preview

The Government Into A Viable Operating Legislation

Decent Essays
Open Document

If James Madison were here today he would be pleased to see how his thinking has molded the government into a viable operating legislation. Using the policy procedures depicted in All Roads Lead to Congress: the $300 billion fight over highway funding by Costas Panagopoulos and Joshua Schank, this essay will identify key areas within the amendment process of the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users” (SAFETEA-LU), where James Madison’s beliefs are represented. The form of checks and balances within the legislation, along with the development of factions and what they can accomplish, discussed in Article No. 10 and 51 of The Federalist Papers mirrors the topics within in All Roads Lead to Congress.
Excerpts from The Federalist Papers No. 10 and 51 show that James Madison was telling his fellow countrymen what he envisioned as a sustainable form of government; controlling factions within the majority and minority parties, the need of a republic form of government instead of a pure democracy, and establishing a form of checks and balances by a separation of power within the legislation.
In his essays, James Madison discusses one of the most dangerous but extremely necessary creatures of government; factions. It is the government’s responsibility to quell factions and maintain a minimal divide between majority and minority groups. Within the opening chapters of All Roads Lead to Congress, the authors are able to show how

Get Access