Discussion 1 (150 words with 1-2 credible references in APA, Must be 100% original work)

With a wide variety of public problems competing for placement on the national agenda, how exactly do a handful of public problems rise to the level of national attention? Do you agree, as has been argued by many other policy practitioners, that a national policy agenda must be limited in order to focus the public's attention on just a handful of pressing public issues at any one time?

Discussion 2 (150 words with 1-2 credible references in APA, Must be 100% original work)

Few issues have divided Republicans and Democrats more than the issue of special interest groups and the role that they play in not only placing issues on the national policy agenda, but also in how scarce resources are allocated to tackle public problems. Discuss the degree to which you believe that special interest groups have either contributed to or detracted from the national policy discussion. Also, discuss what steps, if any, you would take to curtail the impact of special interest groups on the public policy process.