Political Magic

Today, I witnessed something magical. When constituents take it upon themselves to act in politics it reminds you that government is still being run in the original way it was intended. As drafted by the founders, the government should be ran by the people. Furthermore, when a man called in to ask for all the zip codes and map of congressional district 8 I was very flustered. I was wondering, what on earth would a man want to do with that. To be honest it seemed pretty creepy to me. When he came in I could not have been further off base. The man was getting information so that he knew where to door knock to rally support for his petition. He told me that everyday he walks door to door asking people to sign his petition challenging the ruling of Roe v. Wade. This man was knowledgeable of Trent's efforts to prevent abortions and knows that Mr. Franks is one of the most outspoken legislatures on this issue yet me wanted to take it even further with a grass roots campaign.

Our political system only works the way its supposed to if the people participate. This can be anywhere from taking on these grassroots campaigns to something as simple as voting. If not, then our government will lose base with the American. The petitioner's leading role in his community goes on to bring the government closer to the people which is what democracy is all about.

District Day

Every once in a great while, the congressman comes back to his home state to check up on the people he's promised to represent. In Glendale, we call thisDistrict Day. District Day is packed full of activities to rally support, raise money, and even meet the staff. In my opinion, its the Christmas for a political office that happens four times a year.

My first district day began with "Coffee with the Congressman". This event was definitely on the smaller side, hosting around forty people.  Just like Christmas morning I woke up to anxious faces and the scent of coffee. All of the invitees were gathered around the podium to see what Saint Franks had brought them this quarter. The attendees of the event were mostly Franks' loyalists, many of which were seasoned veterans of the event. I especially admired the congressman for his ability to work a room. Even those Trump supporters felt right at home.

There was not a waking moment on this day that the congressman wasn't fulfilling his congressional duties. Up next was the private meetings to discuss possible legislation. For example, the congressman had a meeting with a local teen to discuss the infestation of feral cats at her school. These meetings are important but not nearly as important as raising money and awareness for the upcoming election.

For the congressman, his position is up for reelection every two years so there is never a bad time to raise more money. The final event of the night was a fundraiser and kick off party.  This is when the member truly worked his magic encouraging donations from the attendees with his ardent words. Even I wanted to shell out some cash and I was his employee. Trent may not be around all the time but when he does he does the best he can to care for all people he's sworn to help.

Week 4

Remember the old mystery gang? The all-star crew of super sleuths? Do Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred or Scooby-Doo ring a bell? I'm sure they do and it may sound cliché but its their teamwork that solved what I thought to be unsolvable. Alone, these characters represent stereotypical teenagers. There's then jock, the pretty girl, the nerd, the stoner, and the little dog too. Much like these crime fighting good doers, I play my part in solving cases. These aren't the kind of cases you're probably thinking . We don't find bank robbers or missing people. The district office solves the mystery of the federal government.

In Mr. Franks office, each employee has a role in solving cases, just like the TV show. For example, the chief of staff is the Fred of the workplace. He's the man in charge and tells the gang how to "split up" just like in the show. He divides the employees up into different specialties like Social security, Veteran's affairs, or immigration. In contrast to popular belief, the congressman does not deal directly with the cases. For example, many call in asking the congressman to solve all their problems directly and some have refused to speak to anyone besides the congressman. What many don't understand is that the congressman is often in Washington writing and voting on legislation rather than making sure Jane Doe gets her 2014 Tax Return. In the midst of all this case work, I'm the Scooby-Doo of the office. My words on the phone aren't the most coherent and I don't have much expertise when it comes to casework but I sure love snacks. As an intern in high school, there's not a whole lot I can do to solve cases but like  Scooby-Doo I act as a cushion the office can lean on. As the first voice constituents hear when they call into the office, I'm the glimmer of light at the end of a dark hall, the shimmer of hope that insures them that their case can be solved. In other words, I'm just a pup surrounded by the experts. Ruh-Roh.

Week Three

To many, where our rights come from may seem like great mystery. If you were to ask Kanye West he'd probably claim that human rights stemmed from him. On the other hand, others may say that their rights come from their governors. In reality, rights aren't things that need to be earned; human rights come at birth. They are given to us by god. This was the belief of John Locke who's ideologies make up the foundation of the constitution. What many of the congressman's constituents believe is that their rights are granted to them by the government but it's really the other way around. I've learned that the U.S. government is founded on the basis of governed. In other words, the government is only able to rule because the people let it. The power really lies in the people.

The constituent's misconceptions became extremely evident this week after Congressman Franks announced his endorsement of both Rubio and Cruz. In the office, we received a lot of feedback almost instantaneously. The Trump supporters found this especially alarming. Some of the calls ranged from simply asking the congressman to "lay off" to a slandering assault of my employer. Many of the Trump supporters believe that the congressman has no power to tell the people how to vote because his endorsement does not always take into account the entire district. What many don't understand is that a men are voted into office to represent their constituents not always because he represents the constituents. Trent Franks, for example, was voted into office because he was seen as the person best fit to make decisions for the district. Trent Franks only has power because he has the consent of the governed, he's a man selected by the people. It's the people that run the government. The voting process puts people in office who are best fit to help the district. If they're not fit then the mistake is usually correct in the next election cycle. Trent Franks is not making voting decisions for the people he's making he's guiding the district as it chosen leader.

Week Two

Week two of interning is now in the books and I can say that my preconceived notion of government was wrong. So wrong. For example, today's average citizen hates politicians because they're known to lose touch of the people they've sworn to protect.Working in a political office has allowed me to sympathies with these misunderstood politicians. It's not that they don't want to fulfill these promises, they sometimes can't. Many of the people who call into the office are on the extremes as far as their ideologies go. The reason for this takes root in what they call in statistics the "voluntary response bias". An example of this is when someone is content with the congressman's actions. One whose content will typically not take the time out to call into the office. Only someone who has a problem will deem it crucial to comment. It's for this reason that the callers  and publicized opinions represent extreme opposition.

In the office, I take many calls in which "extreme opposition" is an understatement. These callers can call for one of two reasons, either to vent about politics in general or to share a legitimate problem witha federal agency. It's definitely harder to help the conspiracy theorists but the local office has the sharpest scissors for slicing up red tape. These people are extremely frustrated much like those who are venting because they have given up on the federal agency and must lean on us to communicate on their behalf. In this way, the congressional office takes a leading role in helping the people. When offices see the congressman's name on the caller id they tend to pick up the phone.

Sadly, there are few callers wishing to complement the congressman or the GOP, but these is a silver lining. The congressman continues to be a man of the people by removing this red tape and using the local office to stay in touch with his constituents. From afar, politics may seem corrupt but once you wedge yourself deep enough below the surface you can see the underneath the congressman many work hard to help the district.

Hello all, my name is Ryan Loney and I'm giving you fair warning, I'm new to blogging. This blog will express both my admiration and distain for the federal government. That's the essence of my senior project. I will be exploring the relationship between a congressman and their constituents. My findings will come from my internship with Congressman Trent Franks over the course of three months. Pardon my manners, let me introduce myself first and foremost.

I'm a senior in high school at the moment and my only contact with the government has been my four tries at the DMV and the civics class I took as a freshman. The idea that a government can be ran by normal people seemed crazy. During that same year we had read Mythology by Edith Hamilton. This book presented the Greek folk lore. In contrast to the idea of American democracy, these societies were ran by holy deities and the divine. No mortal men were destined for leadership. The American Government turns normal people into gods. My congressman, for example, is seen by his constituents through the same medium the Athenians would have seen Hercules. The only difference is my congressman takes down snake headed monsters that aren't named medusa.

I chose to intern for Congressman Franks not just because he's the representative for my district or because his chief of staff's grandkids know me, he's a true conservative. I was born a member of the GOP so I've always looked up to Mr. Franks. The member sits at the forefront of the pro-life movement and has vowed to never raise taxes, only cut spending. Furthermore, he's the conservative I hope to be.

I will be working at the local office. This is not as flashy as the congressman's D.C. where they work on the legislation, my office focuses on connecting constituents with the federal government. This can be done in a variety of ways from voicing the opinions of the people to cutting through the red tape of the bureaucracies. After my internship is through, I will be able to see if congressmen are men of the people and see how the office helps the local community.