The Fabric of Health: Living Healthier
From a young age, people need to take care of their health and make the kind of choices that will pay healthy dividends in the future. Drugs and substance abuse continue to impact the health of our society. Moderation is..
The Fabric of Health: Measuring Public Health
In measuring the health of a group of people two statistics are most often cited: life expectancy and infant mortality. Life expectancy is a prediction of how long a person is likely to live. The life span of an average ..
The First Branch: Challenges of Freshmen Congressmen
The challenges of the first few months in Congress can be daunting. It helps to have a mentor who can explain the hierarchy and the bewildering array of procedures and protocol. It is also important to fill staff positio..
The First Branch: Changing Congressional Boundaries
Redistricting, changing Congressional boundaries every ten years based on population shifts recorded by the census, is one of the most conflictual events In politics. The party in control tries to get as many of their pa..
The First Branch: House of Representatives--A Majority-Rule Chamber, The
The House of Representatives is a majority rule chamber. With a reasonably cohesive majority, the leadership can control the agenda and everything that happens. Many observers of the Washington scene rate the Speaker of ..
The First Branch: How Does It Feel to Be a New Member of Congress?
Mickey Edwards, Jim McDermott, and Loretta Sanchez tell what it is like to walk into the House chambers for the first time as a newly elected members of Congress. Congress, like most national legislatures, has been domin..
The First Branch: Incumbency Advantage, The
Incumbency not only gives a candidate name recognition and the perks that come with the office, but the support provided by their political party. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez talks about her uphill battle against a wel..
The First Branch: Maintaining a Presence in Home District
In addition to their day-to-day responsibilities in the nation's capitol, Representatives need to maintain a presence in their home districts. Loretta Sanchez, California representative, talks about how she maintains a p..
The First Branch: Motivation to Run for Public Office
What motivates a person to run for public office? Three people who have served in the House of Representatives--Mickey Edwards, Jim McDermott, and Loretta Sanchez--talk about the factors that caused them to compete for a..
The First Branch: United States Senate, The
The Senate operates differently than the House of Representatives although party leadership is still a factor. In the Senate sponsors on both sides of the political aisle are usually necessary in order to get anything do..