In my family, sometimes Doug and I bicker and fight. Doug and I will take our sides of the story to Lane and he will talk to my mom on either Doug’s or my behalf. My mom will lay down the law in the House. Doug and I are expected to abide by it and my stepdad is expected to be the enforcer. Sometimes in the midst of enforcement, my stepdad sees a better way to deal with Doug and I, and he will take it to my mother for her consent. Although Lane is the most valuable tool to get through to my mom, sometimes I can just get buddy-buddy with my stepdad and he will lobby to my mother on my behalf, because, he knows that I have the best perspective and knowledge on my own problems. So, in a way, my house operates with its own Iron Triangle. My mother is very much like a one person congress. Doug and I serve as our own interest groups. Lane is a lobbyist, and my stepdad is the bureaucracy.

The people of the Unites States have problems, too. And, believe it or not, the United States Government relies on a messy system of Iron triangles as well. Public interest groups are very close to the people. They know the people’s problems and they do a lot of work for the congress by collecting information that depicts that their problems are shared by many citizens. Congress understands the strength of public opinion and the needs of the people, and therefore, relies on the information and issues that interest groups present in order to pass legislation. The legislation that is passed is the duty of the bureaucracy to enforce. The bureaucracy makes rules and regulations that directly affect the people of the United States. Bureaucrats have recognized the power of theses interest groups as well as their influence on Congress. Bureau chiefs and staff, who are often appointed with the pressure of special interests, often team up with the interest groups to create a sort of alliance towards a common goal. The Bureaucrats can benefit from more attention to their agency which leads to more money. The special interest groups, in turn are advocating their issue even more effectively. The importance of special interests makes the job of lobbyists even more important because they are the people that handle the direct transaction between congressmen and interest groups. The connection between lobbyists and congressmen has often been referred to as the revolving door. Many retired congressmen become lobbyists and many lobbyists, because of their connections with congress are able to become congressmen. This creates the system that has been dubbed the Iron Triangle, although in reality it is more like a messy, intertwined ball of yarn. Lobbyists and special interest groups, bureaucrats, and congressmen all rely on each other’s connections and information in order to create our intricate system of law making and implementation.

I'm Trying

The iron triangle refers to all types of metal pieced together in a triangle. JK anyways, the iron triangle refers to the specific parts in our government. For example, congressional committees, interest groups, and a federal department or agency. The iron triangle refers to a strong alliance between all of these groups. A triangle cannot exist without all sides being present. When we apply this to governmental terms we can see that this system cannot work without the other partners. This supports the checks and balances system in that one part cannot overpower another one. All government in our country has checks and balances because with too much power, there becomes tyranny. It is a useful system if it is worked properly. If all sides contribute to their specific jobs and duties then there is no hassle in it. Power is evenly distributed to make the system equal and functional. Without this system it would be difficult for legislation to get accomplished. This system is simple, and efficient.

Iron Triangle

The Iron Triangle is basically a diagram showing how the bureaucracy collaborates and checks itself. It consists of Interest Groups, Congressional committees, and Federal Agencies. Interest Groups ideally try to lobby legislation to benefit their members. They also try to influence the way current laws are regulated, or enforced. To do this they garner support from federal agencies, which enforce and enact laws and legislation. Congressional Committees are put in charge of setting the budget and overseeing what Federal Agencies do. Federal Agencies report to the Congressional Committees on their activates. So the Iron triangle shows the relationship between these parts of the bureaucracy. The triangle also demonstrates how these three players can check each other. An interest group can withdraw support from an Agency if it is not regulating laws in its favor, or Congressional Committees can cut funding if they see the regulating of a law unfit. Thus Federal Agencies try to please both Congress and interest Groups. Ultimately the Iron Triangle showcases the influence of the interest groups, the regulation of the Federal Agencies, and the oversight and funding of Congress.

Iron Triangle!!! Yay!

Next question to ponder......The Iron Triangle...what is it? Why is it critical for the functioning of a Republic??? Who are the "players" involved?

The Iron Triangle, by definition is a policy-making alliance that involves very strong ties among a congressional committee, an interest group, and a federal department or agency. Within this triangle network, each side of the triangle supports the other two. The congressional committees help the interest groups and agencies, the agencies support the congressional committees and interest groups, and finally the interest groups help both the congressional committees and the agencies. When looking at the concept of iron triangles we are able to see how all these organizations are collaborative and need each other in order to function correctly. Again, this brings us back to the idea of the governmental checks and balances system. Without the connection between all these groups and having them watch over each other, one group would be able to gain too much power and possibly cause a tyranny. As the number of interest groups within our government has risen, the concept of iron triangles has become much looser. While iron triangles are long-lasting and do not come and go away quickly, issue networks are short lived and bring up many of the issues. Issue networks include a variety of organizations and are defined as policy-making alliances among loosely connected participants that come together on a particular issue and then disband.
In order to have a functioning Republic the government must have systems to regulate itself. Although many of the groups/agencies work very much on their own on certain issues they must all still in some way be connected. The government is able to be much more efficient and effective when it works together. Without this system of checks and balances one of the branches is sure to go corrupt. People in their nature are power hungry and once they get a taste of it, if they have room to expand they will. If we were to let this happen nothing would ever get done. Congressional committees, interest groups, and agencies are basically the base of what we look at for our government. If one breaks down they must be able to monitor and support each other so that the entire system does not just come to a complete stop and fail immediately.
In conclusion, the iron triangle helps to set a basis for our government and helps all the systems to be aware of their responsibilities and regulations that are required of them.

iron triangle...blah

Many Americans will claim that the Federal Administration is not only inefficient but also that is does not effect their day to day lives; the latter being completely wrong and the former being only partially true. In an attempt to make the bureaucracy more efficient, the iron triangle better describes how agencies collaborate with congressional committees and interest groups.
Though there is no start, interest groups are the easiest to begin with. As their name suggests, a group of people comes together to publicize their beliefs on a certain subject and create legislation through lobbying or other ways. However, in existing legislation, interest groups can also influence the regulations of the laws and how they are implemented. In order to impact these regulations, interest groups go through agencies such as the one of the fifteen departments, an independent regulatory commission, independent agencies, or government corporations. In turn, these agencies report to congressional committees for subsidies or appropriations. This triangle may begin anywhere but what it ultimately comes down to is influence from interest groups, directing by agencies, and monetary support by congressional committees.

Ironing Triangles for Implementation

Yet again, we see a vicious cycle within the government. This time, it’s the Iron Triangle. The concept of this triangle is that agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups all work together to establish and carry out laws that, in the end, satisfy the American people (hopefully). Interest groups are very important in not only raising funds, but also persuading congressional committees to further a cause that they believe strongly in. These interest groups practically jumpstart the law creation/implementation process. Once their pressure towards the congressional committees in a positive way, these committees provide money and establish a budget that the agencies must follow. By created the budget and allocating money, the agency is then in charge of implementing the laws. With the given amount of money they can spend, as well as an outline of the law itself, these agencies use some of their own discretion to carry out the laws in the best way possible. This administrative discretion gives these agencies the power to “fill in the blanks” of the said laws, ensuring that the gaps in the laws no longer exist. This saves the legislative branch time, for not every tiny aspect of a law is covered when it is created. The agencies step up to ensure that no loopholes are present. When the agencies carry out the laws, the interest groups, in turn, are satisfied. This process is repeated when a new interest group enters with a new issue or idea.

The Iron Triangle is important because the legislature takes so long to pass bills into laws, and once these laws are created, it only seems right that they are carried out correctly. As funds are raised and spent, and rules and regulations become implemented, it becomes more and more important that someone is watching over everything. It is also vital that a cycle continues so that a stagnant bureaucracy doesn’t occur. As each corner of the triangle continues to function, effectiveness and efficiency should continue to occur.

Um....

Next question to ponder......The Iron Triangle...what is it? Why is it critical for the functioning of a Republic???Who are the "players" involved?

The Iron Triangle, besides being a clever name for a system of government that we use, it's also a helpful mnemonic device for tests. The triangle is shared between Congress, Interest Groups and Agencies. The three different areas depend on one another to get stuff done. Congress is dependent on Interest Groups for electoral support and information. The Interest Groups work off of the bureaucracy with their minimal regulation and support. Then again Congress supports the agencies through funding and political support. To go the other way, policy execution is done by the agencies toward Congress; interest groups lobby for Congress support for agencies; and Congress presents legislation and oversight for Interest Groups. The three rack up enough power to control legislation and work as a cohesive team that "get 'er done". They need each other for effective, legitimate legislation. For example, say that teachers (the interest group) want to pass a law for free lunch. Then they will lobby toward Congress and Agencies for support. The Agencies, like the Department of Education, will review the teacher's desires and then, depending on how they took the news, will either hand it off to Congress or not. Later on, after the legislation for free teacher lunch has passed, when Congress members look for reelection they can refer back to the interest group of teacher to provide support that they are the good guys, and can use them in elections. All together they are a dynamic team that makes the government a much smoother place; without the three of them there would be a non-real shape: just two lines in various directions, lacking one more angle to connect them!