SS 236 Unit Four Assignment

SS 236

Introduction

Here in the United States of America, we have what is labeled a “bicameral” legislation. This is defined by the fact that there are two divisions of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, that introduce laws and enforce budgetary restrictions (O’Connor, Sabato, & Yanus, 2016). Each one consists of a certain number of elected officials, with the House having over 400 individuals and the Senate having exactly 100 members. These numbers are based off the number of districts for the House and the Senate has two officials for every state. For this assignment, we will be discussing my home state of Georgia, along with the elected Senators and how they represent this state.

Georgia on my mind

The state of Georgia, with its capital city of Atlanta, is a major hub in the southeastern region of this country. Some of the major cities include: Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah, and Augusta. Two of these, Augusta and Columbus, are significant because of their military bases, generally consisting of individuals who are in the armed forces. The other two are important because of their economic value to this state, as both serve as areas of tourism and general interest because of their history.

But outside of those before mentioned cities, this state is predominantly rural and depends on agriculture for billions of dollars in revenue. For example, Georgia is the top producer for eggs and poultry, along with several other crops (Flatt, 2019). Because of this, the elected officials for this state tend to be of a Republican background, with the belief that this political party supports personal freedoms, less regulations, and cares about the little man. Generally, Georgia is a red stronghold, but here in recent years, this has begun to change.

Senators

As like every other state, Georgia has two individuals that have been elected to serve as Senators. Those two people are David Perdue and Johnny Isakson. Both men are Republicans. David Perdue has served in the Senate since being elected in 2014 and serves on several boards such as the Armed Services and Banking committees (About David, n.d.). Even though he is considered a junior senate member, his voting records on key issues is extensive, as he has voted on multiple bills. One example is that he voted in favor of sending humanitarian ad to the southern border.

The other Senator for the state of Georgia is Johnny Isakson. While he has a similar background to our other Senator, as both grew up on farms and in rural areas, he has been involved in politics for much longer. Isakson is the only person in Georgia ever to hold offices in the state’s house and senate and the United States house and senate. He has served in elected position since 1976. And like most others, he has a voting record of being in support of Republicans and their policies (Votes, n.d.).

When discussing any person acting as a legislator, there are typical two types of classifications that they could be categorized under depending on how they handle decisions in Congress. These two methods are delegate and trustee model of representation. When acting under the guidelines of the delegate model, a legislator votes on issues with the consideration of what their constituents would want (Congressional Representation, n.d.). On the other side, the trustee system, is when the legislator acts on issues with the belief that their decision is the best for their constituents. For the state of Georgia, I believe that both Senators use the delegate system to help them make their decisions. My logic for this statement is based on their voting records, as there is plenty evidence that each individual vote like the people of this state think. Well, at least most of the people.

Personally, I would like to see term limits implemented in Congress, simply because it would help introduce new and fresh ideas every few years. With that said, I would vote for David Perdue, based on his work and the fact that he is still an outsider, but as for Johnny Isakson, I would like to see him retire. He has served many years and I feel that at this point, it is time to get new people in there.

Conclusion

While on our journey through the state of Georgia, we have discussed the make up of rural to urban areas, found out that Georgia depends heavily on agriculture, and tends to be a Republican stronghold. With this being the case, it makes it very interesting to live and work in this state.

References

Flatt, P. W. (2019) Agriculture in Georgia: Overview. Retrieved from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/agriculture-georgia-overview

About David, (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.perdue.senate.gov/about/david

Votes, (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/votes?page_num=2

Congressional Representation, (n.d.) Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/amgovernment/chapter/congressional-representation/