Reflextions

Did you agree with the outcome of your simulation experience? Why or why not?
I did agree with what clicked on in the simulation experience. I really enjoyed that I got to support a bill that said that people needed to have a background check before purchasing a gun. To me this is a big thing because I do not want to have someone who has a criminal background to own a gun.

What might have changed the outcome?
Something that could have changed the outcome is if I did not do what was best for my state. If all i did was listen to what my citizens told me to do then nothing would get done. I think that I did the best thing by going with what I thought was best for my state. Another thing that could have changed the outcome is if I actually knew the people, if I knew them then I would be more obligated to listen to what they were saying.

How do the scenarios compare to the local politics of your congressional district?
I really do not know how they compare because I am not very much involved in the local politics of my congressional district. I do though now see how they have to act. Like with the scenario where the my senator got caught getting a check from another person. This made me think that my citizens would not like me because they thought that I would misuse the money. So even though I do not know how it compares to my congressional district, I do see how the people in my congressional district must feel.

What do you feel has the greatest impact on the election results- local or national issues? And why?
I think that the national issues had the greatest impact because they seemed to have more positive outcomes. I'm guessing that the reason why national issues had more of an impact is because my citizens were involved and that other citizens were involved.

Do you agree or disagree with this?
I do agree with this. A person does not only need to think about themselves and what their state wants, but what is best for the country. We are one united country and if we only think about what we want, then we will have another Civil War, which is not something that our country wants to experience again.

How do local issues affect the ability of Congress make national decisions?
Local issues affect the congress because all issues start small. If one person wants a new building then they will tell another person that, then that person would tell another person and so on. This is probably what happened with the "Gun Background Check" bill. It had to start with one person in a local place that did not like it that anyone could purchase a gun, so they talked to people about it, then talked to their congress people and then the congress people talked it over with their different sections of congress, and eventually it will get disgust.