Huamnities 12 - Government and Economics
Model Senate
Model Senate summmary
and Essentially model senate was designed to teach us how the U.S. congress, senate, and government overall performs. The project consisted of each senior being assigned as either a senator, lobbyist, or an expert to realistically reenact what happens within congress. We then drove straight into the congressional process. Various senators wrote legislation regarding either climate change or finance from their parties and senators perspective, which we then voted on choosing two bills out of many to be on the docket. We also we each assigned to write a speech either supporting or opposing the legislation or the amendments proposed to the bill. I assumed the position of top ranking Republican senator and majority leader Mitch McConnell. I wrote a conservative climate change bill as well as a speech supporting amendments to the climate change bill that was voted to be on the docket. It was also my job along with the minority leader to create a minute per minute schedule regarding how our mock senate exhibition would be run. As well as being in charge of running the senate floor in a efficient manner using correct parliamentary procedure. We exhibited our mock senate over the course of two days carefully reenacting how the senate floor is actually run. As a class we reproduced congress to better understand our government and the use of congress as well as answering the question "is congress broken?"
Legislation
Speech
Reflection
What was your role in model senate?: My role in model senate was Republican senator and majority leader Mitch McConnell. Essentially I was in charge of efficiently running the senate floor while keeping to strict parliamentary procedure and served as a mouth piece for the Republican party. I also wrote a speech opposing the climate change bill "The Hold It All In Act" that also proposed many conservative amendments to the bill in order to reach a bi-partisan compromise. Being the top ranking party member I felt like I had a lot of power and influence on the senate floor. I really enjoyed being an authoritative figure. Playing the part of a conservative senator was a wonderful challenge as Mitch McConnell's political views contradict and oppose mine, especially when it came to regarding climate change. I had to think about the legislation from a completely different ideological standpoint.
What was your favorite memory or moment from model senate?: My favorite moment from model senate was during the committee sessions when the republicans were making outrageous amendments to the democratic climate change bill, but the democratic party could not oppose our amendments due to them being the minority party within the senate leaving them with fewer votes. This was a harsh realization of how unbalanced and unprogressive the senate is due to such concrete party lines, lack of compromise, and uneven/unfair number of senators per party. .
What was hardest for you about this project? Where could you have improved?: The hardest part about this project was embodying Mitch McConnell's political views especially when I was writing a climate change bill from his conservative standpoint, which directly oppose my personal political views. After a while embodying his ideologies become easier and easier, but I struggled with offering a bi-partisan effort in the legislation I wrote. It was difficult to reach compromise between the two ideologically concrete parties especially having to embody an perspective so different from my own.
How engaged were you during the actual exhibition?: I was extraordinary engaged throughout the whole exhibition since I was in charge of running the senate floor and keeping the senate floor on track with a minute per minute schedule. As well as enforcing time and parliamentary procedure. Basically I had to time each portion of the exhibition and be prepared to correctly move the senate along, which required my full attention.
What do you think of the final bill that was passed out of your committee?: The final bill that passed out of the climate change committee was a complete wreck. Both parties ideologies and perspective on climate change aggressively clashed each other leading the amendments of the bill to be a series of back and forth spiteful changes reflecting both parties views strongly . The bill was far from bi-partisan as the amendments made by each party contradicted each other although it did reflect both parties.
After doing this how would you answer the question "is congress broken?": In my opinion congress is broken as it seems to me to be an outdated and inefficient process that lacks the ability to fairly represent both parties and the citizens of America. This became apparent to me during the exhibition when it was fairly apparent that senators from each party were not willing to compromise to find common ground nor were the numbers of senators per party fair in order for it to function properly. I can't even imagine where to begin, but the United States congress needs serious reform.
What was your favorite memory or moment from model senate?: My favorite moment from model senate was during the committee sessions when the republicans were making outrageous amendments to the democratic climate change bill, but the democratic party could not oppose our amendments due to them being the minority party within the senate leaving them with fewer votes. This was a harsh realization of how unbalanced and unprogressive the senate is due to such concrete party lines, lack of compromise, and uneven/unfair number of senators per party. .
What was hardest for you about this project? Where could you have improved?: The hardest part about this project was embodying Mitch McConnell's political views especially when I was writing a climate change bill from his conservative standpoint, which directly oppose my personal political views. After a while embodying his ideologies become easier and easier, but I struggled with offering a bi-partisan effort in the legislation I wrote. It was difficult to reach compromise between the two ideologically concrete parties especially having to embody an perspective so different from my own.
How engaged were you during the actual exhibition?: I was extraordinary engaged throughout the whole exhibition since I was in charge of running the senate floor and keeping the senate floor on track with a minute per minute schedule. As well as enforcing time and parliamentary procedure. Basically I had to time each portion of the exhibition and be prepared to correctly move the senate along, which required my full attention.
What do you think of the final bill that was passed out of your committee?: The final bill that passed out of the climate change committee was a complete wreck. Both parties ideologies and perspective on climate change aggressively clashed each other leading the amendments of the bill to be a series of back and forth spiteful changes reflecting both parties views strongly . The bill was far from bi-partisan as the amendments made by each party contradicted each other although it did reflect both parties.
After doing this how would you answer the question "is congress broken?": In my opinion congress is broken as it seems to me to be an outdated and inefficient process that lacks the ability to fairly represent both parties and the citizens of America. This became apparent to me during the exhibition when it was fairly apparent that senators from each party were not willing to compromise to find common ground nor were the numbers of senators per party fair in order for it to function properly. I can't even imagine where to begin, but the United States congress needs serious reform.
Writing reflection #1
Mini Project: STreet law
The mini project focused on the essential question "how do we balance the need for personal privacy (liberty) with the need to keep a safe, orderly, and just society". To answer this question we were required to explore the 4th amendment and our rights in encounters with law enforcement. Each of us chose a topic concerning the 4th amendment and presented our findings as a project using multiple mediums.
My project was the infographic pictured on the left which explains when the police have the right to search your home and when they do not. I connected to this issue because I strongly believe that in order to have a functioning democratic society, citizens need to know the their rights and the law, particularly in areas where they could be taken advantage of. My infographic casually and clearly educates students to their rights. Before I undertook this project, I had no knowledge of the circumstances under which the police could search my home and I was compelled to educate myself as well as others on this topic. Personally I feel that law enforcement should always have a warrant before a search is even considered. |