Answer to Question 1
An ideal response will:
1, Explain that the U.S. Constitution does not specify education as a federal function but that issues of equality, for example, have compelled intervention.
2, Discuss the benefits or drawbacks associated with the national government determining the needs of local schools (e.g., unfunded mandates, uniqueness of local standards, and issues of national competitiveness).
Answer to Question 2
An ideal response will:
1, Relate that committees are the most important influencers of the congressional agenda, and that committee chairs are the most important influencers of the committee agenda.
2, Make a committee choice with direct relevance to the economy or dynamics of the student legislator's home state. A student may also aspire to the House Rules or Ways and Means Committees, both of which possess inherent power.
3, Note that committee chairs in the House are no longer selected based solely on the seniority system, but by demonstrating party loyalty via interview to the majority party leadership. This forces the legislator to toe the party line on key decisions. However, straying too far from the will of one's constituency could prove disastrous for reelection.
4, Answer should include information on the benefits of chairmanship, such as control over legislation, deference from other legislators, and preferential treatment by lobbyists.
Sea Level during the Last Glaciation
Upper-Level Maps
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Created Equal: A Social and Political History of the United States, Brief Edition
Key foreign policy agencies