Inside the house critique

p The Power of the Purse : The Political Dynamics of

Resource Generation and Resource Allocation

in Congress as told in Inside the House

In Inside the House ‘ Barber Conable and Robert . Lawrence Coughlin with forty-four former members of the United States Congress , describe their experiences in the mechanisms that shape the future of the American people . Conable and Coughlin ‘s contributions , however , are most interesting since they provide an insider ‘s insight on matters that play crucial roles in the nation ‘s political and economic exercise resource generation and resource allocation [banner_entry_middle]

during Reagan ‘s administration

Barber Conable , whose nine-time reelection to the New York senate enabled him to serve the House of Representatives for twenty years writes about his experiences as one of the tax legislators of the United States . On the other hand , Robert Lawrence Coughlin , elected to the Pennsylvania senate from 1969 to 1993 , illustrates the highly-charged atmosphere of the Appropriations Committee . It is interesting to note that both authors were Republicans , members of the minority bloc during their terms in Congress

Conable ‘s narrative , which tackles the nitty-gritty of the Congress Ways and Means Committee , is a relevant reference material in trying to understand the political dynamics that affect the lives of every American : taxation , social security , and social service delivery in America . He begins his narrative self-effacingly , noting that circumstance and coincidence , not unusual virtue or ability , brought them (he refers to any elected official here ) to public office ‘ It is with this statement that he outlines his political history and subsequent work in the Ways and Means Committee , which for him was a career in itself ‘ if only for the difficulties of tax legislation and of the constant attempt to reform the American taxation structure

The legislative activities of the Ways and Means committee , according to Conable , is determined by the existing political structure , political function , and the personalities of the key people . It is worthwhile to note that Conable here writes from the perspective of the minority , when the Democrats dominated the house and therefore controlled the votes – which effectively meant that they had power over legislative matters When Conable speaks of political structure , therefore , he was referring to the influence of whatever party formed the dominant bloc in Congress . He also underscores the influence exerted by members of the Ways and Means Committee on the House itself by virtue of the importance that its legislative capacities on resource generation entailed for the Government : there is no more central issue between the government and the people than taxation and its related programs ‘ This is how , at that time – and even until now – the Ways and Means was a legislative pinnacle ‘ because people are always going to be concerned over the taxes that they pay , and are always likely to inquire as to where their taxes are going

These ideas are of course , hardly surprising for one , the fact that the House of Representatives was made up not of one but two political parties , with stark… [banner_entry_footer]