Is Government actually representing “the people”

As Chapter eleven discusses in depth about the representation of Congress, I couldn’t help but ask myself if it really is representing the people. When the textbook presented an image of the representation in congress, it discussed the different minority groups within. In which, it displayed that minorities were significantly underrepresented in our congress. It showed that in the general population, women made up 50.8%, in the Senate they made up 21% and in the House of Representatives they made up 19%. Among the others, they only made up 29% of the General Population, 9% in Senate, and 21.1% in the House of Representatives. As alarming as that sounds, very few African Americans were elected into Congress until the late 1960’s. Also, since 1900 only seven African Americans have held U.S. Senate seats. In recent studies, Hispanics have replaced African Americans as the largest minority group in the U.S. As for them, they are even less represented in Congress than any other group. Relating back to women, though they are still underrepresented in Congress, more are elected each year than any other group.

When it comes to income and occupation, three-quarters of Senators are millionaires. According to the census, members of the House of Representatives are also four times as likely to be multi-millionaires. For me, it is hard to understand how such wealthy people could truly understand what it is like at the bottom. A recent study suggests that was women, minorities and low income patrons are underestimated in Congress, they believe that their interests and opinions would be heard if they were more represented in Congress. With the very few women and minorities in Congress, they typically have the most push for things that favor their own groups. For example, female house members introduce more bills related to women’s and children’s issues than any other group The same is true for African Americans. African American legislators and issues considered important to them. As considered some the wealthiest Americans in society, Senators and most members of Congress do not seem to have a whole in common with the general population.

For the general population, do you believe our Congress is equally represented? With many factors playing into the foundations of Congress, how can we as a public get our voice be heard. One way in particular that the government is trying to redistrict the representation in Congress by implementing new district lines. However, state legislators and government try to control district lines in a way that will help their candidates win. As many more factors are playing into our Congress, a redistribution into our Congress is at its utter most importance.

Carlin O'Neill says:

April 11, 2018 at 1:44 pm

Thanks for the post, Alexander.

As I was reading your post about how important it is have proportionate representation in our governing bodies so that the population’s interests are adequately represented, I thought about surveys and political polls. When we studied political surveying and polling, the main objective of these tools was to make sure that the sample was an accurate representation of the larger population that one was trying to make a statement about so that the correct public opinion could be gleaned from the survey’s conclusions. I think that what you’re getting at in your post is that the general Congress should look more like the sample populations that pollsters use when taking surveys. If each demographic and minority was adequately represented in Congress, as they are in surveys, then perhaps Congress would work more effectively and productively in favor of what the population as a whole wants. By having each minority and group represented in the Congress, then public opinion could be better advanced.

Isabella Brown says:

April 11, 2018 at 5:09 pm

Alexander,

I agree with your concern about the representation of our Congress. For a county that is known for its diversity, it is startling to see the majority of our country’s leadership be primarily white men. How are the voices and concerns of minorities supposed to be heard in Congress? This country has always been dominated by white men. It can be traced as far back when our country was founded. Voting rights or any participation in government at all was solely for men. Interestingly, as I was reading about Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony today, I found something interesting said by a member of the Congressional Black caucus member Representative G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina. He criticized Zuckerberg for the lack of diversity in their leadership and said, “…that Facebook lists five leaders on its website, none of whom are black. ‘This does not reflect America,’ he said.” Zuckerberg responded defensively, noting that leadership at his company is not limited to those five spots, “We have a broader leadership than just five people.” What I find interesting is that a member of the Congressional Black caucus would criticize Facebook for its lack of diversity, when the very Congress he is a part of has major underrepresentation of minorities. I think his time might be better spent criticizing Congress itself, which is supposed to represent the people, rather than a privatized company.

Austin Marsilia says:

April 11, 2018 at 11:51 pm

Alexander,
You bring up an interesting point regarding true representation in Congress. However, I believe that it is possible to accurately represent a group of people without being of the same sex, ethnic background, and economic status. For example, a state senator more than likely has his or her voter’s best interest at heart and will do his or her best to represent the interests of the voters. This is because without doing so, he or she will not be reelected. It is unfortunate that minorities are not physically holding seats in Congress, however, to say that the interests of minority groups are not represented is incorrect. Your statement regarding how a wealthy person cannot understand what it is like to be at the bottom of the socio-economic status is also not always true. For example, Senator Rubio comes from a family of poor immigrants from Cuba. He did not have a cushioned upbringing, but is now wealthy, a lawyer, and a Senator. Your post is well written and does discuss an interesting concern of why we do not have more diverse people running for office. However, I disagree with your points that minorities are not well represented and that wealthy people cannot understand what it is like to be “at the bottom”.