Tell us about you:

I am a 28 year old male of Italian and Irish decent. I am born and raised in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. I grew up in a working class family with my mother, father and younger brother who happens to be severely autistic. With my upbringing I have always had a belief in social justice. From a young age I respected and admired those who dedicate their lives to shaping a world. I loved learning about these types of people and what can be done by engaging with the society, and specifically in my case, city around us. I remember learning about how Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier only a few miles from where i lived. I remember going into the voting booth with my mother in the 1992 election in the hopes that that seemingly small act of voting could change the world.

Experiences and memories like this is what shaped who I am and what I care about today. I love NYC and much of my time is spent engaging in my community, whether it be through my professional work, my academic pursuits or volunteering with various organizations and hopefully making it a little better for everyone.

Nov 4 at 11:38 PM According to most analysis of the framing of the Constitution, the Founders believed that the Congress would be the most powerful political body in the national government. Yet contemporary scholars put the Presidency at least on part with the Congress, if not stronger than it. Do you agree with these premises? If so, articulate why, and further explain how the Presidency came to be dominant. If not, articulate why not, and explain why Congress continues to be the more powerful political body in the national government.

The framers of the constitution outlined specific roles and powers for congress( legislative branch )and the president (executive branch) and believed that congress would be the most powerful political body in national government. When arguing for the ratification of the constitution James Madison wrote that in any republican form of government the legislative branch, “necessarily predominates”. Over time, through instances of congress’s abdication of its constitutional authority and the president