Question: Interest groups become heavily involved in public debates that eventually evolve into established policy. Should policy commitments be derived solely from these groups? What other parties should be involved?
Please explain whether you agree with my classmate response to the above question and why? (a mininum of 125 words)
Classmate's Response: Interest groups are a group of people organizing to encourage or prevent changes to public policy. Most importantly they are a group who share ideas and common attitudes toward a certain subject or idea. This is typically good for American politics as we operate under a pluralistic form of government. It would be impossible for the government to recognize every interest from every person in society; therefore, interest group come into play. They offer the best approximation of public interest in large and diverse societies.
I believe the issue with interest groups comes from the relatively few who are organized into political effective groups as opposed to larger well organized economic powerhouses. For instance, many grass root organizations have a tough time having their voices heard in Washington. Large well-organized interest groups have access to communicate directly to a representative in government. This gives direct power and authority to interest groups and may lead to abusive, or undue influence into public policy.