Good evening USA... education needed please.

Question

Ok. You have Congess, that's the whole thing?  That is split into two houses, the Senate and the representatives? So we have Bill and Ben, so one is Senator Bill and  the other is Congress man Bill? 

Then you have, usually, a President who has a cabinet?.

Is the cabinet  elected?

Who is senior, the Senate or the house?

And where does a Governer fit in?

Yes I could Google it but I want the idiot guide.

Answer 1

It’s complicated!

The Senate and The House of Representatives are separate!

The Senator is more elite and simply called Senator.

The Representative is called Congressman!

Togethern they are called Congress!

There are two Senators per state. 100 total for 50 states in the US!

Representatives are represented by size of the state. Example— California has 53!

The President’s cabinet is chosen by him! Each representing a different function. Example—EPA =Environmental Protection Agency!

The President picks his Vice President from his own party. Republican, Democrat!

They are then elected by Electoral votes!

Once elected the President then resumes his extra-marital affairs as have 15 Presidents before him! Many have sired children in these affairs. Some with their black slaves, only to be acknowledged years later thru DNA testing.

What a tangled web they weave!

The Governor represents each state and is voted on by the state’s citizens. Represented by party, with Republican or Democrat!

Argh!

Comments

Good job. You forgot a few things

Cabinet members must be approved by the Senate

President of the Senate is the Vice President

The Power in the house is held by the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairmen of the Rules Committee.  Nominal power is held by the Speaker of the House.

The Power in the Senate is the Chairman of the Finance Committee

GB the Senate is similar to the house of Lords with more power, the House similar to the House of Commons.  We do not have  Back Benchers per se. we do have Freshman

---

Nice work!  Well said and efficiently!

---

 Cheers everyone , just one point. The House of Lords are not elected, they are either chosen by the PM usually for favours received and hereditory passed from father to son. I think the UK is the only country that have religious clergy who have an  automatic right to a Lordship.

The House of Lords is an archaic institution and should be dissolved. I understand the need for a 2nd house but they should directly elected and numbers cut.

---

Lady4u - we all need to print out your reply and keep it handy for when we get dizzy trying to keep track of who's who and who does what.  You did a great, concise job of summarizing a confusing process. Good on you. 

---

JPT... I had to drink my hot tea part-way thru!  Oy! And how I hated my government classes in high school! I think it was the way it was presented actually! He could have done so much more to make it interesting! Charts etc! Nothing like a visual to break the monotony!

---

I just did, lol

Answer 2

It's a nothing burger. So I've been told.

Answer 3

The Senate and the House are somewhat based off the House of Lords and Commons. I think the bicameral legislature idea arose in England.

Every state has 2 senators, regardless of size. Representatives are based on population. California has 53 members of the House of Representatives. Small states like Wyoming, Rhode Island and Alaska have one. The compromise ensured that smaller states have a voice in what goes on at the federal level. It was known as the "great compromise" when the Constitution was being drafted. Small states wanted one state/one vote (like what we had under the Articles of Confederation), big states wanted one house based on population. So we have our current system as a compromise.

The Senate used to be appointed by state legislatures. That changed with the 17th Amendment in 1919. Now they are directly elected. I support repealing the 17th Amendment. Having states appoint the senators was a check on federal aggression. If senators were not supporting their state's interests, the legislators could fire them. Now it's all about pandering to gullible voters like everything else.

The president appoints his cabinet, but sometimes they need Senate approval.

The Senate cannot start a bill based on taxes. It is considered the "upper house". Senators serve for six years, congressmen for two. No term limits. Some people have served for like 60 years.

Governors are the executive heads of their respective states. They do not report to the Federal government. Every state makes their own rules about governor terms and limits. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are two of several presidents who were former state governors.

Comments

Wow I forgot Jophus are you or have you been a teacher? Great detail above! Some I had didn’t think of at the time of my guide!

Trust me, GB doesn’t need an idiot’s guide to anything! She’s one smart Scot!

---

I am not a teacher, I just like history and civics.