influence the government officials so much.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree with Ben and Austin in the sense that "our government is corrupt" and that "in our country it's all about making money," I also believe that there are people that hold office and do want the best for our country. However in most cases it does appear that greed for power and money was what influenced many people in congress. After hearing about Manchin trying to take on the N.R.A., it proves that interest groups, especially large ones such as the NRA, do have too much power in our government. The point that this article made: "If the murder of 20 schoolchildren had proved insufficient motivation to address gun violence in America, this killing was not enough to persuade anyone to take on the N.R.A. again" shows that people believe that they have no power against the N.R.A. It also proves that people in Congress feel like they have no chance arguing to pass a bill, if they are fighting against the N.R.A. or other large interest groups.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ari, Austin, and Ben. I believe that government elections and re-elections are just big popularity contests and some candidates are just so desperate for attention that they will say what the public wants to hear. Like Ari said, in some cases, there are government officials that do have their morals taking top priority, but most just want the votes. In the case of the N.R.A., they definitely have too much power if a senator like Manchin or that congressman from the conservative district has to say that they're afraid of the N.R.A. in the first place.
ReplyDelete