A public referendum is a way of ensuring direct democracy as it provides a platform where the adult population shares their beliefs, stands, and views regarding national operations or activities. Even though tax-related and security issues directly affect the public, decisions on these should be made by the Congress rather than a public referendum. Congressional decision- making processes are always done with the interests of the public in mind and consider several other national perspectives that might not be considered in the case of a public referendum (Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt 192). Thus, congressional decision-making is better than a public referendum for important issues such as tax regulations and security.
Tax regulations revolve around the extent to which the sum of money used in any legal and public activities is deducted from incomes or commodity sales. The Congress is mandated to set ideal standards and impose restrictions on deductions not indicated by the treasury in existing statutes. Congress members often focus on safeguarding the integrity of the tax structures in place. For instance, in 2008 the United States experienced a housing market crisis that slowed down the nation’s economy. It was difficult for a public referendum to fix the crisis forcing the intervention of the Congress. The Congress and the then President George Bush came up with legislation that rushed the income tax rebates from the tax filers to restore the economic stability.
Congressional decision-making processes also have the upper hand over a public referendum when it comes to the issues of security. The U.S. Congress is responsible for legislation on immigration that ensures the security of the country’s borders (Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt 192). A public referendum would do little to address the issue of illegal immigration that is one of the factors behind the decline in the nation’s security levels. Public opinion can trigger war rather than address security issues as was witnessed during the Vietnam War.
In brief, congressional-decision making process has an upper hand over a public referendum when it comes to important national issues such as tax regulation and security. In the case of tax regulation, the Congress can set ideal standards and impose restrictions on taxes whereas a public opinion through referendum cannot. Also, security can enhanced through Congress and not a public referendum.
Work Cited
Bardes, Barbara A, Mack C. Shelley, and Steffen W. Schmidt. American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=6ubh-K1gBooC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=Issues+you+consider+important+enough+to+be+decided+in+a+public+referendum,+rather+than+in+Congress&source=bl&ots=sDOrhmyPVn&sig=FMdVpuq56KOu6RCZllUscFCd_Nw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi7kbHPtJHaAhVsB8AKHWzOCfIQ6AEISTAF#v=onepage&q&f=false