Who is Publius? or, Who’s Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech? The Federalist, commonly referred to as the Federalist Papers, is a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788. The essays were published anonymously, under the pen name “Publius,” in various New … Read more
Congress follows public opinion quite closely. In fact, public opinion and Congress have a relationship in which public opinion can change the course of actions taken by Congress while at the same time Congress frequently seeks to influence public opinion. photo credit: The Democratic Alliance If it is your goal to drive the actions of … Read more
Uh oh… If you thought the real estate market was bad, just wait until you can’t get title insurance. This mess is making the Torrens Title system look better by the minute. photo credit: mmatins 6. Selling REOs & Foreclosed Properties: Relative to the economy, here is the greatest concern: Banks are sitting on millions … Read more
Uh oh… Uncle Feds is the big fat fellow who crashes on your couch. He’s been there for years and years. He demands roasts and chops, devouring whatever he can find in your refrigerator. And when you’re out working long hours, Uncle Feds sits on the couch ordering pay-per-view movies. He was plenty big before … Read more
See Budget Deficit / Budget Surplus (CongressionalGlossary.com) Courses Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing Custom, On-Site Training Congressional Operations Poster, with Federal Budget Process Flowchart Federal Budgeting, a Five-Course series on CD Congress, the Legislative Process, and the … Read more
When handled properly, good legal writing stands out. photo credit: Seattle Municipal Archives There are four basic questions that should be asked in considering whether a document meets the standards of good legal writing: Is it easy to read? Is it interesting? Does it work? Is it as short as possible? If you are able … Read more
The way in which you conduct research as part of your efforts to lobby for a particular issue can have an important effect on the outcome of that issue. Extreme care must be exercised when preparing any research that will be utilized. photo credit: AlexYo1968 First, double-check and verify everything. This includes the names of … Read more
At times it seems as though Congress is disorganized, but in reality Congress operates according to a set of internal rules that are meant to provide operational structure. These rules begin with basics that are outlined in the Constitution. Each chamber of Congress also has written rules and extensive precedents that are derived from the … Read more
In determining whether you should offer a written statement or give an interview, there are many different things to take into consideration. In some cases a written statement may actually be preferable to giving an interview – less can be more. photo credit: Andrew Rusk A written statement works to limit the choices of a … Read more
Unfortunately, our intuition can lead us astray when it comes to distinguishing between causality and correlation. For example, eating breakfast has long been correlated with success in school for elementary school children. It would be easy to conclude that eating breakfast causes students to be better learners. It turns out, however, that those who don’t … Read more