POLS 206 1st Edition Lecture 8 Outline of Last Lecture I In the News a Navy Yard Shooting b Budget Shut Down II Does the incentive of re election really work i Selection Effects ii David Mayfield III Collective Action Problem Again a Advertising b Position Taking IV Credit Claiming Important one a Porkbarreling b Casework i Constituent directed concern c Recent History V Why is Porkbarreling Justified a To keep the power in the hand of each respective party Outline of Current Lecture I Current Events a WDC Shooting Syria Government Shutdown II Why can t we get pork under control III Partisanship IV MCs particularize policy V Credit Claim 2 casework a MCs address constituent bureaucratic complaint i Passport processed TSA ect ii Word of mouth spread the word VI How are national concerns addressed VII Is pork really so bad a Greases the wheels helps to get laws passed i Federal spending b MCs dismiss pork as a minor concern a What do they do b Paid trips back home c Franking Privileges Current Lecture Current Events d WDC Shooting i 870 Remington not an AR15 like they originally said The shooter tested AR 15 guns but was unable to buy one to do state laws for out of state purchases e Syria i US Russia and Syria agree to rid country of chemical weapons 1 Must declare by this Saturday the amount 2 Relinquish all weapons by mid 2014 f Government Shutdown i Moves closer ii GOP leaders agree to vote to defund Obama care more as a formality iii No negotiations are taking place iv Last shutdown was 1996 VIII Why can t we get pork under control a Allowed by each party just because they want to remain in power b Norm of universalism members of congress are not competitive with each other they are competitive with newcomers and competition c Each MC has approx 650 thousand people as constituents d Congressional districts are bigger with sparser populations and smaller with more dense ones IX Partisanship a Try to draw district lines that enhance party success b Different geographical areas allows people to cooperate without competition c Even though MCs can be from different parties they still have a shared interest in keeping each other in office to avoid competitors This is called logrolling X MCs particularize policy a PBP are particular to district private good b Costs are nationalized public good c Each item imperceptible to budget d Projects will win over constituents XI Credit Claim 2 casework a MCs address constituent bureaucratic complaint i Passport processed TSA ect b Cares about the people back home c Allows MCs to advertise in newsletters websites that they ve helped people make more friends than enemies d Non controversial pure profit and doesn t alienate anyone i Word of mouth spread the word ii This is why people like their own MC but hate congress as a whole XII Local example a Ron Paul was all about shrinking national government but was all about pork spending in fact he was one of the biggest spenders b 54 earmarks and almost 400 million dollars in spending XIII How are national concerns addressed a MCs delegate tough decisions to the bureaucracy b Congress will pass average general law and implement it and then take a position against or with it when bureaucracy makes a mistake XIV Is pork really so bad a Greases the wheels helps to get laws passed b Hard getting work done without pork c Keeps a party in power at least for the short term i Federal spending 1 3 456 billion loss 2 2 162 billion dollar gain d MCs dismiss pork as a minor concern i Other institutions to promise re election 1 Perquisites of office 2 Staff allowances a What do they do i Answer calls ii Write letters iii Meet with constituents iv Make MCs appear in touch b Paid trips back home i Allowance depending on distance from home ii Going home makes them look good e Franking Privileges i MCs can send unlimited mail ii Helps with campaigns iii MCs known that PACs favor incumbents 1 Design laws that help them win 2 MCs will write laws to ensure that donations from PACs can be unlimited