Question #1
1.
The federal constitution provides that a Senator serves for a six-year
term and the President serves for a four-year term.
Do you believe that a Senator should have a longer term than the
President? Why or
why not?
2.
Assume there was a proposal to change the federal constitution so that
all members of the House, Senate, and the President would be elected at the same
time to serve a four-year term. Would
you be in favor of such an amendment? Why
or why not?
3.
There were a number of compromises made at the federal Constitutional
Convention of 1787 in order to create a constitution that most of the delegates
would support. One such compromise
(called the Great Compromise and sometimes called the Connecticut Compromise)
provided for a bicameral (two-house) national legislature in which each
state’s representation in the House of Representatives was to be based on
population, while representation in the Senate was to be equal with two Senators
from each state. The Great
Compromise broke a great deadlock
at the convention. The result of
the Great Compromise was that very small states, such as Wyoming and Alaska,
each have two Senators, the same as large states, such as California, New York
and Texas. What do you believe is
the present day legacy of the Great Compromise upon the power and influence of
Senators from large states such as California?