No, the Title is not Congress IS for Dummies. Be Nice.

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Congress For Dummies

Yes, the book title (Congress For Dummies) lends itself to some good-natured fun. Go ahead; come up with your own variation on the title! It’s OK to laugh a little. Talking about Congress can be a particularly dry subject. But despite the admittedly dry subject, the book’s author uses humor and interesting stories to hold the reader’s interest. You will learn how Congress really works when you read this book.

Sometimes your representative must ignore you or vote contrary to your interests because she has been instructed to do so by those more powerful lawmakers.

David Silverberg, Congress for Dummies, Chapter 5

The book takes you through the inner workings of Congress. In the first section of the book, Mr. Silverberg explains how Congress works, and as illustrated by the quote above, explains how politics and parties affect the process. The second section of the book explores techniques for petitioning Congress and getting a job working with Congress (without going through an election), among other things. Mr. Silverberg clearly states:

This book is written with the citizen advocate in mind. Its most important purpose is to give people who want Congress to do something, or who have to work through the institution of Congress, the tools and knowledge they need to achieve their aims.

David Silverberg, Congress for Dummies, Introduction

You will learn

The context of why Congress operates as it does
The responsibilities of each chamber of Congress
The path a proposal follows to become law
The congressional schedule
Definitions of terms you hear in the news

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Congressional Procedure:
A Practical Guide to the
Legislative Process
in the U.S. Congress:
The House of Representatives
and Senate Explained

Perhaps you remember a civics class in high school where you learned how a bill became law, or maybe you just hum the melody you learned watching Saturday morning cartoons.

This book is neither of those. You learn where the friction exists in the process of crafting legislation. The author does not itemize, but as you read Congress for Dummies, take note of how many opportunities opponents of your members of Congress have to thwart the legislation you elected them to get passed. No wonder laws in this nation are incomprehensible!

The section of the book dedicated to how to interact with Congress can be a little depressing. They are supposed to be representing you, but your options for communications with your members of Congress are limited in number and effectiveness.

While the book is a little dated, Congress has changed little in the years since its publication. The content is still as relevant today as it was then. Where the author mentions thomas.gov, substitute congress.gov.

Gift the book to people new to political discussions, so they have a firm foundation on which to begin listing their recommendations for improvements to the system. Give the book a read yourself, just as a refresher. You’ll learn something.

Key takeaways from the book as the subject relates to the Representation Amendment

Good ideas are too easily shot down

Opponents to any bill have too many opportunities to thwart promising legislation. This was mention earlier, and if this is how the American people want legislation to evolve, so be it. But people would probably be happier knowing that every idea got a fair shake. What if the House of Representatives voted on each proposal as it was written?

Often, the original author(s) had a specific problem they wanted resolved or efficiency they wanted implemented or improvement they wanted applied, but by the time the proposal gets to the point of being included in a bill—if it gets included in a bill at all—it’s been watered down to the point of irrelevancy. Nobody actually ever votes on the proposal in its original form!

The book, The Representation Amendment, proposes using modern technology to ensure every proposal advanced in the House has an equal chance of being voted on by the House members. Nobody blocks any proposed legislation, but the sponsors must promote their legislation lest its opportunity expires.

Population growth dilutes House representation

Another important takeaway from Congress for Dummies is that population growth dilutes your representation in the House every year. The number of House members is locked in at 435, but the population of the United States just keeps growing.

The Representation Amendment inverts the formula, so the number of House members rises along with population growth in the United States. The number of people per representative remains static, and it’s the number of representatives that changes.

Who does your senator represent?

Finally, I must disagree with the comment by the author that a senator must stop legislation that can harm the state. A senator is elected by all voters of a state, but the agenda of the voters of the state merely overlap those of their home state. A senator dependent on the state legislature of the state for her re-election approaches legislation from a different perspective.

Directly elected senators do not represent their home state. Clearly, they want the best for their home state, but their allegiance lies with the voters. State legislators, people who are battling every day for legislation they believe most benefits their home state, need a platform at the national level, and that platform comes in the form of two state ambassadors in the Senate. The direct and constant communications between your state government and its representatives ensures your state enjoys benefits never considered by the voters.

Conclusion

Refresh your civics background, so you know why we so desperately need the Representation Amendment. Your deeper understanding of Congress will assist you in discussions with friends and family and you’ll see the benefits of a Congress built upon true representation.