“Rising costs and inflation” are the main concerns of junior finance major at Bloomsburg Campus, Braden Alicea. Junior finance major, Samuel Blumberger shares similar views stating, “My main concern is being a student coming out of college with lower income wages wanting to be able to live without taking extended loans out.”  

While some would like the government to lower inflation, others would like to see wages rise. Jayden Moorene, a senior studying media and journalism, states that the problem he would like to see solved by this upcoming administration is “an increase in minimum wage for all employees nationwide.” 

The desire to get a decent wage and live comfortably out of college is a primary concern to the Generation Z population. Whether it is concerns about rising inflation rates or minimum wage not being high enough nationwide, comfortable living is not as guaranteed as it was just thirty to forty years ago. “Last year was rough for homebuyers and realtors as a trifecta of forces made it harder than ever to buy a place to live., or at least the hardest in nearly three decades”, said Chris Arnold in an article from NPR. Both candidates promise to solve money problems by lowering taxes, decreasing inflation, or increasing wages. While presidents can propose these solutions, they need legislative support. That is why the constitutional roles of the Executive and Legislative branches matter so much in our government, as the executive branch’s job is to enforce bills or sign them into effect, and the the legislature’s job is to draft proposed laws or bills through Congress. This is a tedious process that is often overlooked when it comes to passing bills that are there to help the American people.  

For example, for a bill to be passed to make a national minimum wage it must first be drafted by the House of Representatives or Senate, both of which make up Congress and are part of the Legislative branch. If the bill gets sponsored by a representative, then the bill goes to a committee which holds hearings on the bill to understand its implications. After this, the bill is marked up by the committee, and if voted in favor of, it is then sent to the floor of Congress.  

After this the bill is marked up by the committee, and if voted in favor of the bill, it is then sent to the floor of Congress. If the bill was proposed by the House of Representatives and it is passed through there successfully, it is then sent to the Senate, where it follows the same route through committees and subcommittees until it reaches the floor.  

If there were different versions of the bill that made it through the House and Senate, Congress would call a conference committee to resolve the differences between the bill or else it dies. If agreements are met, then the committee member prepares a conference report that both the House and Sente must vote to approve. If the bill makes it through all these steps, it is sent to the President. If the President approves the legislation, it is signed into law. If the President vetoes the bill, it can be overturned by Congress if both the House and Senate vote on the bill by a two-thirds majority.  

All these checks and balances put in place by the Constitution matter greatly as power in government never sways too much one way no matter which party is in office. However, with a tedious process like that to pass a bill, many Americans like Samuel Blumberger, Jayden Moorene, and Braden Alicea worry even their preferred candidate will not be able to solve the issues in the country they fear the most.  

Peter Doerschler, a Political Science professor at Bloomsburg Campus, agrees there is not only fear but also frustration in the American population with the government being perceived as highly ineffective. “Candidates make promises they can never live up to, that’s nothing new, but promises must be made to sway voters” says Doerschler, “You can elect a new group of people with the new policy, but there is so little chance it gets passed.”  

“I want to feel confident and comfortable in the candidate I cast a vote for,” says Samuel Blumberger. It is a problem that increases not only worry but social apathy as well.