Part 1: The Power of Congress: If one looks at the Constitution, it is clear the framers intended Congress to be the most powerful branch of the federal government.  Yet Congress struggles to pass major legislation. In an essay, describe the central powers that Congress can use to influence governmental policy.  Then discuss why Congress often fails to legislate effectively or efficiently.  What are the central causes of “gridlock” and dysfunction?  In writing about Congress’s difficulties with gridlock and dysfunction, discuss how the partisan polarization, gerrymandered constituencies that Congress represents and its bicameral (two chamber) nature “complicate” the process of making laws, especially given the rules of the US Senate.  Last, explain using current events, how the current Congress appears to have surrendered so much of its power to the President and White House.  Is it just partisan “support” of the President or does the pressures of legislating lead them to abdicate power long before Trump came around?  

True or False? Administrative costs in a multi-payer system are higher than those in a single-payer system.

Find the domain of: f(x)=x-2x-7

The proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) a country spends on the delivery of health care services is a:

All of the following are true of the Montgomery Bus Boycott except:

Part 2: Government Success?  This essay focuses on a critical question and course theme: to what extent is the US government too broken to solve current problems and handle it responsibilities well?  Begin your essay by discussing what government has done or currently does effectively and areas where it struggles to be effective.  Then explain why liberals and conservatives disagree so strongly over the scale and support for various government programs.  How do there respective ideologies shape their support for certain government programs?  Ultimately, how does President Trump and Republican leaders want to “reform” and change the government policy making system (and personnel in it) to suit their goals? Cite 2-3 recent policy making actions that show ideologically-driven action or reform. Will this make government more or less successful in the future? 

True or False? There are more generalists than specialists in the United States.

Part 1: The Power of Presidency: One of the most profound changes in our political institutions over the past century is how much stronger and important the US president has become.  In this essay, begin by describing what the framers had in mind for the presidency at the writing of the Constitution.  Then please describe what changes in government and society led to the presidency becoming the center of the national government.  How does the public now view presidency in terms the “demands” the public places on presidents today and the level of expectations of them.  In the last section of your essay, discuss how Trump has exercised this amount or power and how has striven to accumulate even more power in the presidency? How does Trump compare to previous presidents in terms of gaining and exercising power aggressively? 

Identify the function with the horizontal asymptote y = 3.

For the polynomial p(x)=x3-7×2+x+33,  3 is a zero.  Find the other zeroes of this polynomial.