COMMITTEESS

Both houses of Congress are further divided into several committees. It is at the committee level where most of the hard work of passing legislation is done, this is also the level at which so-called special interests or factions have the most influence. Committees are often just a few to maybe twenty or so people, who debate the fine points of each piece of legislation and try to figure out the best ways to make the legislation practical. Due to the smaller number of people in the committees and the relative low visibility of committee meetings, this again allows interest groups to have more influence over the legislation. Before the entire House or Senate votes on a piece of legislation it goes through a committee first. Of course both the House and Senate must past the same legislation before it can become law. There is even a special committee that works to resolve differences in a bill if either part of Congress passes a bill that is similar but somewhat different from the other bill, the final law must be identical in both the House and Senate.

 The fact that both houses of Congress are divided into several committees,it is a big step for the dis centralization of  particular interests, however some groups have the most influence.In my opinion it is contradict that even when both houses are divided, certain groups have the power,but in my point of view Politics  it self is contradict.indeed, i believe Committees are good for the structural organization of government.
Considering that each committee are often a few to maybe twenty or so people,who debate the fine points of each piece of legislation and try to find out the best ways to make the legislation practical such committees or factions can be influence by the interests of its members..In other words , the size of the committees have its pros and cons.for instance a small group of people may not have the a clear vision  over certain matters.Moreover, a large group of people may have a better vision of whats good for society in that particular matter ,however this type of groups are more susceptible to dis organization. I believe that committees it self are good for the organization of both Houses,however they could be formed by more than 20 people.

I choose this fragment of the reading because the structural organization of both Houses are one of the main point that distinguish a good and bad government.

Civil Disobedience; Disobedience or NOT.

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), wrote, the famous essay "Civil Disobedience." The idea of civil disobedience is peculiar to democratic societies. It means breaking the law and thus challenging the authorities, but usually in a non-violent fashion.

Disobedience is defined as the refusal or neglect to obey,However, we have the right to free expression.In my opinion Thoreau's idea of "Civil Disobedience" has one side. First,for democratic societies Civil Disobedience may be a tool to raise its voice thus challenging the authorities,considering, that we live in a society that permits freedom of  expression.The highest law in our land is the U.S. Constitution, which has some amendments, known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees that the government can never deprive people in the U.S. of certain fundamental rights including the right to freedom of religion and to free speech and the due process of law (American Civil Liberties Union).By contrast the action of challenging the authorities in my opinion is not necessary considered as an act of disobedience.For instance,if society believes that X law is whether morally or ethical wrong ,and demands the government a change in it, it does not necessarily means disobedience .In my opinion society as a whole have better sense of whats good or bad for its development rather than a group of people running the country,however if such dis conformity is only expressed by a little group in society then it would not be for the interest of the society as a whole.Indeed, Civil Disobedience does not breaks the law but it challenges the authority.On the opposite way it may be seen as Disobedience because the fact that people are in some cases disagree with the Government and some of its regulations  is not a good action for the Government,thus its interests may be affected.

Nice topic.So far this my favorite. I m totally agree with Thoreau's concept of Civil Disobedience for such reason i choose this fragment of the reading.