1. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution establishes the seat of government, which today is Washington, DC. Residents of Washington, DC, have no representation in Congress other than a nonvoting delegate. Should Washington, DC, residents be granted more representation? What are the legal impediments toward such a move? What would be the political repercussions?

2. Today the United States is one of the few remaining countries to refuse the adoption of the metric system for weights and measures. Would the decision to "go metric" be within the powers of Congress? For more information on this topic, explore the National Institute of Standards and Technology at http://www.nist.gov.

3. Congressional authority to regulate foreign trade extends to the use of economic sanctions against rogue foreign nations. How effective have these sanctions been in the past? Do you believe it is more effective for Congress to ban trade with a foreign nation to encourage its citizens to overthrow hostile governments or for Congress to encourage trade so that those citizens may prosper economically?

4. If states are prohibited by the dormant commerce clause from discriminating against out-of-state commerce, how can state universities charge a lower tuition rate to in-state residents? Can you distinguish the role the state is playing when it does so, between that of a spender and that of a collector of monies?

5. Read the New York Times article on Amazon.com and its efforts to avoid a nexus to collect sales tax, at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/ business/27digi.html. Amazon.com generates more than twenty billion dollars in sales annually but only collects sales taxes in five states, where it is headquartered and where it has facilities. Through a process called "entity isolation," the company has created methods that allow it to avoid creating a nexus even in states where it has employees and facilities. What are the implications of this behavior?

6. In 2005, in an effort to coerce states to tighten up standards for issuing identity cards and driver licenses in the fight against terrorism, Congress passed the REAL ID Act stipulating certain requirements for state-issued identification. States that failed to comply would be punished by its citizens being denied access to federally run facilities including airports. How is this an exercise of the spending power? Do you believe Congress should have the ability to stipulate who can use federally funded airports? Chapter 5 The Constitution 5.2 The Commerce, Taxing, and Spending Clauses?