congress with worse acoustics but way more power over your actual daily life.
means the elected lawmaking bodies of each U.S. state, deciding everything from your taxes to your school curriculum while nobody watches c-span for them.
from colonial assemblies pre-date the constitution itself; the framers built federal power on top of legislatures that were already governing, which is why states kept broad authority over anything the constitution did not explicitly claim.
texas legislature — meets 140 days every two years, then goes home.
california legislature — full-time, professionalized, controls a 300 billion dollar budget.
new hampshire house — 400 members, the largest state legislative body in america.
nebraska unicameral — one chamber, no party labels on the ballot, since 1937.