Knowing your Government

Congressional staffers dread those phone calls from constituents asking for members of Congress to help them with a program beyond their jurisdiction.  An example would be someone calling his or her Congressman to install a stop sign on a nearby street, or asking a state legislator to oppose the President’s Supreme Court nominee.  Too often, citizen advocates waste time delivering their messages to the wrong level of government.

Effective advocates understand that government activity takes place on one of at least three levels.  What are these three levels? First, there’s the “local” level: think of your city council, mayor, county commission, local agencies such as transportation or housing or a regional organization. Government activity at this level is usually confined to very narrow geographic areas. For example, issues relating to your garbage collection service, zoning or building permits or property tax rates are usually very local types of functions.

The next level is the “state” level: think of, well, your state government. This would include your governor, your state House and Senate (except Nebraska – you just have one) and state agencies. Policies discussed at this level will generally impact the entire state or large portions of the state. A few state level examples of government activity include funding for and management of state parks, building and maintenance of state highways and, of course, those lovely state income taxes that many people pay.

Finally, there’s the federal level. This is where advocates get to play with Congress, the President and federal agencies like the EPA and the IRS. Government activity at this level is generally very broad in scope. In fact, the Constitution states (and I’m paraphrasing here) that the federal government can do anything “not reserved for the states.” This work includes federal income taxes, creation and funding of national programs like Social Security and Medicare / Medicaid, as well as trade and interactions with foreign countries.

Let’s also not forget the three branches of government (yes, everything in this blog post seems to be coming up in threes).  If you remember from your high school social studies/government course, they are: executive, legislative, and judicial.  Every level of government has their own version of these three branches.  For instance, the federal government has the President, Congress, and Supreme Court; while states have Governor, State Legislature, and state courts; and local governments have mayors, city/council councils, and local courts.  Keep in mind the responsibilities of each branch when thinking about whatever particular issues concern you.

Make sure to do careful research before writing a letter, signing a petition, making a phone call, or sending an email to an official.  You need to make sure that the official can actually help you with the problem and has the proper jurisdiction to do so.  This is one way to turning yourself into a more effective advocate.

  - Written by Stephanie Vance, Advocacy Guru

Why Hating Congress Isn’t ALWAYS the Answer to All Political Woes

Over the past eight years, Congress’ approval rating among the American public has been below 20%.  According to a Gallup poll from September 28, 2015:

• 52% of Americans see most members of Congress as corrupt, 

• 79% see most members of Congress as out of touch, and 

• 69% view members of Congress caring more about special interests than the needs of their constituents, 

 While some members of Congress certainly deserve the indignation they receive from the public, I think the body is often unfairly maligned. Imagine getting up at 6:30 every morning, Monday through Sunday, and kicking off 14 to 15 hours of non-stop meetings. The meetings are on every issue under the sun -- from trade with foreign countries to traffic conditions to whether the local Post Office should be renamed after Elvis Presley. That pretty accurately describes the life of an elected official with the occasional vacation or day off thrown in.

 During a typical week, for example, members of Congress have an extensive schedule of visits, dinners and meetings in their congressional districts or states. They fly to Washington, D.C., where they have more meetings, votes, evening events and, most important, interactions with constituents from their districts and states. Often, members have major employers in their districts or states who needs they have to keep in mind. And these employers will donate to their campaigns. So are these legislators representing the people who contribute to their campaigns? Or the people who live in the district? It’s not always as crystal clear as we might think.

 Members of Congress are influenced by a variety of factors, including personal relationships, media coverage, and personal interests and passion. Members of Congress are human beings, who look to their family, friends, and even staff for advice. Media coverage of events will often have an influence on what elected officials do. Elected officials even have personal interests and passions that animate them. Finally, in my opinion, the most important thing that influences Congress is their constituency connection. For members of the U.S. Congress, the highest and most important obligation is to the people they represent. That’s why the most common phrase heard in any elected officials’ office is “how does this impact my constituents.” It is the framework through which all decisions are made.

Will I erase your skepticism about money? No. Does money play a role in setting an overall agenda and getting people elected? Yes. Do legislators HATE raising money? A resounding yes. At the same time, remember you do have another avenue for influence – your role as a constituent. Don’t give up that right simply because you’re disgusted by money in politics. You may be the only hope we have of fixing the system.

 Members of Congress value the opinions of their constituents and work hard to stay in touch with them. And despite low opinions of Congress as a whole, many Americans (and clearly most voters) have higher opinions of their own member of Congress and vote to re-elect their member. So before you complain about Congress, it’s worth your time to take a more careful look at the institution, its members, and why they make the decisions they do.

- Written by Stephanie Vance, Advocacy Guru