Understanding Congress as a System
In the February 1996 issue of WIRED magazine, Apple Computer co-founder Steven Jobs noted that engineers share a basic belief "that humans, if they work hard with other creative, smart people, could solve most of humankind's problems."
He goes on to say,
I believe that people with an engineering point of view as a basic foundation are in a pretty good position to jump in and solve some of these problems. But in society, it's not working. Those people are not attracted to the political process. And why would someone be?"
On of the reasons that engineers may be turned off by the political process is that they are trained as logical problem-solvers who view problems from an engineering systems perspective. From that perspective, Congress and the legislative process can seem pretty illogical, or even irrational. Another way to think of the legislative process, however, is as a complex system that is not bound by physical laws, but which has identifiable characteristics and rules that can be used to produce desired results.
If engineers accept the challenge of understanding the legislative "system" and get involved in the public decision-making process, they can make a great contribution to solving the types of social problems that Steve Job refers to, as well as become more influential in advancing their own personal and professional interests.
What then are the characteristics of the legislative system? Here are five salient points identified by the Coalition for Technology Partnerships and the Science & Technology Working Group:
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS IS DELIBERATELY COMPLEX, ensuring that
proposed new laws and policies receive the fullest possible consideration. Most bills introduced never receive any action at all, and few of those considered become law. Also, a legislative proposal may be reintroduced year after year before it gains consideration. EVERY LEGISLATIVE BODY HAS INFORMAL CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES.
These customs and practices can be as important as the body's formal rules. For example, key policy decisions are made by the leaders in some Congresses, by a policy committee in others, and by the majority party members in yet others. ALL OF THE GOVERNMENT INCLUDING THE CONGRESS IS POLITICAL.
Candidates for most federal legislative seats are nominated through partisan political processes and chosen in partisan elections. The political party that wins a majority of seats in each legislative body also wins the right to pick the leaders of that body, and often the staff. LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS MAY BE WEIGHED SUBJECTIVELY. They are
often considered not only on their merits but also on these basic political questions:
How will the bill affect the legislator's reelection prospects? What are constituents (i.e. citizen voters) saying about the issue? What are the views of the news media, community and business leaders, and local interest groups? What would be the impact on the economy and jobs? Are any significant local campaign supporters taking a public position on the
issue? What is the advice from the legislator's staff members and advisors? Is this issue consistent with the legislator's previous votes on related matters, and with his or her political and economic philosophies. THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS IS CUSTOMARILY VERY OPEN. Every interested
citizen usually has the opportunity to offer inputs and express opinions at various stages of the process. Public comments are welcome. [ Table of Contents ]
Last Updated: April 13, 1999 |