School survey ; What's your opinion? Serious people only please(:?

Question

When senators and representatives vote on a law, should they follow the known wishes of the majority of their constituents or, if they hold an opposing view, should their vote reflect their own view point? Defend your answer please.

Answer 1

Thee is no right answer to the question as phrased.  You assume it is an either/or choice.  This is the Black & White fallacy.  In reality what most do is follow the interests of their district in most things, but all have a certain core of beliefs that they cannot violate.

  This is as was expected when we set up a representative democracy.  If unthinking adherence to popular will was wanted all issues would simply be done by referendum.  If a representative votes contrary to his areas wishes often, he loses his job.

Answer 2

Senators and Representatives would say they represent the presumed intent of the people of their district/state meaning that if the people where in the shoes of their representative and know all of the trading and negotiating that goes into voting for or against proposed legislation, the people would vote in a way like how the represntative or senatory votes.  What really messes things up is the need for campaign finance and thus, reps and senators are sometimes tempted to vote with the largest compaign contributions..  Americans need to recognize that the way campaign financing is done, takes their representatives and senators away from them and that could be fixed.

Answer 3

both really, while they are there to represent the people that elected them they are also our "caretakers" in many respects.

example - no one likes taxes or wants to pay them, but where would we be without the services they provide?

Also the politicians are often better informed on whatever issue they are voting on then the general public and are often subjected to long winded debates on what the outcome would be of those laws.

example - abortion, while for many the knee jerk reaction would be to ban abortion as "baby killing" but the responsible politcian would have to mull over what the end results on society would likely be .. perhaps a return to home remedies and back room "clinics"

the trouble with this is finding good representation to vote into office in the first place

Answer 4

They should follow the known wishes of the majority of their constituents, in my opinion. They're there to represent the people, not themselves.

Answer 5

Leadership is the correct answer.

"There go my people I must follow them, I am their leader."

                                           OR

"My people are going in the wrong direction, I must lead them another way."

Civil Rights laws are a good example. Many senators are attempting to lead in a direction which would out law guns- their voters disagree. The voters can judge each one on his merits. Leadership trumps followers.

Answer 6

It's called observer bias: we are human beings, we can't take ourselves out of the equation.  Therefore, politicians vote mostly on how they feel about an issue, or more than likely, how they've been told to vote by their party.  There are very few conscience votes in parliament. Do you expect every politician to survey all his/her constituents about each and every issue? Can you image the cost and how much longer laws would take to come to pass? I hope this is what you wanted.