Congressional Representation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Congressional Representation - Research Paper Example Moreover, ideology, policy preferences and the nature of information received etc can also affect the Congressmen while they vote. In short, â€Å"congressional voting on specific bills is correlated with the economic self-interest of the representative's constituents and a measure of the representative's ideology† as indicated by his broader voting record†(Bender, 1991, p.1) This paper briefly analyses various reasons why congressmen vote the way they do, and how their constituencies at times play a large role in that. The role of Hannah Pitkin’s theory; substantive vs. descriptive representation in controlling the voting behaviour of the Congressmen is also analysed in this paper. Factors which influence Congressmen while they vote Fellow Congressmen can influence a Congressman very much while he takes decisions upon certain topic. Fellow congressmen can act as the source of lots of information which may influence the Congressman while he takes decision about a particular topic. In most of the cases, Congressmen may engage in mutual discussion both in and out of the office and that also formally and informally. All these discussions will bring lot of new information which may affect the decision making process of the Congressmen. ... Thus fellow congressmen have wider influence on the decision making abilities of a particular congressman. The influence of Constituent is another major factor which controls the voting of the Congressmen. â€Å"The constituency imposes some meaningful constraints on Congressmen’s voting behaviour†(Kingdon, 1989, p.68). Moreover, â€Å"a basic principle of representative democracy is that elected officials must pay homage to their districts if they wish to secure reelection† (Crespin, n. d. p.2).It is difficult for congressmen to sacrifice the interests of the people in their constituencies since they need the support of the people for their re-election. In other words, a congressman who has planned to seek re-election should vote in accordance with the interests of the people in their constituencies. Only on issues that the constituency doesn't feel strongly, the Congressman may think of taking an independent decision. Ultimately, the congressmen have the moral responsibility or liability to explain his stands to the people in his constituencies since the people are the ones who elected him. Party leadership and the committee members can also influence the decision making or the voting of the congressmen. â€Å"The degree of party cohesions affects the voting behaviour of the congressmen†(Froman, 1963, p.57). Each party may have a well defined stand on all policy matters. In most of the cases, the congressmen vote in favour of his party’s stands. However, in many cases, congressmen take stands which are different from that of his party. For example, many democrats opposed Obama’s healthcare reform bill along with the republicans. If the president is popular in the constituency, the congressman will extend greater support to the policies of the

The American Heart Associations Importance To Todays Generation Research Paper

The American Heart Associations Importance To Todays Generation - Research Paper Example widespread of deaths and disabilities resulting from cardiovascular diseases, which are accompanied by the current state of health and the high risk lifestyle of today’s generation. Cardiovascular diseases account to about 40 percent of death each year (Kochane & Ed 5). Cardiovascular diseases are lifestyle diseases that become more widespread as nations become more industrialized. These diseases are, however, preventable, and can be controlled with changes in lifestyle, environment and diet. Sedentary lifestyle, which is a common phenomenon in today’s generation, is one of the key risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. In 2003, 62 percent of men and 48 percent of women above 15 years follow sedentary lifestyle in America (Kochane 2). However, evidences are clear that this lifestyle causes heart diseases including its risk factors like obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol level and diabetes (Kochane 2). For example, a statistical results indicated that 27 percent of girls and 22 percent of boys watched TV for more than four hours per day. They were established to be overweight as compared to their active counterparts (World Health Orga nization 73). It is also estimated that 4 percent of women and 3 percent of men over 30 years, die as a result of cardiovascular diseases due to lack of regular physical activity. Regular physical exercise provides health benefits and reduces most of the risk factors that cause cardiovascular diseases. Population that is physically active has about half the number of cardiovascular disease cases as compared to physically inactive population (Al-Maskari 1). Moderate physical activities are essential in the human body as they encourage metabolism processes (Al-Maskari 1). It also helps in burning the excess fat in the body, and eliminating salts from the bloodstream. The American Heart Association suggests that all adults should do at least 20 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most days